Rigid by nature, fluid by craft.
Since 2016, Bended has turned stone from mass into movement — natural stone thinned, curved and reinforced into columns, furniture and sculptural forms a solid slab could never take.
For most of stone’s history, a curve was something you carved away — a mason removing material from a solid block until a rounded form emerged from what was left. Bended does the opposite. It begins with a slab thinned to a fraction of its bulk and sets that slab into a curve.
The technique grew in our workshop from experiments in thinning and splitting stone, and deepened into close study of the flexural and bending strength of different stones — which varieties accept a tight radius and which need a gentler arc. After 24 years of research and repeated testing, we introduced Bended in 2016.
Stone is sliced into sheets as thin as 2mm, curved, and reinforced with fibreglass beneath; for some stones, a controlled application of heat helps the sheet take its shape. The result is roughly 60% lighter than a solid marble block and uses about 90% of the material, so little of the block is lost along the way. The technique is patented in Southeast Asia.
Recognition
Bended won the Natural Stone Institute’s 2018 Pinnacle Award of Excellence, in the Commercial Interior category, for ‘Bent and Light’ — our Singapore showroom, where curved marble floors, walls and ceilings recreate the underwater world of Finding Nemo. The jury called it “the most innovative use of natural stone among all the submissions.” The same showroom was named Innovation of the Year at the Tatler Design Awards 2019.
Key facts
- Since 2016, after 24 years of research
- Patented in Southeast Asia
- Sheets as thin as 2mm, reinforced with fibreglass
- Roughly 60% lighter than solid marble blocks; about 90% of the material used
- Marble, onyx and other natural stones
- Columns, walls, ceilings, furniture, lighting and sculpture — tailored to each design
Where you’ll find it
- 7 Hartley Grove, Singapore — Bended Palisandro columns, and Bended Golden Spider in the primary bathroom.
- Furniture and objects — The Arcaico Chair, Elixir Bathtub, Riposo Stone Bed, Squiggle Console Table and Hive Table. See the project
Bended lets natural stone curve, flow, and embrace space in ways never imagined before — rigid by nature, fluid by craft.
Bring us a curve. Our team will tell you which stones can take it, or see Bended in person at our showrooms.
Read more: Bended Curved Marble: A Remarkable 2016 Technique
