Marble faces

Salvatori celebrates 70 years in business by expanding its Brera showroom to better illustrate the many permutations of marble and top-quality natural stone. #MDW2016

“The story and life of a product must be well told.” points out Gabriele Salvatori, CEO of the Tuscan company, almost as if to justify the expansion of the flagship store in Milan to occupy the whole top floor of the via Solferino building.

“That is especially so if you want to bring this product out of the traditional sphere of bathroom furnishings, which it has outgrown given the many living proposals and range of objects we offer today.”

The third generation in the business and convinced of the crucial attention to detail spawned by the relationship between craftsmanship and natural processes, Gabriele Salvatori explains that he has worked hard to expand the type offer in the last ten years, pursuing research into new textures and material combinations.

Once again this year, he has presented a new stone and a new texture: Cotone Bianco Carrara. Featuring a more discreet texture and colouring than standard solutions, it transforms a wall into a decorative feature with black aluminium inserts. The new bathroom line is called Fontane Bianche – in homage to the renowned Sicilian resort – and stems from research into archetypal forms, translated into pure geometry and reinterpreted with a contemporary twist by Elena Ossino. It was created with the participation of Fantini for the tapware.

The designer has also developed fine pieces for a minimal home collection with attention-grabbing effects, such as Archimede mirrors, one round and the other rectangular, with a gunmetal steel frame and the feature hinges that cut through the surface and adjust the mirror; and Urano and Rune, lamps in white Carrara marble and natural stone, respectively.

Another successful design is Plat-Eau by Silvia Fanticelli centred on natural stones slotted together, on sale in the La Rinascente Design Supermarket. Salvatori has also studied the packaging for this line and its great versatility means if is to be found in all the showroom spaces.