Max Lamb is a British furniture designer fascinated with the possibilities presented by materials. From polystyrene to stone by way of pewter, this young North London graduate of the Royal College of Arts creates one-off pieces by hand for an admiring clientele.
Now in collaboration with Camden Bauhaus aficionados Dzek, Lamb has produced a new "Marmoreal" collection, hand-made from a marble composite that he's painstakingly created, using 95% marble aggregate and 5% binding polyester resin.
The resulting material has a look that's similar to Italian terrazzo, but with a distinctly 21st century twist. The first range, released last year, used white as a background colour and comprised, among others, shelving, tables, stools and chairs.
The new Dzek Marmoreal collection, though, is the real scene-stealer. Now the background colour is an eye-catching black, with contrasting Giallo Mori, Rosso Verona, Bianco Verona and Verde Alpi marble insets.
This 2015 range comprises angular bathroom pieces and we'd very much like them for our next refurbishment. There's something of the 1980s about the shelving, basins, toilets and deep, deep baths.
These new dark pieces have a square functionality that defies expectations. We think they have the potential to transform your bathroom into a tranquil bathing cave.
"There's a different quality to handmade objects," says designer Max Lamb of his approach to the objects he creates in his workshop, and we can but agree. In a world of the mass produced, the individual, artisanal object is always king.
