I have always loved the Duomo
in Orvieto Italy.
The striped stone was my first
introduction to that technique
famously used in many Italian Duomos.
Since it was my first to stumble
upon
I was mesmerized by the intricate detail
of how stone
striped inside and out
with such delicacy could change
the perspective of such a huge structure.
It somehow humanized it for me.
Made it more my scale.
Touchable
Reachable
somehow.
I remember looking at the alter
and at the stained glass and how it fit
with the structure
and the detail.
It was not typical Italian stained glass.
But simpler.
More geometric
and more modern than it's
birthdate of 1891 would tell me.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh created it
with the same aplomb
that he did all of his stylized interiors
and furniture designs.
He gave it detail
and cohesive structure
to withstand time
and stay relevant to us now.
I cannot think of another Duomo
in Italy that speaks to me the
way Orvieto does.
It has a scale that is true
to its interior
and its exterior.
Very tough to do.
After I returned to the US after seeing it for the
first time
I instructed my architectural painter
to replicate the stone colors
and striping
at the entrance to a cathedral space
entering our master bedroom.
I changed the materials of that entrance to
granite.
I changed the scale of the "blocks"
to the scale of Orvieto.
I wanted to feel it
when I entered the space.
And it worked.
It was all about marrying
scale
and detail
to create an interest that was livable.
