Travertine and natural materials, explained.
A plain guide to the materials in our lights: what travertine is, why no two stone shades look the same, how it shapes light, and how it compares with woven, ceramic and resin designs.
What is travertine?
Travertine is a natural limestone formed around mineral springs, where layers of calcium carbonate build up over thousands of years. Gas trapped as the layers form leaves the small pores and channels that give the stone its texture. Our travertine ranges from warm cream to honey yellow, and every shade is made from real stone, so each one is unique.
Why every travertine shade looks different
Pores, veining and colour vary across a single block of stone, so every shade has its own pattern. Some show more open pores, others a smoother, denser surface. Expect small differences from the photos: they are part of the stone, not a defect.
How travertine shapes light
Travertine doesn't let light through. A stone shade directs light downwards into a warm, focused pool, while the shade itself stays a soft, matte form. That makes it a good choice over a kitchen island, a dining table or a bedside, where you want light on the surface below rather than across the whole room. On designs like the A823, a globe diffuser beneath the stone adds a gentle glow at eye level.
Living with travertine
- Good for: focused, warm light; natural texture; a solid, grounded look.
- Keep in mind: the stone is opaque, heavier than a woven shade, and every piece varies.
- Care: dust with a soft, dry cloth and keep it away from acidic cleaners such as vinegar or lemon-based sprays. Our care guide has step-by-step advice.
Wood details
Most of our travertine pendants pair the stone with a wood detail at the top, in a walnut tone or a natural wood tone. Choose the tone that suits your cabinetry, flooring or furniture, and look at the whole silhouette rather than the stone alone.
Woven shades
A woven shade works the opposite way to stone. Light passes through the gaps in the weave, so the shade glows and throws a soft pattern of shadows onto nearby walls and the ceiling. It's light to look at and light to hang. Our HX2652 grid-weave cylinder pendant and HX1316 palm-fan table lamp are both woven, so spacing and texture vary a little from piece to piece.
Dust woven shades gently with a soft brush or the low-suction setting on a vacuum, keep them dry, and hold the frame when you move them.
Ceramic and resin
Our THT40354A table lamp has a walnut-tone ceramic base under a softly ribbed faux-silk shade, giving an even, diffused glow for bedsides and side tables. The SH501 wall light is made from coloured resin with a vertically ribbed surface and lights the wall above and below. Both wipe clean with a soft, dry cloth.
Which material suits your room?
Choose travertine when you want a focused pool of light and a natural, solid presence, for example over an island or a dining table. Choose a woven shade when you want the whole light to glow and soften a room. Choose ceramic or resin for an even, low glow on a bedside table or a wall. Look at each light both on and off: it should belong in the room during the day as well as after dark.
Every product page lists the materials and care note for that model, and our care guide covers cleaning for each material.
| Material | What to look for | Before ordering | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural yellow travertine | Natural pores and warm mineral variation. Each stone shade can differ. | Review the current finish sample and the dimensions of the exact SKU. | A809 Travertine Capsule Pendant Light |
| Natural yellow travertine & solid wood | A broad stone cylinder with a contrasting solid-wood upper detail. | Choose the wood tone and look at the whole silhouette, not just the colour of the stone. | A801 Travertine Wood Core Pendant Light |
| Resin | A sculptural resin wall light with a choice of colour finishes. | Screen colours are a guide; ask us for a photo of the current finish if colour matching matters. | SH501 Ribbed Resin Wall Light |