Norwegian quarry company Lundhs, which is branding four of its stones to what it believes is an increasingly sophisticated audience, took its message to the design community at 100% Design at Earls Court 17-20 September.

Earlier in September it took the opportunity of introducing the brand to customers of UK stone wholesaler Pisani, which is selling the Lundhs range, at an open day at its Feltham deport near Heathrow Airport.

The Lundhs range launches with Lundhs Antique, Lundhs Blue, Lundhs Emerald and Lundhs Royal, all in two finishes, polished and silk, and in 20 and 30mm thicknesses.

Lundhs believes consumers and designers have reached a high level of sophisticated in choosing stone and aims to educate them to distinguish between the different kinds of natural materials that are currently lumped together as 'granite'. It is highlighting its larvikites and monzonites from Norway, which are best know in the UK as the Pearls (Blue Pearl, Emerald Pearl), superior products that do not need to be sealed when they are made into kitchen worktops.

Hege Lundh, the Marketing Manager of Lundhs, and some of her team represented the company at Pisani’s open day.

To emphasise the quality of the stone, Lundhs has had display boxes designed for use by kitchen studios (see the picture on the right) by British furniture designer Richard Cartwright, who now lives in Norway.

The display box is intended to identify the stone immediately as a superior product.

Hege says Lundh likes the fact that kitchen worktops are individually made for specific locations, with a lot of craftsmanship involved, and says that those who believe in the power of crystals to influence moods say larvikite has a calming influence. “A lot of designers consider this kind of issue,” she says.

Backing the brand is a new UK website: lundhs.co.uk