At the heart of this renovation project is a 1960s house located in Primrose Hill, in the north of London, characterized by a landscaped garden facing three sides of the building.

The relation between indoors and outdoors is a distinctive element of the spaces, highlighted by the presence of a large window in the kitchen and wooden sliding doors that enhance the living area.

Natural light underlines the texture of the natural materials, which enrich the open living spaces.

Prominent among these, is the large kitchen on the lower floor characterized by a central island, made of Grigio Alpi (Vicenza Stone).

Grigio Alpi was also used for floors in the living area, giving continuity to the environments. Particular emphasis is given to the living room by the combination with the exclusive terrazzo Alpi 4.0, which delimits the space, creating a carpet insert.

On the upper floor, new rooms were created with the extension of the roof. In the bathroom, the space is marked by the use of Rosso di Masso, giving accents of color in contrast to the wooden joinery.

The common thread of Primrose Hill House project is the use of natural and sustainable materials, including Grigio Alpi and Alpi 4.0, supplied by Grassi Pietre, co-ordinated by Design Driven.

In addition to the use of sustainable materials, the project focused on improving the home's environmental impact, aiming to reduce energy needs thanks to high-performance insulation and heat recovery.

Design: Ben Ridley, Christian Brailey – Project Architects – Architecture For London
Photography: Christian Brailey
In partnership with: Design Driven Ltd

2004 – Olanda – Haarlem

An external ventilated honed Pietra del Mare wall cladding was foreseen in this new courthouse project.

Total delivery: about 1.500 m² of cut to size elements.

Thickness: 2-5 cm

Grassi Pietre and Agape 12 @Milan Design Week 2022

“Face à face” by Jean Nouvel Design

At Milan Design Week 2022, in the Agape 12 showroom in Milan, Grassi Pietre was present with the realization of architectural bathtubs and washbasins, designed by Jean Nouvel Design, French architect.

In the construction of the bathtub the surfaces appear simply approach one another side by side, thanks to an ingenious system of invisible joints. The effect is both imposing and light, essential and material, generous and functional. Surfaces brush against one another to become a backrest. Extremely precise design and careful attention to the proper angle of each surface means the bathtub becomes a comfortable nest where you can sit, lie down, read, and relax.

Countertop, wall-mounted and freestanding washbasins

The poetics of two-dimensionality continues in the collection’s washbasins, available in the countertop, wall-mounted and freestanding versions.

All channeled thanks to the suitably inclined plane of the basin, they combine vertical and horizontal surfaces for a rigorous architectural structure. A towel bar or storage component may be added.

Private villa in Munich, designed by architect R.H. Peuker.

Bianco Avorio was selected for the villa’s cladding, including columns, pilasters, window sills and all architectural elements.

2005 – Miami – Florida (Usa)
Design: Arquitectonica Studio + HOK
GC: Dick Corporation

This project includes honed Giallo Dorato, Bianco Avorio and Grigio Argento for external and internal ventilated wall claddings, average measures 100×230 cm.

Total delivery: about 7.000 m² of cut to size elements.

Thickness: 2 / 8 cm

Design: Arch. Aldo Peressa

Exterior and Interior cladding with Grigio Argento and Cor-ten steel.

The 10 cm tiles are used as “stationary formwork” for concrete casting. The surface of each tile is manually cracked.

Total supply is about 200² m of cut to size elements.

Design: Moreno Zurlo – AcMe Studio.

For the exterior project please click here

Zyme’ Winery, situated in a 600 years old quarry It is an example of sustainable architecture “genius loci”, able to adapt within the surrounding without disrupting the environment.

It offers an organic vision of the space thanks to the harmonious relationship between the contemporary use of the materials.

Grassi Pietre’s Giallo Dorato has been selected for an area of 300 m2 , including the staircases and the basement storage wall, covered with the extracted stone supported by stainless steel inserts.

The structure, 16.9 m long and 5m high, develops as an abstract painting composed by pre-assembled pentagonal cells installed with glue and fiberglass.
This pattern improves its strength and avoid the risk of collapse in case of seismic movements.

Its external profile creates irregularities to mitigate the strong impact of the central body and to resemble the peaks of the surroundings ills.

The Vicenza stone also guarantees the perfect thermal conditions for the ageing of the prestigious Zyme’wines.

Architect: Beyer Blinder Belle
Photos: Daniel Traub, Sam Markey.

Beyer Blinder Belle’s architectural studio worked on the ambitious restoration project of the Main Fountain Garden, historic heart of the Longwood Gardens, designed and built by Pierre S. du Pont in the first half of the last century, in the great setting of the Brandywine Valley in Pennsylvania.
As one of the great gardens of the world, Longwood is home to the most significant fountain collection in North America, the jewel of which is the recently revitalized 1,719-jet Main Fountain Garden.

The 80-year-old Main Fountain Garden is a hallmark of the Longwood experience visited by more than 1.5 million people each year. In 1931, Longwood’s founder Pierre S. du Pont debuted the Main Fountain Garden, which was inspired by 20th century technology from the world’s fairs and the beauty of renowned European gardens.

Additional project highlights included a complete restoration of 4,000 pieces of Italian limestone.

Grassi Pietre contributed to this restoration by supplying the material needed for the fountain system.
Following the May 2017 return of the Main Fountain Garden, the project and its design teams have been the recipient of more than a dozen awards including a 2017 Best of Design Award from Architect’s Newspaper and 2018 Palladio Award from Traditional Building Magazine.

Design: Antonio Citterio & Patricia Viel

KB FLAGSHIP PRIVATE BANK – SEOUL (KOREA)

Villa in Melbourne (Australia), built facing the ocean.

Bianco Avorio and Grigio Argento have been chosen for the realization of internal and external flooring in addition to the external coverings and the contours of the swimming pool.

Vancouver – Canada

In this project more than 2000 square meters of materials in various thickness were employed (2 cm , 3 cm , 10 cm and 30 cm).
Material selected were honed Bianco Avorio and flamed Paglierino.

2008 – France – Paris

The redidential building external cladding consists of honed Giallo Dorato.

Total delivery: about 800 m² of cut to size elements

Thickness: 2 – 8 cm

A newly built private villa, a project where Grassi Pietre contributed with the supply and installation of all stone elements, from the external areas to the interior flooring and bathroom cladding.

“The project, as a whole, aims to achieve a monolithic perception of the volumes. The vertical surfaces are realized with a traditional plaster, finished manually to give a vibrant texture. The matching horizontal surfaces are in Grigio Rustik, a stone with exceptional structure and depth.

The material continuity between exterior and interior is obtained with the transition from Grigio Rustik to Grigio Alpi. This Vicenza Stone, also used in large wall tiles in the bathrooms, plays a decisive role in giving the spaces a refined atmosphere, which combines simple details with solid, natural materials that are not afraid of time”. Vincenzo Tuccillo, founder of studioforma.

Design: Vincenzo Tuccillo, founder of studioforma
Photography: Francesca Iovene

Grigio Alpi has been selected by David Chipperfield Architects for the Akris flagship stores worldwide.

Akris, an international fashion house was founded in 1922 in Saint Gallen (Switzerland) by Alice Kriemler-Schoch. Nowadays, the Company, is managed by Albert and Peter Kriemler, nephews of the founder. The intent of the design studio was to highlight the materiality and craftsmanship of the Akris collections with a solid and minimalistic architecture with a light display to enhance the materials carefully selected.

Grigio Alpi in the honed finish was used on the flooring, cladding, columns and part of the ceiling.

The same design concept and materials have been also used for the flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo.

Design: David Chipperfield Architects
Photography: Alberto Parise

Rimadesio, a leading Italian design brand, has opened its flagship store in London, its first showroom in the UK

Located at 83-85 on Wigmore Street, in the central area of West End, the store has been curated by Giuseppe Bavuso spreading over 300 square meters across two levels connected by a projecting staircase. Two large windows overlook the street revealing the best pieces of the collection, among iconic proposals and significant novelties such as the Modulor boiserie system.

The exclusive project is told through a careful materials research and an architectural vision of interior design. The refined setting is emphasized by the warm tones of walnut wood, Vicenza grey stone and bronzed metals. 

The floor, a total area of approx 300 m2,  made of 100 x 100 cm Grigio Argento (lightly brushed) tiles, has been installed with minimum thickness joints to create the effect of a unique consistent surface. 

The cladding composed by rectangular 100 x 50 cm tiles, glued and secured with non-visible stainless steel brackets, has been conceived to create a rhythm given by the alternate texture of each tile. 

Staircase elements have been pre-assembled at Grassi Pietre, and mounted on a stainless steel structure secured to the wall.

The renewed exhibition identity aims to highlight the quality, the excellence and the typological variety of Rimadesio products. 

This unequivocal showroom highlights the characteristics of the Vicenza stone and its ability to blend with different noble materials, to enhance the content of the project. 

Design: Arch. Giuseppe Bavuso

A grade II listed house in Islington was extended and refurbished to create a home with generous spaces for family life.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Since its foundation, architecture in Jeddah has used its materials, courtyards, and openings in an eco-efficient sense, creating cool and comfortable indoor home environments. Villa AM, in this sense, is no different.

Light and wind become active climatic agents shaping the use and mood of Villa AM and Giallo Dorato (Vicenza stone) contributes to the poetry of colours and textures characterizing its atmosphere.

Giallo Dorato, supplied by Grassi Pietre, was selected for all the exterior and interior claddings, flooring, and stairs of the Villa:

“This material was chosen because it’s evocative of the context in which the house is built. It blends in perfectly with Jeddah’s colour palette but, most importantly, it is a great material to face the area’s sandstorms. It has a unique texture when in contact with light, giving the house a very interesting materiality.” Laura Beneyto, Art Director at MESURA.

The house always looks for shades, which in Jeddah comes from the North-West wind swaying about 10m above the ground. The shape and passageways are built to capture the breeze and to ensure natural cooling across the building.

Throughout the day, the place displays multiple colour palettes, with sunrise and dusk being the most memorable moments. Villa AM has been designed in a way that these moments can be experienced through climate, site-specific architectural decisions.

The house is a continuous game of stone-cladded walls setting shade on the right space at the right time. Windows face all four directions, allowing the interiors to receive multiple types of lighting during the day, while exterior passageways are determined by high walls that create shadowed paths, enabling convenient use of these spaces even in the heat.

Design: MESURA
Photography: Marina Denisova, Guillem Cruells, MESURA

A complete restyling of the luxurious spaces of the new Hotel Arx Vivendi in Arco – Trento (Italy).

The historic building, dating back to the XVII century, and originally a monastery, has been renovated by noa* Studio to create 40 new rooms and suites across three floors.

The structure comprehends a spa area, with a heated pool, sauna and hammam, and a beautiful garden.

For this renovation Grassi Pietre has supplied and installed the stone (Bianco Avorio in sandblasted finish) for all the columns.

Bianco Avorio, known for its light and neutral colour and the constant presence of fossils, was chosen by the architects for its natural purity.

Moreover, thanks to its technical characteristic, Pietranova by Grassi Pietre has been used on the swimming pool edges, in brushed & bush hammered finish.

Design: noa*- network of architecture
Photography: Alex Filz
In partnership with Progest srl

Design: Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel

Regarded by many as the crowning achievement of the hotel, the award-winning 2000m² Spa, is one of the largest and most exclusive spas in central London.

The creation of Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners, has been artistically crafted from onyx, oak and Vicenza stone in Grigio Alpi, sanded finish.
At the heart of the Spa experience is the most dramatic private pool complex in central London: the 25 metre colonnaded swimming pool with its loungers and cabanas is clad in the textured Grigio Alpi that has been the signature of great Italian architecture since the time of Palladio.

Providing a counterpoint to this architectural simplicity is the vitality pool with its variety of full body massage jets, and which, finished with tiny tiles of gold leaf glass, recalls the glittering gorgeousness of the Byzantine mosaics of Venice and Ravenna.

Muswell Hill – London

An Edwardian terrace in Muswell hill was refurbished to create a comfortable low energy house.

Energy requirements are reduced dramatically by insulating, triple-glazing, improving airtightness and with the use of natural materials, including Vicenza stone, timber and lime plaster rather than cement-based products.

Grigio Alpi (Vicenza stone) has calm neutral tones and a subtle variety of texture and colour. The fossil fragments are very special, they make the stone perfect for when it is to be seen up close in basins and worktops.

It is a tactile stone and walking barefoot over the underfloor heated stone is a delight.

“We used the material primarily in a honed finish, which gives it a beautiful sheen, with the added character of a variety of fossilised fragments reflecting the light.

A bush hammered finish was specified to fireplaces and hearths to provide a subtly contrasting texture.

The finishing options and variety of processing / cutting techniques possible at the factory were all very impressive. The service offered and the shop drawings were very high quality, making the process as seamless as possible.

We decided to use the stone as a low embodied energy, natural alternative to polished concrete as it offers a similar neutral grey palette and we have been very happy with the result”.

Ben Ridley – Project Architect – Architecture for London.

Design: Architecture For London
Photography: Christian Brailey
In partnership with: Design Driven Ltd.

Set in a landscape of parasol pines, vineyards and cork oak trees, the main house is axially aligned to the westerly views of the ancient citadel across the bay and arranged on a single principal floor.

The main house is composed of two long wings to the north, where the kitchen, guest bedroom and service areas are located, and the south which houses the master bedroom, guest bedroom and a library overlooking the vineyard. The two wings are bridged by a large folded roof canopy that houses the main public spaces.

Also orientated seaward, the guesthouse is positioned to one side, below an escarpment. The project’s language of simple cubic geometries and shallow tilted roof plans draws on the precedents of traditional vernacular forms.

The Villa’s pure architectural achievement is accompanied by appointments of rare quality: raw and noble materials, streamlined finishes, made to measure fixtures and fittings.
This comes as no surprise from a designer with a long-held passion for minimalism. ‘I love clear spaces,’ he recently declared. ‘I love the absolute minimum. I find that pleasurable. I also get pleasure from things done nicely…’

Grassi Pietre was commissioned to supply and install the Villa’s interior and exterior claddings, floorings, bathrooms and kitchen, overall approximately 1300 sqm, all in Giallo Dorato red type (Vicenza Stone).

Design: John Pawson- arch. Douglas Tuck

Site Management: arch. Carlo Zavan _ bOa studio architetti

Photo credits: Copyright Gilbert McCarragher

Design: Instore

Set in the countryside around Waterloo, this elegant villa is designed to reflect its natural surroundings.

The geometrical shapes and clean lines, the materials used, are emphasised by the game of lights and shadows, thanks to its large windows.

Vicenza stone’s fossils and shades blend perfectly with the natural tones of the wood.

The Kitchen island, one of the main features of this Villa, is cladded in large tiles of Grigio Alpi to give the effect of a unique monolithic piece.

The indoor pool is designed to be the transitional area between indoor and outdoor, with the use of Grigio Alpi in spacco finish to resemble the appearance and feel of a raw rock.

Grigio Rustik was selected for the swimming pool interior, floor and surrounding in the flamed finish to enhance its fossils which characterize this unique material.

Constructed in 1909 as a large family residence, Villa Peduzzi commands exceptional views over the northern Italian Lake Como. Set within terraced gardens, the villa is built upon a Medieval-style stone plinth. Decorative elements in the Italian Liberty style are integrated into the architectural façade of the villa. Largely abandoned since the 1960s, Studio Daminato were commissioned to oversee the transformation of the interior architecture, design and decoration.

The terrace level of the villa contains the main communal areas such as library, piano salon, living and dining rooms and family kitchen. These rooms access directly onto the stone-clad terraces with outdoor living, dining areas and a summer pergola.

The two floors above accommodate the private bedroom suites and large en-suite bathrooms. The final floor in what was the original rooftop attic was raised during the renovation to include entertainment lounges, a games room, outdoor terraces and bar. The original tower room was repurposed as the 9th bedroom suite and bathroom. Extensions were made to the stone basement plinth to provide space for a fitness wing along with caretaker’s lodgings. A summer pavilion and swimming pool were constructed in the gardens to the east of the site with breathtaking views over the lake.

Materials, textiles, finishes and colours throughout the villa were inspired by the original painted wall and ceiling frescoes in Liberty-era pastel tones. As with all of the studio’s residential projects, much of the interior joinery, fixtures,hardware, furnishings, floor textiles and wall lighting were specifically custom-designed, with particular 1930s or mid-century vintage furniture and lighting pieces selected alongside newer pieces procured for the villa.

Commissioned to supply and install the stone in the suites’ bathrooms, kitchen, stairs and outdoor elements, Grassi Pietre also co-ordinated the challenging logistics of this project.

The stones used included Rhino White, Rosa Portogallo, Verde Acquamarina, New Calacatta, Pietranova Gialla, Perla dei Berici, Pietra di Luserna, Giallo Avorio, Chocolate Brown, Bianco Thassos Agglomerate and a bespoke Terrazzo. The pastel tones of these marbles and stones, create a perfect harmony with the chromatism of the Villa, underlining its refined and elegant atmosphere.

Design: Studio Daminato
Photography: Frederik Vercruysse and Petrina Tinslay
Lighting Design: Nipek / Shigeki Fujii

Design: Jan Evert de Brouwer – De Brouwer Binnenwerk

“I am an architectural and interior designer. I prefer to work with total concepts because “an interior is much more than a collection of furniture”. Or translated into musical terms: individual notes do not make a melody.” (Jan-Evert De Brouwer)

Designed by De Brouwer | Binnenwerk, this residential project in Bussum is a perfect example of harmony and cohesion, where Vicenza Stone, in the Grigio Alpi quality, becomes one of the protagonists.

“A home is much more comfortable if there is optimal cohesion. The melody line, the repetition in the composition and the logic in themes make it an organic whole. Only then does harmony arise in the melody.
The use of materials and color choices are important elements in this. I like to work with pure materials such as wood, metal, stone and concrete. The “real” colors of the materials are the starting point for my designs. The application of materials in an alternative way is an adventure. It often produces surprising results!” (Jan-Evert De Brouwer)

For this project, approximately 70 sqm of Grigio Alpi lightly brushed have been installed as wall cladding and flooring in the elegant bathrooms, while the living room is embellished by a modern fireplace in the same stone.

“The Grassi Pietre materials are a true discovery for me; beautiful variety of textures, widely applicable, understated chic. Underestimated in the Netherlands; not yet discovered. A beautiful collection that deserves appreciation.” (Jan-Evert De Brouwer)

Credits:
Design: De Brouwer | Binnenwerk

Design: Antonio Citterio & Patricia Viel

“Nove by Citterio” is an innovative and elegant office building that merges interior design and architecture to provide generous common areas in a structure which takes the full-height glazed atrium as its defining core.

It was completed in 2017 in the Luise-Ulrich-Strasse, near the Arnulf park district in Munich, an area comprising an exceptional set of high-rise urban architectures quality.

The building boasts 27,000m2 of usable rooms on six floors, around 1300 workstations, a very large and airy atrium.

Spatial arrangements of interior spaces invite for collaboration, casual encounters, and relaxation while upper floors are reserved for quiet working.

Internal courtyards, gardens and terraces gently flow into the office spaces, providing a unique, flexible and pleasant environment.

Amongst the materials used for the interiors, the Grigio Alpi gives a unique tone and elegance to the large ventilated walls in the common areas of the various floors, in the multi-purpose reception and meeting rooms and several other passage areas for a total of 4,000 m2 of stone.

The “NOVE by Citterio” has been certified LEED Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), by the homonymous American body. It also received the European Property Award, a recognition for the property and companies operating in the real estate sectors for the category “Best development of office building”.
Developed by Horus Development GmbH, a joint venture of Salvis Consulting AG and Art-Invest Real.

Click to see the Nove by Citterio building exterior.

Design: Lisa Garriss

Photo credits: Jim Bartsch photographer

Designed by Plum Design West’s Lisa Garriss Design, the Penthouse Collection is 5 custom-designed, fully furnished 8000 square foot condominiums with fantastic 360 degrees views of Los Angeles.

Each unique penthouse was curated by Plum Design around a specific persona – The Mogul (18th Floor), The Entertainers (19th Floor), The Collector (20th Floor), The Musician (21st Floor) and The Producer (22nd Floor). Lisa drew on her luxury hospitality design experience to design specific themes or personalities for each residence thereby creating distinct visual stories to stress the unicity of each apartment.

The project utilizes many different types of Italian marble and stone. For the main floors in all five residences, the designer selected Grigio Argento, Bianco Avorio, Perla Dei Berici and Grigio Alpi in a honed finish from Grassi Pietre.

The stone was cut and finished in Italy in a large scale random, running bond pattern which not only looks beautiful but maximized each slab, thereby cutting back on waste and cost. These are classic Italian stones that are simple in pattern and soft in colour and work extremely well in a modern setting. The final look is clean, crisp and contemporary but with a richness and depth that is unique.

Lisa Garriss, director of Plum Design West, started her carrier with a degree at Parsons School of Design in New York, and collaborated with international architects in the luxury hospitality and residential market. Plum Design West was founded in Singapore in 2006 and designed hotels for high-end brands such as Alila Hotels and Resorts, Four Seasons, Padma Resorts and more.

Farini Bakery – Venice (Italy)

Design: Arch. Cristiano Urban
Photos: Pitteri

Living the present with old values – this is Farini’s motto – with natural ingredients and the tradition of Italian Bakery.

“Never like before, in this project curated by Grassi Pietre, I could express the connection between Bread & Stone, two elements so important and present in our lives.” – Arch. Urban.

The project is characterized by the strong bond between the Architect and Venice with the stone, a key element of the urban landscape of the famous city.

The main counter and its cladding give the distinctive aesthetic to the entire space aiming at re-creating the sensorial experience of the bakery. The vision of the bread, its perfume and the roughness and colour of its crust.

The stone selected is Trachyte Zovonite in the warm grey tone, already used in Venice in ancient times, and quarried in the nearby hills.

The vertical cladding of the counter was created by a single irregular slab, ” a spacco di cava”, with thicknesses varying from 3-8 cm, whilst the working area in a more uniform honed finish.

Floors (approx 100 m2, 30/40 cm tile format “free length” ) are in the same material, 2 cm thick, brushed finish. Wall claddings are installed in slats-shape tile to remind the light wood used on the boiserie and the tables.

The differences in tone and the continuous use of the stone connects the interior with the historic and cultural heritage of Venice.

The final result is elegant, contemporary and effective, which reminds the roughness of the bread crust and its sensorial experience.

Design: Johnson Fain Architects

Situated in Orange County, California, with a capacity of 3,000 seats, it is one of the largest in North America. The glass Exterior remained as originally designed by Arch. Philip Johnson, whilst the interior has been completely renovated.

“As the new stone floor and lower walls recall the earth, so the glass vault overhead recalls the heavens, Johnson wrote in his executive summary of the renovation project. The redesign of the surfaces addresses acoustics, daylight and night lighting, solar heat transmission and ventilation to ensure optimal performance and comfort of visitors, ” says Johnson.

The architect personally selected the blocks to get more of 18,000 square-foot slabs of Vicenza stone in Grigio Alpi type, cross-cut and honed for the main floors and the steps to the altar.

The installation was carried out by the renowned company Carnevale and Lohr Inc. (Bell Garden CA).

Design: Hans Verstuyft Architects
Photography: Dorothee Dubois and Hans Verstuyft Architects

Hans Verstuyft architects was commissioned to furnish a penthouse at the Antwerp ‘Eilandje’.

The renowned architect, Sir David Chipperfield designed this new residential tower consisting of stacked white concrete terraces. Here one has a unique view of the city, the harbour and its surroundings.

The penthouse has, in contrast to the other floors, a free height of 4m80. It has a magnificent view and a lot of natural light. The floor plan was revised and adjusted during the structural work. So it became possible to re-arrange the space and appreciate the full width of the façade.

Different rooms were designed by introducing monumental volumes. Each function has its own atmosphere, and the connection between them creates a fascinating circulation with surprising panoramas. The volumes are housing secondary functions and storage, or separate a sleeping area discreetly.

The palette is sober, yet warm. A stone floor, chalk-coloured walls, white textile, American walnut and bronze accents are creating a distinctive character to the interior. It’s an ideal background for the client’s art graphics collection of Andy Warhol, Luc Tuymans and Michaël Borremans.

GRIGIO ALPI

“We used Grigio Alpi in the Westkaai Penthouse, and later also in a concrete villa. Grigio Alpi has a very nice texture with fossils that give the stone a vivid aspect, but without being too present, so not too fancy or too fashionable. It’s a stone that will last due to its timeless character. The colour is quite neutral grey, but a very nice warm grey, again no too hard nor too soft, but just perfect. Also, the overall aspect allows it to use the stone in many occasions, dirt doesn’t mark quick. We love natural stone, it tells a story, and beauty comes with age.” (Hans Verstuyft)

Design: Antonio Citterio and Studio Gianluca Tronconi Architetto

Arclinea opened its Flagship store in via Durini 7, Milan, one of the most famous design street in the world, where the latest collections curated by Antonio Citterio are revealed.

The contemporary mood of this location dialogues with the historic building that houses it, emphasising the spaces and product details.

The material used for the interior claddings, as well as kitchen splashbacks, is the Grigio Argento. in the brushed finish, which acts as a perfect background for the products on display.

A large functioning kitchen is the perfect place for social events: in fact, Arclinea intends to use the store as a place to spread the new food culture, as well as a location for studying exclusive
design.

Next to the fully functional kitchen, the Sample Room is a space dedicated to kitchen design where clients, architects and operators can get a closer look at the materials and finishes.

Design: Moreno Zurlo – AcMe Studio.

For the exterior project please click here

Zyme’ Winery, situated in a 600 years old quarry It is an example of sustainable architecture “genius loci”, able to adapt within the surrounding without disrupting the environment.

It offers an organic vision of the space thanks to the harmonious relationship between the contemporary use of the materials.

Grassi Pietre’s Giallo Dorato has been selected for an area of 300 m2 , including the staircases and the basement storage wall, covered with the extracted stone supported by stainless steel inserts.

The structure, 16.9 m long and 5m high, develops as an abstract painting composed by pre-assembled pentagonal cells installed with glue and fiberglass.
This pattern improves its strength and avoid the risk of collapse in case of seismic movements.

Its external profile creates irregularities to mitigate the strong impact of the central body and to resemble the peaks of the surroundings ills.

The Vicenza stone also guarantees the perfect thermal conditions for the ageing of the prestigious Zyme’wines.

Design: Aquilialberg design + architecture

Grassi Pietre was commissioned by the Architect to produce and install the main staircase of this exclusive villa in Cannes, named “La Jungle du Roi”, a house characterised by the presence of lots of crystals, chandeliers and mirrors, combinations of black, grey and white tones.

The material selected for the staircase was Bianco Perla, an off-white limestone, light and compact with a fine grain, in a honed finish.

The whole structure was conceived to be produced in several elements and assembled on site. The main baluster is perforated with a pattern in the shape of lilies.
Steps with bullnose detail, emptied columns ingeniously hide all cables, and LEDs run under the railings.

The large independent columns and capitols are made of solid stone.

This villa is much more than just a home: along with the bars, swimming pool, in-house cinema, sauna, corporate meetings that take place in a shiny circus cage, all areas decorated with plenty of art and caged exotic animals reproductions.

Design: Simone Micheli

In the landscape of Puntaldìa, in Sardinia, arch. Simone Micheli designed House Boat – a charming contemporary-style apartment. A space dedicated to redefine the concept of luxury, materializing the relationship between man, space, time and no longer conceived as the opulence of goods.

Removing the superfluous, the environment acquires aesthetic rigour and the value of existence emerges clearly in the attention of every detail. The ideal of life on a boat, always open to new adventures but perfectly organized in the management of spaces and the optimization of functions, stands at the beginning of the guide for the design of House Boat, turning into avant-garde thinking in the balance between the future (design, innovation, technology) and the traditional charm of the ancient art of master carpenters and through the use of natural stone.

The colours brighten up the space, heightening its dynamism, the shapes of the furniture create different levels that do not cease to overlap and recompose based on continuous changes in perspective, and reflect the beauty of the Vicenza Stone in the background. Perla dei Berici in brushed finish has been used for all floors, bathrooms and kitchen splashback.

The beauty of the outside world penetrates inside the apartment with large windows and generates clever mixtures of dreams and reality.

“Made in Earth” is how the Chinese brand ICICLE describes its philosophy of a caring fashion ideal, which seeks harmony between human and nature. This symbiotic relationship with nature is rooted in Chinese culture, inspiring ICICLE’s approach to fashion since its creation.

Originally from Shanghai, ICICLE has been paving a new way for ethical fashion since 1997. Designing and creating ethical clothes to be lived in, the way we live on Earth: in harmony with nature. With elegance and awareness.

The brand’s philosophy is perfectly represented by the design choices for ICICLE stores all over China, which are furnished with natural and precious materials, such as solid wood. The floors are in Pietranova, Grassi Pietre exclusive terrazzo, realized with Vicenza Stone elements resulting from natural stone processing, which are thus given a new life. Pietranova is an eco-friendly and sustainable material, created with a mixture of natural stone grit, white Portland cement and water, without any resin or harmful chemicals.

Pietranova provides the perfect uniform and warm background for displaying ICICLE fashion collections, while at the same time contributing to the brand’s environmental-conscious ideal.

Design: Ady Ma – Director of Retail Design & Project – ICICLE

Design: HPM Developments

The apartment is private and located in one of the most exclusive areas of London, Mayfair.

Grassi Pietre supplied and installed about 150 m2 of floor in Bianco Lasa Vena Oro,with Eramosa borders, throught the apartment.

Master bathroom floor and cladding in New Calacatta, shower feature in Emperador. Solid sink in Nero Marquinia and New Calacatta with brass inserts.

Bathroom 2 in Bianco Lasa Vena Oro floor and cladding. Basin in Grigio Armani.

Bathroom 3 cladding in Zebra Grey.

Powder room in Travertine Titanium and basin in Nero Assoluto.

Also white onyx and Jolie Grey elements have been integrated into the bespoke joinery commissioned by the client.

Design: Aldo Cibic

Ristori Theatre opened in 1837 and take its actual name in 1856 from Adelaide Ristori, a major Italian actor from the 19th Century, and soon became a cultural hotspot for the city of Verona, hosting different shows, from Opera to muppet shows, to cinema premieres and variety shows.

On its stage performed some of the most acclaimed Italian and international artists and musicians.

Aldo Cibic selected the Vicenza stone for the renovation of the interiors.

All floors, internal staircases and claddings are in Grigio Alpi and Giallo Dorato, finished honed, sometimes alternated to create a subtle colour and texture variation.

Design: HPM Developments

Grassi Pietre supplied and installed all the marbles for some luxury apartments in central London.

Floors, coverings, bathroom and kitchen furnishings are the areas where our work was concentrated.

Marbles and onxy from all the world were chosen.

Design: Vincent Van Duysen

Van Lock is a chain of shopping centres specialised in leather goods and footwear, in Belgium.

Grassi Pietre supplied for the Zandhoven branch a total 1,700 m2 of Grigio Alpi, brushed and bush-hammered, for the floors, cladding, staircase, and bathroom areas, including solid basins.

All claddings have been mounted glued on screed. Grigio Alpi was in fact also used for both the interior and the exterior of the building.

Here you can visit the shop: https://www.vanloock.com/winkel/

For the exterior photos click here

Located in Meta, in the heart of the Sorrentine peninsula. Laqua Charme & Boutique is a unique mix of hospitality and relaxation, ideal for a leisurely stay along one of the most enchanting coasts in Italy. Natural materials and colors. Soft, pleasant tones blended perfectly with the citrus fragrance of the Sorrento coast, the perfect match for an extraordinary ambience and sensations.

The owners, Antonio Cannavacciulo, a Michelin starred chef, and his wife Cinzia, wanted to create a warm and gracious setting, where you can relax and listen to the sounds of the sea.

Rooms are designed to create a peaceful and harmonious environment using materials as Pietra del Mare for the floors, bathrooms, claddings and staircases.
From the terraces, which complete each room, one can admire the magnificent view of the sea and sky of the Sorrento coast.

 

Credits: Laqua by the Sea

Design: Wendell Burnette Architects
Photos: Bill Timmerman

Phoenix offers a handful of signature designs that define contemporary Desert Modern Architecture; this home designed by Wendell Burnette is one of them. A superb balance of mass, materials, light, scale and perforation perfectly placed on a gentle, native landscaped, hillside slope. Wonderfully executed details; a wealth of minutiae to delight the connoisseur in a simple design that offers a carefree and comfortable plan that defines our desert-lifestyle. Stunning City-views anchor you to the urban hub; the nearby Mountain Preserve panorama calms the soul. The private pool is a sensory experience; providing an enclave that is both dramatic and serene.

The Dialogue House

The home was carefully renovated and restored in 2012; the new owners painstakingly following the Architect’s vision and direct oversight to co-create the final work as it is today. The gardens were updated and recreated to naturalize the setting and to allow a seamless connection to the site. Well published and celebrated, this remains a signature design for Mr. Burnette and is widely considered to be an outstanding example of his work.

The Dialogue House was conceived as two volumes of light – one warm and one cool – one focused outward to the expansive horizon and one upward toward the canopy of the desert sky. A five-sided box of light with no apparent thickness floating above and within the dark desert landscape with only the apparent thinness of light supporting the space to be lived in. The home is projected south toward the South Mountain and Sierra Estrella Mountain ranges far across the Phoenix basin and the downtown skyline. The exterior surfaces of the pinwheel walls as well as the main volume absorb and reflect light akin to the “desert varnish” that coats the volcanic geology of the Phoenix Mountains turning silver, red, purple-brown-black during the day only to collapse into silhouettes at night. Thus, “life after work” is simultaneously supported by the apparent thickness and thinness of light. The interior of the street volume is plastered cool white, half terrace – half cool water as a retreat from the city within the city where one can only see sky. Wind and water activated light is refracted onto the interior surfaces by day and most dramatically at night, which provides an animated foreground to the skyline and distant horizon beyond.
Begun many years ago, the Dialogue House has an interesting history and was finally completed in April of 2012.

Vicenza stone adds textural and visual interest to the design

During the course of renovation, the owners leapt at the chance to create an illusion of more space by cladding walls in Bianco Avorio limestone. Thomas Hyland named more reasons for the choice of material: “First, we wanted to use natural stone as we felt this would add more warmth to the space. Second, we felt the color – and importantly, the consistency in color – of the Bianco Avorio stone would add lightness to the space. And lastly, we really loved the surface/texture of the stone… It has a beautiful tactile feel”. Natural stone was also used as flooring in the living room and around the pool in two hues of Gascogne Blue lime stone.

“With this renovation – said Wendell Burnette – we sought a product that would work in harmony with the existing wood and stone floors in the rest of the house and at the same time add textural and visual interest to the design. Bianco Avorio – with its nuanced, refined character – proved to be that product. The slot skylight reveals the tactile quality of the stone. And its natural beauty and calm, uniform color expand the sense of space within a relatively small footprint”.

Wendell Burnette Architects is an internationally recognized architectural practice based in Phoenix, Arizona. Their portfolio of work includes a wide range of private and public projects. The specific focus of the practice is concerned with space and light, context and place, and with the environment and landscapes in which we live. The architecture of the firm responds to the specifics of site and client needs, is resourceful in regards to budget, takes a pro-active approach to the craft of building, and strives to create spaces that engage people.
The architect’s website includes reference material of his sources of inspiration. „The Desert – Further Studies in Natural Appearances“ by John Dyke (1907) was one such source. It describes light in the desert and how different it is from luminescence in other landscapes, hot light looking straight ahead during the day and cold light at night when gazing at the stars, and „colored air“.

Design: Studio Benincà

Valpolicella is a hilly area before the Prealpi Veronesi, where you can already breathe the mountain air. It extends for 240 km2 and includes seven Municipalities, all in the province of Verona. The landscape is wonderful, with plenty of ancient villas, historic gardens, parish churches, cultivations of cherry trees, olive trees and peach trees, and above all vineyards: the region was renowned since ancient Roman times for viniculture and for the production of the Amarone wine in particular. Beautiful in every season, Valpolicella is particularly suggestive in autumn, when it is full of warm colours.

Studio Beninca’ has designed the new offices for the Cantine Le Marogne, using the Pietranova Bianca, an agglomerate composed by recycled Bianco Avorio, for the internal and external floors, exterior columns, staircase and bathrooms.

All elements have been supplied and installed to improve the energy efficiency of the building.

Location: Italy

Grassi Pietre was commissioned to renovate of a ruin, now a splendid villa capable of blending the taste of the ancient with the most contemporary design.

The interventions dedicated to a structural and distributive point of view, required more than two years of work, and had the purpose of making the interiors particularly bright, allowing greater contact with the surrounding nature.

Grassi Pietre oversaw all the phases of the construction site, from the initial survey to the executive design of the structures, the supply of materials and installations.

The entire structure project developed around ​​the staircase, that connects the ground floor and the first floor.

The cantilevered steps were made of polished San Pietro marble, inserted into a rough split stone masonry.

All the marble elements are internally reinforced with AISI 304 stainless steel bars fixed with epoxy resin.

The prestigious French fashion house has selected the Grigio Alpi in the honed finish, as main material for the Interior of its Shanghai stores.

2009 – Italy – Cassago Brianza (Lecco)

The new C-Group wellness centre project includes honed Pietra del Mare for internal floors, internal and external claddings, internal stairs, bedrooms and bathrooms, shower plates, massive stone sinks, and sandblasted Silva Oro marble for external floors and external stairs.

Project: architecture studio Molteni&Associati

Total delivery: about 4.000 m² of cut to size elements

Thickness: 2 and 3 cm, glued slabs.
Format: 20/30/40 cm, custom-designed massive stone sinks and shower plates

 

Great renovation in downtown Verona, directed and designed by Arch. Nicola Giardina Papa.

Grassi Pietre supplied interior and exterior floors, staircases, fireplace cladding, and walls for bathroom areas. The most important selection was “Mateus finish” cladding for the fireplaces and the main wall. The exterior floors are made in Pietranova Bianca.

2003 – Austria – Lengenfeld

Lengenfeld wellness centre in Austria. honed Giallo Dorato was used for the massive bathtub.

The prestigious Icicle Shops chain is using Grigio Alpi for its coverings and floors throughout China.

Design: Arch. Serafin

Grassi Pietre, in collaboration with Studio Serafin, has produced and installed marble and natural stone in a classic interior for a complex of 5 Villas in Barvica, an exclusive area of Moscow.

The project is characterised by the used of several types of marble and natural stones, and showcase different production and installation techniques throughout the properties, and includes intricate marble inlays in the common and living areas, using materials as Crema Marfil, Emperador, Calacatta Giallo Siena, Portoro black and Travertine.

The Vicenza stone, in the variations of Giallo Dorato, Pietra del Mare and Bianco Avorio, is found on the helicoidal staircase cladding and balustrades, and in the spa and swimming pool area, complete with extraordinary mosaics.

In particular, Giallo Dorato was used for several different columns styles, from Tuscanic, to Jonic, to Corinthians, carved from solid blocks with hand sculptured capital details.

Russia – Moscow

In this private complex Grassi Pietre supplied various marbles and stones, starting from the dimension checking on field, following the material selection and giving a support in the installation.
Stones and marbles are widely used for floorings and claddings in the whole project.

The architect decided to introduce also tuscanic columns, and corinthian pillars inside the house. Also in the bathrooms and swimming pool areas marbles and stones are widely used .

This villa has a classical taste, for this reason we selected not only stones from our quarries like Giallo Dorato, Bianco Avorio and Pietra del Mare in the honed finish but also some marbles like Giallo Reale in the polished finishing.

Soave (Verona, Italy)

Located on the hills a few steps away from the walls of the medieval castle in Soave (Verona, Italy), the new Leonildo Pieropan winery is a dialogue between history and landscape, between contemporary forms, innovative technological solutions and traditional materials.

The winery was officially opened on April 14th 2022. Strongly desired by the founder’s grandson, Leonildo Pieropan, and named after him, the architectural construction was conceived as a workspace based on the essential principles of innovation and sustainability.
The implementation of the project involved the removal of more than seven million cubic feet of material from the side of the hill. The main volume of the building is now located underground and fits perfectly within the environment and the surrounding landscape.

This simple concept is a five-year mutual work that involved the owners, the architect, and Grassi Pietre as stone supplier.
The resulting structure of the winery presents a single long and sinuous multi-faceted limestone facade, similar to the fascinating local natural stone hills and characterized by chiaroscuro effects.

The material selected to create this effect was Giallo Dorato (Vicenza Stone) with a brushed finish and a thickness of 3 cm. Giallo Dorato was chosen for its durability, availability in quantity and dimensions, workability, color and particularly the specific fossilization of this stone.

Grassi Pietre supplied 15.000 square feet of cladding, for a total of 2300 pieces of stone elements all in different sizes cut with CNC machines. The elements were produced and pre-assembled in large sizes at the Nanto plant, to create three-dimensional prismatic structures, following the architect’s idea of evoking a coral reef emerging from the ground.

The stone slabs were finally installed in faceted columns with a ventilated wall solution to manage the complexity of the drawing. Customized installation safety brackets were used to support each slab and anchor it to the underlying steel structure.

To optimize the sense of monolithic continuity of the façade, all the joints between the stones were sealed with special mastics and silicones, in the same color shade as the stone.

In this project, Giallo Dorato acquires its key role as cladding, but also brings the site of the new winery back to its ideal state of nature. Corals, algae, and the shells of marine organisms that populated the seas of the valley fifty million years ago, are newly found today, thanks to Vicenza Stone, in the façade of the new Leonildo Pieropan winery.

Design: Arch. Moreno Zurlo – AcMe studio
Photography: Jürgen Eheim
In collaboration with: Progest srl