Milan Design Week brings together trends and novelties in Brazilian natural stones

Six companies from the Brazilian ornamental stone sector participate, in Italy, in Milano Design Week – FuoriSalone, one of the largest design showcases in the world, which will continue until April 26, at the Università degli Studi di Milano, as part of the Interni exhibition. Design Re-Evolution.

In the Stone Pavilion, a design intervention created by the architect and designer Vivian Coser and composed exclusively of Brazilian rocks, quartzite, semi-precious rock and dolomitic marble form the environment created by It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone, a project to encourage stone exports national ornamental stones, and promoted by the Brazilian Center of Ornamental Stones Exporters (Centrorochas) and by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).

Exposed in the form of plates and design pieces, the natural materials from Cajugram, Dapaz, Decolores, Gramazini, Granistone and Pedra do Frade complete the environment outlined under the essence of biophilia, a concept that brings the environment to urban spaces, promotes well-being being, emotional comfort and feeling of relaxation.

The president of ApexBrasil, Jorge Viana, and the manager of industry and services at the Agency, Maria Paula Velloso, visited the design intervention on the first day of exhibition, accompanied by the president of Abimóvel, Irineu Munhoz, and by the director, Cândida Cervieri. They were welcomed by the general manager of Centrorochas, Giovanni Francischetto, and by architect Vivian Coser.

Sustainability

Holder of the greatest geological diversity in the world, Brazil has a large industrial park for the supply of blocks, finished and semi-finished products, works of art, design, architecture, among others. Thanks to the technological production capacity, the country sees its rocks undergo modern and environmentally sustainable processes.

More than 95% of all water used in the production process is fully reused, in addition, production waste is used or sent to licensed deposits. The rocks also have a lower CO2 emission rate in production, compared to other coating options used in architectural projects.

Actively participating in the Green Building Council Brazil, Vivian Coser reinforces the sustainability of natural rock. “It does not contain any harmful chemicals or toxins. In addition, the material can be easily recycled and reused, which can extend its useful life, while conserving energy, water and other essential resources,” added the architect who is also an ambassador for Instituto Terra (an institute founded by photographer Sebastião Salgado and his wife Lélia Wanick Salgado, focused on sustainable practices and environmental recovery).

Commercial relationship Brazil X Italy

Italy is today the 3rd largest destination for Brazilian natural stone exports. Of this total, 82.1% are blocks. The country’s preference for rough rocks is due to its large installed production capacity and the great know-how for processing and distributing unique rocks to Europe and the Middle East.

In 2022, Brazilian exports to Italy recorded revenues of U$ 103.4 million, 19.4% higher than in 2021. “The determining factor for this growth was the increase in demand for quartzites with high added value, materials that are applied in noble and exclusive environments, which have been registering excellent commercial acceptance throughout Europe”, detailed the general manager of Centrorochas, Giovanni Francischetto. “The performance of exports to the host country of the Milan Design Week, which until 2020 was stable (with sales around U$ 65 million per year, on average), in 2021, recorded strong growth of 52, 4% or US$ 19.7 million in the period and in 2022, surpassed US$ 100 million in exported Brazilian stones”, he explained.

Discover the eight types of Brazilian rocks on display

Amazonite (Provided by Granistone)

An exotic semi-precious rock, made of quartz crystal, clapboard and a rare cyan colored pegmatite. It has a high degree of hardness and high resistance to acids and cleaning products. Because it has quartz in its composition, it can be backlit because it is translucent.

It can also be used in outdoor areas, gourmet spaces, tables, bathrooms, swimming pools and furniture.

Apollo Light (Provided by Cajugram)

The name Apollo was inspired by the sculptures of the Greek god of beauty, which seemed perfect for this quartzite. The material has light tones and soft veins that contrast with the quartz crystals, easily harmonizing in classic or modern environments. It is a versatile stone that can be integrated into more traditional and more daring designs in more exotic projects. Its composition is 95% quartz crystals, which makes it a very dense material, with a very homogeneous appearance, in addition to being hard, resistant to abrasion and with high resistance to compression and flexion. Apollo’s beauty is enhanced

mainly in polished and satin finishes, and can be applied indoors or outdoor projects, for floors, walls and countertops.

Da Vinci (Provided by Decolores)

Da Vinci quartzite is an exuberant stone composed of mineral relics such as quartz and fuchsite, which give it a translucent appearance and green color. It features intriguing structures such as stratifications, smooth lines that portray how the quartz sands moved in the environment where Da Vinci was formed, 3 million years ago. It can be used in several areas, including swimming pools.

Natura (Provided by Pedra do Frade)

Natura quartzite comes from a region called Serra da Carnaíba, where there is the highest concentration of emeralds in Brazil, hence its emerald green color. It is composed of green quartzites, white quartz crystals, intertwined with fuchsite and emerald scoria.

Lunar (Provided by Friar’s Stone)

Lunar is a dolomitic marble from southern Bahia, Brazil. This material has a white background with grayish veins, bringing elegance and versatility. As it is a dolomitic marble, it has above average resistance and can be used in many different projects, including kitchens.

Polaris (Provided by Gramazini)

A peculiar quartzite with an intense green and white color. This differentiates itself in the market, intriguing with its beauty and durability. Polaris is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor and is located approximately at the north celestial pole. Hence the name. With its color variations from green to white and gold, a new “star” was discovered, Polaris.

Speranza (Provided by Granistone)

A unique quartzite, with a dark green background and neon green moving veins, has a high degree of hardness and resistance to acids and cleaning products. It can be used in indoor and outdoor areas.

Vanilla Sky (Provided by Dapaz)

Vanilla Sky is a golden, tan and white quartzite from Brazil. Its timeless design can be adapted to virtually any type of project, from traditional to modern. This metamorphic stone is mined in the mountains of Ceará, and its origins can be dated back hundreds of millions of years. Mother Nature prints in this masterpiece smooth movements that resemble brushstrokes with subtle movements that surprise without impressing the eye.

About It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone

It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone is an export incentive program developed by the Brazilian Center for Ornamental Stones Exporters (Centrorochas) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). The program aims to stimulate and increase exports of Brazilian ornamental stones, through a set of strategic internationalization actions with promotion actions, strengthening the image and development of the sector in the world market.

About Centrorochas

The Brazilian Center for Dimension Stone Exporters is present in all national demands to increase the competitiveness of the dimension stone sector. The entity acts directly by providing support in the procedures related to the presence of Brazilian entrepreneurs abroad, combined with commercial and operational activities related to the development and evolution of Brazilian companies.

About ApexBrasil

ApexBrasil acts to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. To achieve these goals, the Agency carries out diversified trade promotion actions aimed at promoting exports and valuing Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and trade missions, business roundtables, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to get to know the Brazilian production structure, among other business platforms that also aim to strengthen the Brazil brand.