Marmomac 2022: the plus of the natural stone at the fair

There are two concepts that are deeply linked to Marmomac 2022. These revolve around sustainability and natural stone. The first one is a recurring theme in the world of design, but also in any other production field. Ok, many are trying to jump on a sustainability bandwagon. But there are companies, and Italy has been a forerunner on many occasions, which are really  guided by sustainability as a new mindset. Among these, there are certainly entrepreneurial companies related to marble.

Sustainability and authentic natural stone

Coatings, floors, finished products and creative applications of stone materials are always a constant of Marmomac. Never like this year, however, have I found natural stone, as it is. More or less large slabs were the queens of the stands, sometimes even the works of art (as in the case of Palissandro Marmi).

There are those who have taken the mantra of protecting natural stone literally and have designed an outdoor stand in the shape of an igloo (Fiorantina Stone).

Others have thought of paying homage to the workers who literally extract the stone (Dal Torrione).

And literally the supporters of the Authentic Natural Stone Manifesto (Pietra Naturale Autentica) have also signed the book of the 10 commandments, which sets itself objectives of sustainability in terms of environmental, economic, social and protection of Made in Italy.

Main trends of the fair

– Natural stones this year push neutral colors more. This is an evergreen that occasionally gets hype.

– Natural stones find new companions to share spaces in other materials, especially metal (but there is also cork).

– The design of the slabs favors geometric shapes and cuts for both wall finishes and flooring. A bit like velvet, the geometry seems to fall into disuse but then comes back stronger than ever.

Marmomac’s machinery and technical stands

The quarrying and processing of stone materials sector was present at Marmomac 2022 with 700 machinery, plants and heavy equipment and with over 800 products and tools related to the treatment of stones. In Verona, buyers, importers and contractors, including foreigners, met together with a large group of architects, designers and communicators in the sector (journalists, bloggers and teachers from various schools and universities). USA, Brazil, India and Turkey have responded to the call of marble, helping the event to reach the presences of the pre-covid years.

Italians like marble

From a research commissioned by Marmomac and carried out by EMG Different, it emerged that in one house out of two in Italy there is marble (in second place after ceramics and before wood). Those who do not have it at home, in 6 out of 10 cases, would like to have it. Inside Italian homes, marble is mainly used for floors (55% of cases), for kitchen and bathroom tops (42.4% of cases), for stairs and step coverings (39% of cases) and for window sills (36.2% of cases). Sensitive to the themes of stone are also Italian schools and universities, participating in the fair with the review “Marmomac meets Academies“, curated by the Politecnico of Bari and the G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, with exhibitions prototypes.

The New Best Communicator Award, 2022 edition

Let me tell the members of the jury of the 56th edition of Marmomac of which I had the pleasure of being part: Loredana Mascheroni (Deputy Senior of Domus), Jennifer Richinelli (Editorial Director of Stone World – USA), Marcello Cutino (President of ADI VTTA) and the President Aurelio Chinellato (Architect and Exhibition Design Professor at IUSVE).

Together we visited the stands of the 10 pavilions and selected the winners in the various categories.

“Design Italia” section – Palissandro Marmi

“Concept Italia” section – Dellas SpA

“Design International” section – Stone Group

“Concept International” section – Fiorantina Stone

Special mentions for Tenax and Pettrus

The plus of Marmomac 2022: numbers and art direction

If you like numbers, know that Marmomac this year counted 47.000 visitors. This is 49% more than in 2021. Record numbers? Who knows. What needs to be said is all about its organization. Precise, punctual, creative, with a present art direction and a clear, intuitive and memorable communication style, a great plus of the event. If you are looking for a case history on visual storytelling in the world of events, call Marmomac.

Article in collaboration with Marmomac