Lava stone: where eternity meets design

29 November

How to use lava stone in the kitchen.

Nicknamed “the eternal stone”, volcanic rock, also known as lava stone, is amongst the oldest and most ubiquitous materials on the planet. Its durability and malleability has made it a crowd favorite for centuries, and you are able to see it used in a wide range of constructions all over the world, from cobblestones in Lisbon to road signs in Paris. In this article you’ll learn all about this unusual material and how you can make lava stone work in your kitchen.

From volcano to kitchen

You might be wondering, how does a big piece of lava end up becoming a kitchen? Well, it all starts at the volcano itself.

Lava stone is born in the Earth’s belly, where it remains until the time is right when it erupts onto its surface as magma to then remain a solid for all eternity after it meets the cold air in the atmosphere. Sourced from active volcanoes, like, in RiFRA’s case, the Etna in Sicily, Italy, lava stone is an environmentally friendly, renewable resource that only a skillful few really know how to obtain.

Kitchen ONE in lava stone.

Experts are able to meticulously extract enormous blocks of lava stone from the volcanic site that are subsequently ground into a fine powder. The powder is then mixed with mortar to create a paste that is applied by hand to pieces of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) that that are were previously cut and shaped in the desired dimensions. Subsequently, it’s covered with a spray that, armored with state-of-the-art nanotechnology, protects it from chemical agents.

Volcanic rock is very tough naturally. The negative? It’s a lifelong commitment! This material is so sturdy that once you install it you will have it for, well, an eternity!

When to use lava stone

It’s an exclusive material, and as of now, a relatively rare find in homes. If you love the look of natural stone, but don’t want to deal with the upkeep of other materials such as slate, limestone, or soapstone, lava stone is the material for you. The best thing is, it fits into all types of styles, because it is modern, natural and quirky all at the same time.

Kitchen ONE in oak kitchen with dividing wall in LAVA STONE.

RiFRA offers this doors in lava stone black, giving your kitchen a classic and elegant look. It is a strong and decisive material that tends to shift the focus to the shapes present in the space. The material itself also becomes a protagonist due to the porous look and chromatic characteristics of volcanic rock.

Here are a few examples of what lava stone looks like once installed in a kitchen. As you can see, it’s a strong material, with a lot of personality and very provocative.

You can see the island looks like it has texture, adding a natural feel to an otherwise very sleek kitchen. When you look at the close-up you can see the detail that the texture has. Lava stone is a very compliant material that can be used in a wide array of settings, from a very modern, polished kitchen, to a more rustic one.

Lava stone in the kitchen. It’s not traditional, it’s not the norm, but at RiFRA we like to play with new materials to create new realities. Now it’s your turn to create your own reality with lava stone!

Laura Spinelli