Ascale Patagonia Gold

A reading of Patagonia quartzite: large, near-opaque white patches with a greyish ground between them, crossed by crystallisation in gold and rust. The result is not a repeating pattern but something that looks naturally broken — like rock that came apart rather than stone that was cut.

Ascale is large-format sintered porcelain from the Spanish maker TAU Cerámica: a blend of minerals fired under high pressure and heat into a dense, non-porous slab. It absorbs nothing and never needs sealing, and resists scratching, staining, heat and UV, so it works on a worktop, on a floor and on an exterior façade alike. Supplied polished or in the Feel finish — matte with a texture you can feel, which hides fingerprints and suits stair treads. In 2, 1.2 and 0.6 cm, on 162 × 324 and 160 × 320 cm slabs. The pattern is large and directional, so choose the actual slab in the gallery and mark the layout before cutting, particularly on an island with a waterfall edge.