On a recent trip to Italy we connected with some of our longest standing and more valued stone supply partners, visiting their historic quarries to learn the origin story of our natural stone.
While in Italy we traced the journey of our natural stone collection, from ancient quarries to precision-cut slabs. For Artedomus’ managing director, Phil Brenton, selecting stone is a tactile, intuitive process. “When we come to Italy, we’re able to look at all of the stone options that we can offer,” he explains. “A lot of the design aesthetic can come from this one item, so it’s a super important part of what we do.”
Watch the full series of The Expert Series, Italy
Artedomus selects stone not just for its beauty but also for its durability, ensuring it withstands the test of time in both residential and commercial projects. While at partner Landi Group’s Arabescato quarry in Carrara (which has been mined continuously for more than 150 years) Phil and the team were able to assess each block by eye, drawing on years of experience to judge colour, veining and scale.
Despite the monumental nature of extraction, the approach remains careful and controlled. “They use blades, wires, brute force,” says Phil. “Sometimes blocks are split in two just so they can be transported safely down the mountain.” Once cut, each block is trimmed and inspected before heading to nearby processing facilities.
Environmental rehabilitation is an important layer within the story. “A lot of people are concerned about extracting stone out of a quarry like this,” says Artedomus’ NSW sales manager, Matt Croll, “but the Italian government is very big on rehabilitation.” In open-cut sites, natural revegetation is supported by native species, often reintroduced as birds carry seeds across the terrain.
The trip also provided an opportunity to reconnect with long-term collaborators, including Gianmarco Landi of Landi Group, whose family has worked in stone since the early 1900s. “We love to take care of our clients before anything else,” Gianmarco says. “The relationship with Artedomus is one we want to keep in the future.”
Our travels took us to the Nikolaus Bagnara facility, too: a stone-processing operation where craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology go hand in hand. “They’re absolutely obsessed with quality control,” says Matt. “It’s so important, especially when you’re creating benchtops and splashbacks where everything has to be precise.” Capable of producing up to 70,000 square metres of stone a month, Bagnara was an early pioneer of digital slab scanning and continues to invest in new tooling and calibration systems. “We were the first company to scan slabs more than 15 years ago,” says CEO Niko Bagnara.
For Bagnara, the partnership with Artedomus is mutually beneficial. “Having a relationship with Artedomus has helped us penetrate better into the Australian market,” Niko says. “[Artedomus is] unique on a global scale; how they promote their products and access designers and architects.”
Like this episode? Watch next ‘Decorative surfaces with Decoratori Bassanesi, Episode 5’
Watch the full series of The Expert Series, Italy
Production by The Local Production.