Leading international Italian stone supplier Antolini has always achieved pretty impressive stands at the exhibitions it attends by employing architects to design them for it.
This year it has teamed up with what the company describes as "master of design" Giulio Cappellini, who, in turn, has selected and guided seven more renowned designers to conceptualise one-off Antolini stands for the shows at which the company is exhibiting.
Each stand is being built from some of the World's finest natural stones supplied by Antolini. The first three exhibitions of the year that Antolini took part in were IMM (Cologne), Maison & Object (Paris) and KBIS (Las Vegas).
Zaven (a studio founded by Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno) designed the stand for IMM in Cologne, Germany. They used Bianco Lasa / Covelano Vena Oro, Irish Green, Bronze Amani, Magma Black and Giallo Reale.
They say: "The visual richness of the grain of the marble becomes the main inspiration and creates a fantastic world, dominated by a gigantic toucan head, which observes the visitor moving around the totem and polished sculptures in various finishes, sinking their feet in a soft, pink carpet."
Tommaso Nani (one half of the Mist-O team) designed the stand for Mason & Object (M&O) in Paris. He used White Torroncino, Calcite Azul Extra, Brown Chocolate, Calacatta Cielo, Bianco Lasa / Covelano Fantastico and Kosmus A.He says: "This space is the result of a concept based on three components – stone, water and plants.
"It is a garden that investigates the relationship between stable matter that is heavy and eternal like stone; the plants, which stand for something that is born, develops and dies; and water, which becomes the connection between the two worlds. Stone, plants and water give life to a world that is very balanced, concrete and complete."
The Antolini stand for KBIS was created by Keiji Takeuchi. It uses Bianco Lasa / Covelano Vena Oro, Calcite Azul Extra and Sequoia Brown.
Keiji Takeuchi says of the stand: "My idea was to replicate the feeling of walking inside quarries and museums — very tall and narrow passages. At the same time I wanted to make the space appear as if it were cut out from a single block of stone. I realised that the grains… the patterns of the stone are not just the ornaments or decorations but are actually living art forms. I just thought, ‘there’s nothing else to do – I just have to put them in a museum'. And it’s done."
You will be able to see what Antolini does for the UK when it once again takes a stand at 100% Design in Olympia, London, 23-26 September.