Verona, Italy—Opened in September 2021 by Antolini Luigi, Antolini MilanoDuomo Stoneroom is the new, unique space in the center of Milan: a hub and a lab entirely focused on the universe of natural stone.
A unique location between Piazza Fontana and Via San Clemente, where eight display windows catch the eye, was chosen for its ability to stimulate curiosity and capture the gaze to lure passersby, according to the company. From the wide range of 1,300 natural materials in stock, Antolini MilanoDuomo offers professionals and clients more than 5,000 samples in exclusive formats. The facility has been formulated by Alessandro La Spada, an interior designer whose brilliance and vision set the tone of the space, according to the company.
“The criteria for the display of stone and its uses have been dictated by the sensorial aspects, followed by the emotional impact,” La Spada said. “The perspectives that open up in the windows on Piazza Fontana offer a view of the large wall in book-matched Patagonia stone, with the interpretations of the various finishes that invite touching when one enters the store. Another strong visual impression is that of the theatrical backlit wings in the windows on Via San Clemente. Then comes the emotional aspect, thanks to surprising effects: the Perception Wall with its dynamic impact, the samples of materials displayed as in a great library, the doors of the full-height cabinets clad in natural stone, the washbasin with its diamond form and the tub, both created from a single block of stone.”
The Stoneroom is a place of discovery and knowledge, according to the company. The entrance to the Stoneroom appears as a gallery with two main focal points: the immediate perspective focuses on the counter, after which the exploration continues along the wall that displays the precious, raw minerals, all the way to the restrooms, completely clad in stones from the Exclusive collection. Visitors then return to the starting point, the beginning of exploration from which to admire the Perception wall and the working desk that culminates in an LED wall, from which to reach the connection element of the staircase made with slabs belonging to a single block, as on the walls, whose descent suggests the experience of entering a quarry.
Every element in the Antolini MilanoDuomo Stoneroom has been artfully refined to inform and engage visitors. A retail concept organized around the explanation and observation of natural stone with all its flexibility of use: through samples of various colors and finishes— hydro, matt, leather and lux—and also through a range of different applications, in décor claddings, coverings and complements.