Nero Marquina Wave Marble Tile (610 mm x 305 mm)

Relief is read through shadow, and shadow needs somewhere to fall. On a pale stone the crest of each flute is bright and the trough merely dimmer, so the profile is legible under almost any light. On a near-black ground there is very little tonal range to begin with, and the troughs go effectively to black. What remains is a series of bright edges where light grazes the crests, with the white veining flashing in and out along them. The tile stops being a patterned surface and becomes a pattern of light.

That makes the lighting position decisive rather than merely helpful. Washed from above or from one side, the wall is striking. Lit flatly from the front, it collapses into a dark rectangle and the milling is wasted. Decide where the light will come from before the tile is ordered.

A milled face is a wall product: feature walls, fireplace surrounds, reception desks and bar fronts. The stone is calcitic and etches on acid contact, and a fluted profile cannot be refinished if it is damaged.