Soulmate is Martina’s first collection of collectible design. It is a series of tables and vases that whose trait d’union is the link between an ancient material like fake marble, obtained through the Scagliola technique and the more modern one like the resin.

Two mirror halves (like the Yin and Yang) that together create a single solid. In harmony as in a love story. Martina is interested to create hybrid solutions, experiment a new language and syntax: she believes that contrasts can conceive balance. Why Scagliola (Fake Marble)?

“I’m from a town in the north of Italy, named Carpi, a district based on handcraft and factories that work in fashion. In 2012 we had big earthquakes that destroyed some portions of the city. Our main cathedral had to stay closed for many years for restoration. (The Carpi’s Duomo is considered a little San Pietro in Rome, baroque style).

In 2018 it opened to the public again and I went to visit it. There was a very old man that volunteered and guided me into the space. He explained the story of the fake marble decorations of the entire church to me with so much love and passion : The Scagliola technique. It was invented in Carpi and then spread around the rest of Italy, especially Florence that made it popular.

Back then I was looking for a material to use for my Soulmate Collection and I immediately understood that I had to celebrate this tradition that looks so fascinating and that I was so familiar with it. It’s handmade and lighter than real marble, and you can create endless color options. I think traditions and roots give us a sense of identity, then we can embrace the rest of the world and create your personal voice and interpretations.”

PROJECT CREDIT

•DESIGN: Martina Guandalini •PHOTOS : Tamara Baum •SCAGLIOLA : Simone Desiro’ •RESIN : Azimut Design