Matt finishesMarble grinding
For a contemporary honed look or a complete re-levelling.
Interior designers · Decorators · Geneva
Marble restoration for interior designers in Geneva
Finish advice, sample areas and site coordination: a marble partner built into your project, from concept to handover.
Interior designers
A marble partner working for your project
In a Champel apartment, a Cologny villa or a town house in the Old Town, the existing marble is often one of the property’s great assets. Keeping it rather than replacing it preserves the soul of the building, saves time on site and gives your client a material that no new stone quite reproduces. But first you need to know what that marble can become.
Les Traitements du Sud · Geneva works alongside interior designers, decorators and architecture practices to restore, transform or maintain the marble in their projects. We step in early to advise on possible finishes, during the works to coordinate with the other trades, and after handover to preserve the result achieved.
Our role is to turn a design intention into a tangible result. You picture a more matt floor, a warmer vanity top, a fireplace whose veining comes back to life: we show you on site, through sample areas, what the stone can really do.
Every collaboration begins with a visit and a free quote in Swiss francs, made out in your name or your client’s, depending on how you prefer to work.
7marble specialisms to combine
6surfaces treated, from floors to fireplaces
5method stages
2working languages: French and English
Finish advice
From mirror polish to velvety matt: an informed choice
The same marble can change character depending on its finish. A mirror polish deepens colours and veining, reflects light and makes a space feel larger. A satin finish softens reflections and suits more intimate interiors. A matt or honed finish gives a contemporary, minimal look with a more natural feel underfoot.
We help you choose according to how the room is used, the lighting, the type of marble and the upkeep your client is willing to provide. A mirror polish in a busy entrance will show scratches sooner; a honed finish in a kitchen will show everyday marks less. These techniques are explained on our polishing and grinding pages.
We can also assess whether crystallisation suits a heavily used floor, or whether an oil-repellent protective sealer is right for a kitchen worktop.
Sample areas
See the result before you decide
Before any job, we prepare a sample area on an inconspicuous part of the stone, or on an offcut if you have one. You and your client judge for yourselves, under the room’s actual lighting.
01
Finishes side by side
On a single slab, we can present two or three levels of finish so you can compare matt, satin and polished directly.
02
Documented approval
The chosen finish is photographed and recorded. It becomes the project reference and the basis for the final inspection.
03
Client presentation
We can attend the presentation to your client to answer technical questions, or leave you to lead the conversation.
Site coordination
Finding the right slot in the programme
Marble is treated at a precise point in the works. Too early and it suffers from the other trades; too late and it delays handover.
- 1
Visit and survey
Identification of the marbles, condition of the surfaces, access constraints, with you and, where possible, the site manager.
- 2
Sample area and quote
Finish test, then a free quote in Swiss francs per surface, with the duration of the work so you can fit it into your programme.
- 3
Scheduling with the trades
We usually work after the dusty trades and the painting, before furniture and curtains go in. Chip repairs can be done earlier.
- 4
The work
Wet methods, joinery, skirtings and walls protected, surfaces left clean for the next trade.
- 5
Protection and inspection
Protection suited to the use, finish checked against the sample area and a care sheet for your client.
- 6
Touch-ups before handover
If another trade marks the stone after our visit, we come back for a touch-up before the keys are handed over.
Marble guide
The marbles we encounter in Geneva interiors
Every marble reacts differently to abrasives and treatments. Recognising it is the first step towards sound advice.
- Blanc de CarrareItaly · white with grey veins
- CalacattaItaly · bold golden veining
- BardiglioItaly · bluish grey
- Noir MarquinaSpain · black with white veins
- Crema MarfilSpain · ivory beige
- Gris MarengoDeep shaded grey
- Azul MacaubasBrazil · sky blue
- Rosalia LeventoPowder pink
- Rouge du MarocMorocco · warm red
- Rouge du LanguedocFrance · flamed red
- Vert de SuèdeSweden · dark green
- Jade GreenJade green
- Pietra GreyIran · charcoal grey
Every surface
Floors, bathrooms, kitchens, fireplaces
An interior project rarely involves just one surface. In a single visit we treat the living room’s marble floor, the bathroom with its basin and shower tray, the kitchen worktop and the drawing-room fireplace.
This all-round approach ensures a consistent result from room to room: the same level of shine, the same tone, the same protection. It also simplifies your coordination, with a single contact for all the stone in the project.
When an element is damaged, a colour-matched repair often avoids a replacement that would be hard to match.
What you gain
A specialist who speaks the project’s language
Working with a marble specialist means entrusting a demanding material to someone who knows its limits and its possibilities. You keep control of the design direction; we bring the technical answer and the execution.
Our teams work in French and English, an advantage for projects carried out for international clients or with practices based abroad. We respect the confidentiality of your projects and your clients and never publish photographs without your consent.
- Finish advice based on use and lighting
- Sample areas before approval, finishes compared side by side
- Precise scheduling within your site programme
- Coordination with the other trades
- Free quote in Swiss francs, in your name or your client’s
- Touch-ups before handover and a care sheet for the client
Related pages
To prepare your next project
Three useful pages for planning marble into your projects.
Matt finishes
Wet roomsMarble bathrooms
Basins, vanity tops and showers restored and protected.
Reception roomsMarble fireplaces
Soot, chips and veining revived for a true centrepiece.
FAQ
Interior designers: your questions
Can polished marble be given a matt finish?
Yes, in most cases. Grinding to a medium grit gives a honed, matt look that is silky to the touch. The reverse is also possible: matt marble can be re-polished to a mirror finish. The result depends on the nature of the stone, which is why we prepare a sample area before treating the whole surface.
At what point in the works should you be scheduled?
As a rule, after the dusty trades, the electrics and the painting, and before furniture, rugs and curtains are installed. Repairs to chips or cracks can be done earlier. We state the duration of the work on the quote so you can fit it precisely into your programme.
Can you prepare sample areas before our client approves?
Yes, that is our usual practice. We carry out one or more tests on an inconspicuous area or an offcut, so your client sees the actual result under the room’s lighting. The approved finish is documented and serves as the reference until final inspection.
Do you issue the quote in our name or the end client’s?
Either is possible, depending on how you work. Some designers prefer to include our service in their own proposal, while others put us in direct contact with their client. In every case, the quote is free, in Swiss francs, detailed by surface and accompanied by the duration of the work.
How do you protect the other trades’ work?
Before starting, we protect joinery, skirtings, painted walls and fittings with suitable film and tape. Our wet methods with extraction keep dust off fresh paintwork. Surfaces are left clean so the next trade can follow on without delay.
What protection should be recommended for a marble kitchen worktop?
For a kitchen worktop, we recommend an oil- and water-repellent sealer that limits the penetration of grease and liquids without changing the look of the stone. It does not make marble immune to acids such as lemon or vinegar, so we give your client a simple sheet with the right everyday habits and care routine.
Service areas
Your projects in Geneva and on the Vaud shore
We support your projects throughout the city and in the municipalities below. To tell us about a project, use our contact page.
Geneva
Geneva communes
Terre Sainte & Nyon
An interior project with marble to bring to life?
Tell us about the project and its schedule: we will arrange a visit with a sample area and send you a free quote in Swiss francs.