Venetian Plaster

Classic Italian Aesthetics, Reimagined for Today

Venetian Plaster is a term commonly used to describe traditional lime and marble plaster finishes made famous in northern Italy during the Renaissance. The most prominent of these, marmorino and stucco lustro, were the genesis for the first polished plaster finishes developed and launched in the UK by Armourcoat in 1988.

A Short History

Venetian plaster describes a range of naturally pigmented, durable finishes made using lime and finely crushed marble. Its use can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, and later Ancient Greece and Rome, where its hardwearing properties were valued for decorative purposes. Yet it wasn’t until the Renaissance period in Venice it was widely used across many homes and public buildings, eliciting the term ‘Venetian Plaster’.

As Venice became a wealthy trading port in the 1400s, local merchants sought increasingly luxurious decoration for their grand villas, often built on wooden stilts over the Lagoon. Cladding these in marble was not practical, so artisans explored creative plaster techniques to replicate polished stone.

Marmorino plaster was applied in fine layers to resemble natural stone, with marble veining ‘frescoed’ onto the surface using feathers and brushes. A final coat of stucco lustro, sealed with soap and wax delivered a luxurious surface brilliance akin to marble.

Venetian Plaster is the ancient craft of blending and hand-applying naturally beautiful, hard-wearing materials with specialist tools and techniques to create surface finishes with inherent depth and movement.

A Heritage of Craft and Innovation

Inspired by a passion for Italian craft and a BSc in Chemistry, Armourcoat’s founder Duncan MacKellar studied the art of architectural conservation heritage under the hand of master Stuccotori Mario Fogliata in Venice during the 1980s. Here he learned the ancient skill of mixing natural lime and finely crushed marble to create and apply traditional Venetian plaster finishes in architectural settings.

Upon returning to the UK, he developed a range of sustainable plaster surfaces, utilising advances in modern materials technology to create naturally beautiful, durable wall finishes for contemporary interiors. MacKellar coined the term ‘polished plaster’ over 35 years ago to launch a unique range of finishes inspired by the timeless beauty of Venetian plaster, born from the same ethos of artistry established during its inception in Ancient Egypt over 5000 years ago, reimagined for today.

“I coined the term ‘polished plaster’ in 1988 to describe the unique range of finishes I created by pigmenting and polishing our range of hard squash court plaster. Polished plaster is now very much part of the design lexicon, encapsulating the enduring beauty formed by applying naturally sustainable materials to interior surfaces.”

Duncan Mackellar, CEO

Classic Style, Modern Craft

Armourcoat reinterprets iconic Venetian plaster finishes with a fresh perspective, combining age-old craftsmanship with modern materials innovation to deliver beautiful, durable and sustainable wall finishes that honour tradition whilst meeting modern demands.

Marmorino and Stucco Lustro Defined

Marmorino and Stucco Lustro are the most commonly referred to finishes when discussing Venetian plaster.

Marmorino is an Italian word that means ‘little marble’, which refers to the fine marble grains and powder used in the material. Traditionally applied in three or four consecutive fine layers over a base of lime and coccio pesto (crushed fired clay), the finished surface is reminiscent of smooth, lightly polished natural stone.

Stucco Lustro, meaning ‘polished lime’ in Italian, is a semi-translucent, high-gloss finish made from aged lime putty and super-fine marble flour. It is traditionally applied in four to six layers and polished to a mirror like finish by the hand of the craftsman using a specialist trowel. The intensive application process creates not only the remarkable depth of surface but leaves a distinct pattern from the overlapping layers.

A Traditional Reflection of Stucco Lustro

Armourcoat Spatulata is a modern-day representation of traditional Stucco Lustro. Spatulata retains the organic, non-directional pattern embedded by the hand of the applicator whilst achieving a captivating saturation of colour and remarkable sheen level made possible through many years of materials development.

Developed in the UK by our creative team, Spatulata has been consciously formulated to fulfil the demanding requirements of modern interiors whilst retaining the authenticity of materiality and craftmanship inherent to its appeal, creating a beautiful, durable, and sustainable wall finish.

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A Modern Evolution of Marmorino

Armourcoat Armuralia is our representation of the classic Marmorino finish, combining traditional hand skills and application techniques with modern materials knowledge to deliver a timeless aesthetic with modern day performance and sustainability credentials.

Made from superfine aged lime putty and >40% crushed recycled marble, Armuralia captures the traditional subtle linear burring created by the hand of the craftsman during the application process, and is polished to a silky-smooth, mid sheen surface. Tonal variation is part of the inherent beauty of Armuralia, which helps create the look and feel of natural honed stone.

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A Refined Take on Classic Marmorino

Armourcoat Smooth is a paired back, refined interpretation of the classic Marmorino finish. Created out of demand for a polished plaster where the materiality is centre stage, Smooth has less burnishing and pattern than Armuralia, instead using larger recycled crushed marble grains that are visible in the final finish, creating an understated and refined surface interest.

Consciously crafted for minimal environmental impact and the health of occupants at mind, Smooth is manufactured in the UK with 29% recycled content, has zero VOCs and meets Indoor Air Comfort Gold accreditation for emissions.

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OUR VENETIAN PLASTER FINISHES

Explore the design potential with Spatulata, Armuralia, and Smooth, each offering a unique expression of craftsmanship, blending timeless style with modern performance.