A field guide to travertine
Holes, veins, and why the most Roman stone in the world is having a moment in your living room.
What is travertine, really?
Travertine is limestone that formed around hot springs. As mineral-rich water bubbled up and evaporated, it left behind layers of calcium carbonate — and the bubbles left holes. Those holes are the stone’s signature, and the reason no two slabs look alike.
The Romans built the Colosseum out of it. We build side tables. Both are, in their way, about creating a place to put things down and watch something happen.
Filled, unfilled, honed, polished
Unfilled travertine is dramatic but collects crumbs. Filled travertine has its holes packed with a matching resin, so it stays tactile but practical. We hone ours to a soft matte, because polished stone shows every fingerprint and we like our customers too much for that.
Treat it like a good friend: give it coasters, don’t pour lemon juice on it, and re-seal every couple of years. It will outlive all of us.
