MILAN, ITALY -- Opened in September 2021 by Antolini Luigi & C. S.p.A., 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, narrated through the vision and experience of the Verona-based company, a leader in the selection, processing and distribution of a very wide, exclusive range of natural materials.

A unique location between Piazza Fontana and Via San Clemente, a historic crossroads in the city center, where eight display windows catch the eye, was chosen for its ability to stimulate curiosity and capture the gaze to lure passers-by into an emotional, timeless journey. 

This place of cultural value expresses the desire of the Antolini family to convey the exclusive, unique character of natural materials, through a narrative that starts with the material and continues in the design.

An elegant, functional aesthetic container, where the beauty of the displays – in formats and surfaces developed with extreme attention to detail – intersects with in-depth information and the infinite choice of materials, as in a boutique of haute couture fabrics where the customer cannot refrain from touching the various fibers and weaves.

From the wide range of 1,300 natural materials in stock, Antolini MilanoDuomo offers professionals and clients over 5,000 samples in exclusive formats, confirming the company’s mission to bring together knowledge and discovery, creativity and exceptional design. 

The facility has been formulated by Alessandro La Spada, an interior designer whose brilliance and vision set the tone of every square meter in a precise, original way, for a total of 600 square meters of display space. La Spada has perfectly interpreted the desires of the company for this monobrand store in Milan, birthing a place that fascinates sector professionals and the general public, generating know-how and impressions, culture and creative stimuli.

“The criteria for the display of stone and its uses have been dictated by the sensorial aspects, followed by the emotional impact. 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.” – Alessandro La Spada

Every element in the Antolini MilanoDuomo Stoneroom has been artfully refined to inform and engage visitors, thanks to the use of a direct, simple and pure language. It is the language of the senses, in which touch is undoubtedly the most forcefully stimulated in the encounter with multiple vertical and horizontal surfaces. A retail concept organized around the explanation and observation of natural stone, seen in all its versions and 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.

The Stoneroom is a place of discovery and knowledge, where, thanks to the creative energy of the brand and the designer the simple installation of stone materials and floors, becomes a narrative of infinite creative potential where the visitor is guided along a fluid, harmonious path that is both dreamy and experiential at the same time, where every choice responds to a precise function. An example? The connection element of the staircase, with which the designer has been able to add emotional and informative value.

The entrance 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.

Antolini Stoneroom is a tribute to the creativity of Nature, to the ingenuity of man, a versatile expression of contemporary design. In this space, which is pragmatic and magical at the same time, natural stones – in dialogue with equally ancestral materials like wood, glass and metal – confirm their essence as a vibrant, shapeable material with infinite virtues of strength and beauty.