Oliver Spendley, a traditional boat builder from England’s south coast, has spent the past six years in northwest Scotland transforming gneiss—a layered metamorphic rock native to the region—into sculptural furniture. His creations often feature jagged stone legs piercing through smooth wooden tabletops, emphasizing the natural textures and patterns of the rock. Spendley works minimally on the stones, shaping them only to highlight their inherent qualities.

Gneiss, characterized by its banded layers resulting from intense heat and pressure on other rock types, is central to Spendley’s aesthetic, which draws parallels between the rock’s patterning and timber grain. His approach taps into a long-standing human fascination with geological materials as art forms. Examples of this interest include Chinese gongshi scholar’s rocks and prehistoric naturally formed “ready-made” objects such as the Makapangasat pebble.

The enduring appeal of natural stone and fossils has been noted by Costas Paraskevaides, director of ArtAncient, a gallery dealing in fossils, Bronze Age artifacts, and unique geological formations like gogottes. He reports increased demand for such pieces, evidenced by the rapid sellout of gogottes at Masterpiece London in 2022 and heightened interest in meteorites, including a Martian meteorite that sold for $4.3 million at Sotheby’s New York last year.

Several experts suggest that the current surge in interest in natural stones may reflect broader cultural and psychological trends. Author Hettie Judah, whose 2022 book “Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones” explores the cultural significance of stones, links the trend to contemporary anxieties over climate change and geopolitical instability. She suggests that geological objects, which predate human civilization, offer a comforting perspective on humanity’s fleeting impact on the earth. Wellness culture, with its focus on crystals and minerals, as well as certain subcultures emphasizing rugged masculinity, may also be influencing demand.

Contemporary designers are incorporating these materials in innovative ways that blend raw naturalism with refined modernity. Mexico City-born Damaso Mayer, founder of Estudio Material, contrasts rough stone with sleek metal to produce sculptural furniture pieces that highlight the interplay between natural and industrial elements. Mayer, drawing on his background in landscape architecture, emphasizes minimal intervention, cautioning against overworking stone to preserve its “soul” and historical layers.

Similarly, London-based South African designer Lea Colombo produces bold tables from stacked semi-precious stones such as red jasper and tiger’s eye. Belgian designer Maarten De Ceulaer creates granite-inspired stacked lights, while Spanish designer Pepe Valenti from the Netherlands designs jagged lamps that evoke the shaping power of the sea on coastlines.

For some artists, the focus is less on combining materials than on revealing hidden qualities inherent in the stone. Lebanese-French designer Najla El Zein, working with artisans from Beirut, creates sensual, fluid seating sculptures by delicately sculpting stone to reveal its overlooked softness beneath a hard exterior. El Zein views stone as an active, unpredictable collaborator requiring time and patience to fully realize its potential. Her public works include a forthcoming piece for the NGV Triennial in Melbourne, while her more intimate creations include the entwined “Lovers Bench,” exploring themes of intimacy and permanence through stone.

This growing movement reflects an ongoing cultural re-engagement with natural geological materials, blending ancient human traditions with contemporary design sensibilities.