
Rethinking marble and stone. THE STONE HOUSE by Stefan Scholten at Masterly, Milan 2021 – Photo by Simone Bossi.
Sustainable design – “I live between Amsterdam and Forte Dei Marmi, near Carrara, Italy. By visiting quarries and marble production companies, I discovered that the quantity of discarded material is massive.” Says Stefan Scholten to Archipanic. With The Stone House project, the Dutch designer harnessed saw residues, broken pieces, chunks and even marble grit to produce tailor-made furniture, walls and even a stone carpet.
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“Marble is a luxury product. So far, manufacturers consider the ‘upcycled’ concept as cheap. The industry is not yet weaned to sustainability as other design sectors. With The Stone House project, I invite the industry to become more sustainable and aware, while also suggesting new aesthetics.”
Developed in collaboration with renowned terrazzo manufacturer Morseletto, The Stone House statement collection comes with unexpected colours and patterns tuning with Stefan Scholten’s style. The series debuted at Masterly, the Dutch exhibition at Milan Design Week.
Studio Pepe presented Ritagli, a family of coffee and side tables made from marble scraps. “The reflection on randomness and the concept of full and empty are at the origin of the project.” Say the studio co-founders Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara di Pinto. The unique pieces were auctioned at the CTMP Design Auction curated by Mr. Lawrence design studio and hosted by the Cambi auction house.
Danish designer Birgitte Due Madsen presented the Surplus furniture collection made from surplus onyx off-cuts. Inspired by the beauty of the stones and the colours that switched from transparent to opaque in each sample, the designer teamed up with natural stone supplier SolidNature to create exquisite chairs, benches and sculptures. The project was developed following a personal invite from the Danish Embassy in Rome, the series made its debut at Trashformation Village, curated by Rossana Orlandi as part of this year’s Milan Design Week 2021. “To make the most of the beauty that nature provides, each piece has been designed to fit the material available, never going beyond what was already available at the warehouse.”

SURPLUS by Birgitte Due Madsen, made in collaboration with SolidNature, nurtured by Studio Mirko Musmeci – Photo courtesy of Willemsizoo.
All photos: courtesy of the designers.
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