Design and innovative technologies work in synergy for an increasingly current and refined perception of marble. The meeting is celebrated in an exhibition with an immediate impact

Franchi Umberto Marmi presented “From nature to the Metaverse”, a project developed with MM Design on the occasion of Marmomac2023, in the context of the Material Match Up event curated by ADI and located within the The Plus Theatre space.

The aim of the project was to propose a new aesthetic and decorative characteristic for marble through the principles of CMF design, where CMF is the acronym ofColors, Materials, Finishes.

A segment of industrial design that works on the chromatic, tactile and decorative identity of materials, surfaces, objects and environments. From this area of design approach, the FUM marble set off on a journey of interpretation of nature which took it all the way to the Metaverse.

The protagonists of "From Nature to the Metaverse" were the Calacatta 900, Statuario, Grigio Collemandina and Bardiglio marbles, worked in the different finishes of bushhammered, matt and polished thanks to precise laser engravings.

The materials were then proposed on a moodboard exemplifying the treatments applied to the surfaces: developed in a panel measuring 140 x 180 cm, it collected examples of the particular treatments on marble surfaces combined between advanced engraving technologiesand those with thin metal deposition film. To highlight all the aesthetic potential and application versatility of marble.

The design, combined with the most innovative technologies, has improved the perceived quality of the marble surface and created new and evocative trends.

In the transition from the physical to the virtual, marble finds infinite possibilities of declination and facets. The project has, on the one hand, transferred the multiple geometries and incredible complex shapes present in nature onto the surface of the marble.

On the other hand, he enriched the marble surfaces with a completely new charm with imprints and engravings developed on a relief design.

Approaching phygital, that world in which technology acts as a bridge between the physical and virtual world, MM Design wanted to probe its boundaries, experimenting through FUM marble with the combination between a natural material with a long history and new metallic surfaces , ultra-reflective finishes, iridescent effects and dichroic color shades.

The refined mirror reflective effect or the transparent metallic reflection applied to the surface of the marble have thus managed to enhance its natural texture, enriching it with new colors and reflections.