Macael Marble - The White Gold of Andalusia
Quarried from the mountains of southern Spain for over four millennia, Maceal marble has graced the palaces of caliphs and the courts of emperors and was most famously used extensively at the Alhambra in Granada.
Within the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra lies the Sala de las Dos Hermanas - the Hall of the Two Sisters - one of the supreme achievements of Moorish architecture. Commissioned by Sultan Mohammed V in the 14th century, it served as the private chambers of the royal household.
Hall of the two sisters
The hall takes its name from two vast twin slabs of Macael marble set into its floor: perfectly matched in dimension, colour and weight, they remain the largest marble pieces in the entire Alhambra complex. Quarried in Almería and transported across the mountains of Andalusia, their placement was an act of supreme engineering and artistic intent.
Perfect on their own or in a chequer pattern, Macael marble tiles, quarried from the same Andalusian locations are now available from Lapicida in a 300x300x20mm square tile in a range of soft colours, including the iconic veined white.
Tumbled for a soft finish
Our Macael tiles are tumbled - a process that gently rounds the edges and slightly softens the surface, producing the aged, tactile quality of stone that has been worn smooth by time. The result is forgiving, characterful, and free of the hard precision of machine-cut edges.
Tumbling brings out the warmth of their colourways making them equally suited to old houses and new, to classical settings and stripped-back contemporary interiors.
Plain or Chequer?
White: A luminous, warm white with subtle silver-grey veining. The classic Macael colourway, the stone of the Alhambra.
Grey: A cool, sophisticated grey with darker tonal variation and fine white veining. Quietly architectural and enduringly elegant.
Rosa Andalusia: A warm honey-brown shot through with reddish movement. The most evocative of the Macael colourways, deeply Andalusian in character and reminiscent of the Alhambra at sunset.
Each chequer alternates two Macael colourways in a classic 300×300mm grid, creating geometric harmony rooted in the same Moorish design tradition that adorned the Alhambra.
Perfect for a range of locations and uses
Macael marble has always been a stone of interiors - of cool, shaded rooms where light plays across its surface throughout the day. Its 20mm depth gives it a reassuring solidity underfoot, and the tumbled finish makes it equally at home in period and contemporary settings alike.
Whether laid as a single colour for understated elegance or as a two-colour chequer to reference the geometric traditions of Moorish Spain, these tiles bring four thousand years of craft into the rooms you live in every day.
Entrance Halls
The first impression a home makes. A chequer of white and grey sets a tone of classical refinement from the threshold - cool, durable, and effortlessly welcoming underfoot.
Kitchens
Laid as flooring or used as a splashback, Macael marble brings warmth and texture to the hardest-working room. Rosa Andalusia is particularly sympathetic to painted wood and brass fittings.
Bathroom & Powder Rooms
Macael's enduring appeal in bathrooms reaches back to the hammams of Al-Andalus. On floors and walls alike, the tumbled surface adds softness without sacrificing the quiet luxury of real stone. Sealing is strongly advised in wet areas.
Boot Rooms and Studys
Against dark panelling or bookshelves, a Macael chequer floor creates a luminous counterpoint - understated, considered, and quietly distinguished.
Living rooms
A single-colour floor of white Macael paired with a marble hearth makes a room feel connected and calm. The natural variation in each tile means no two floors are alike - a living material that changes subtly with the light.
Garden Room & Orangerys
The tumbled surface of these tiles evokes sun-warmed Mediterranean courtyards. Laid in a beige and white chequer under the glass of an orangery, Macael marble creates the sense of an outdoor room - cool in summer, glowing in winter light.