Ancient architectures and their magnificence, the timeless fascination of ruins and archaeological sites, the ability to materialise collective memory: these themes are at the heart of the new Frammenti collection, designed by Raffello Galiotto for Margraf. Three monolithic sculptures, which turn out to be three design elements, were presented exclusively at the Salone del Mobile by Margraf on its stand. We spoke about this collection - which we consider to be a true work of heritage innovation - with Roberto Xompero, Managing Director of Margraf. We begin the conversation by talking about how the company manages to change the perception of a "classic" material such as marble.

"Natural stone and more specifically marble are often seen as cold, elegant, all too noble and apathetic materials. Reality, however, shows us exactly the opposite. Marble is a material that makes uniqueness its main characteristic. Each slab, each centimetre is different from the next and, consequently, is unique and inimitable. Each person, therefore, has the possibility of choosing exactly the surface that arouses emotions and fascinates him or her most," says Xompero, who affirms his conviction that there is no material more personal and intimate than marble. "The projects that we realise, in fact, whether they are larger or smaller, are always based on this theory. The customer at Margraf must feel heard first and understood later. He must be able to realise exactly what his dream is."

Xompero goes on to explain the romantic interpretation that the company and Raffaello Galiotto have of the concept of "ruin", which does not have a negative meaning, quite the contrary: "Natural stone is a material that has always been used and which, if protected and preserved, lasts indefinitely. Our nation's glorious past testifies to this, we have entire cities made of marble. For us, before the melancholy usually inherent in the term, comes the awe and wonder that inwardly generates pieces of dressed stone that the passage of time and history have left us. We started from this feeling to generate further astonishment and to breathe new life into classical art, bringing it back to the present day and reinterpreting it thanks to technical studies and state-of-the-art machinery."

It is also interesting to see how these ideas materialise in a series of products: the Frammenti collection. "After last year's Velata collection, Galiotto designed this wonderful series of unique pieces.Frammenti stems from a reflection on the symbolic power of marble and its perception today, inspired by the magnificence of ancient architecture and the stone elements that can still be seen in archaeological sites today.Three monolithic sculptures reveal themselves as design elements: a column, a table and a seat. Sculptural projects born from the assembly of fragments, held together by an elastic marble material, a soul that gives new life to these stone parts," Xompero explains.

The collection highlights the company's know-how, which allows cutting-edge technology and craftsmanship to coexist. Margraf's Managing Director tells us about it: "On the one hand, innovative 3D digital modelling and robotic milling processes allow for the creation of the products and the particular plasticity of the connections between the fragments, on the other hand, the hand-finishing touch of the details and finishes completes the work, giving it a unique quality."

We conclude with a comment on the stand design, which in these busy days is essential to immerse visitors in the atmosphere of the project. "In cooperation with Raffaello, we conceived the stand as the scene of a theatre, where the main and unique protagonists are the three pieces of the collection. The space is delimited by a curtain that circumscribes the stage and enhances the beauty of the three materials from different parts of the world. The Palladio table is in fact made of Fior di Pesco Carnico, an Italian material from the only quarry in the world, owned by Margraf, in the province of Udine. The Peloponneso seat is instead in Polaris Gold, a Brazilian quartzite with brilliant colours. Finally, the Corinthio column is in Notre Dame, a wonderful marble from Vietnam. To conclude, we could say that our stand is a space at the service of stone, dedicated to exalting what nature has to offer."