Rethinking marble in Milan. Zaha Hadid Architects developed a marble dust misture for architecture – Courtesy of INTERNI Magazine.

Design. Precious, refined, and not always sustainable, marble is in high demand in the design industry. At Milan Design Week, we selected seven innovative, out-of-the-box design projects that pave new paths beyond the usual ‘marblellous’ high-end pieces.

• RELATED STORIES: Read more about Milan Design Week 2025 on Archipanic.

Challenging marble’s solid nature

Photo by Amir Farzad, Courtesy of 5VIE.

In the 5VIE Design District, Margraf, an Italian leader in the marble industry, presented CRASH, an installation by Hannes Peer Architecture that redefined the perception of marble. “Traditionally seen as a symbol of stability and perfection, the material becomes an instrument of rupture and revelation, far from its conventional decorative role.” Marble bends and detaches from the wall, interrupting its surrounding architecture like a deliberate mistake. Tradition and innovation collide. Every mistake is not a flaw, but a celebration of the fragility and richness of imperfection.

ZHA’s marble dust mixture for architecture

Courtesy of INTERNI Magazine.

At the INTERNI Magazine exhibition at Statale University, Zaha Hadid Architects presented the Aevum installation, made of a 3d-printed mixture developed by the studio. The mixture includes waste marble dust and has the structural properties necessary for large-scale architecture. The installation consisted of arches lightly offset from each other, creating a dynamic interaction with the surrounding space. The result was a cutting-edge architecture, merging technologies with craftsmanship.

Marble translucent chandelier

INGO marble chandelier by Paolo Ulian – Courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

At Rossana Orlandi Gallery, Bufalini, a leading company in the art of Carrara marble craftsmanship, presented six new projects, redefining the dialogue between material and form. Italian designer and ‘marble poet’ Paolo Ulian used superthin paper sheet-like square offcuts to create Ingo, a stunning lighting design inspired by Ingo Maurer’s iconic chandelier.

Marble’s ‘weightless’ kinetic totems

Photo by Piecarlo Quecchia, courtesy of Alcova.

With the Soft Horizons installation, Objects of Common Interest celebrated Greek marble. Kinetic interactive totems explored transformation, memory, and materiality within the light-filled Glasshouses at Alcova. Developed with the brand GREEK MARBLE | Then. Now. Forever “we reimagined through kinetic forms, water, and suspended reflections, inviting an intimate, sensory experience.”

Worthless scraps in resin

Courtesy of Convey.

Iranian multidisciplinary designer Payam Askari poetically reclaimed discarded marble fragments from Italian quarries in collaboration with Omniaworks from Vicenza, Italy. Combining them with different materials, the explorative project upcycles and elevates what was once deemed worthless into unique furniture and objects. At the Convey group exhibition, he presented a bookshelf encapsulating in resin marble shards, slabs, and offcuts accumulate to create a brand-new, contemporary and responsible aesthetic.

Upcycling off-cuts to craft homeware

Photo by Diana Iskander.

Maltese studio DAAA Haus and stone manufacturer Hallmann Vella unveiled StoneCutz, a line of home accessories crafted from marble offcuts sourced from the raw material’s production and subsequent cutting. These distinct pieces, which include small furniture, candle holders, pencil holders, and washbasins, draw inspiration from various architectural styles such as Art Deco, Modernism, and Postmodernism.

Japanese-inspired architectural table

Photo by Simone Fanciullacci.

At Vito Nesta’s Magnificat exhibition, Simone Fanciullacci presented Paranoid V1, a low table crafted from Verde Alpi marble. The slab is reshaped into minimal elements that intersect and assemble, incorporating construction details from carpentry to create an unexpected piece, recalling Japanese architecture.

INGO marble chandelier and EMERSA marble table by Paolo Ulian for Bufalini at Rossana Orlandi Gallery – Photo by Marco Menghi, courtesy of Rossana Orlandi Gallery.

All photos are by the designers, architects and design platforms.

Aevum installation by Zaha Hadid Architects for INTERNI Magazine – Courtesy of INTERNI Magazine.

Courtesy of Convey.