Marble is coming out of the stone age. Thanks to today’s forward-thinking designers, the material that built much of the ancient world is getting an ultra-modern overhaul. Paolo Ulian’s Numerica bookcase is cleverly composed of Roman numeral–shaped modules. The High Noon mirrors, the result of a partnership between Japanese designer Takuya Matsuda and Italian craftsmen Sartori Marmi and Vanzo Ferro Battuto, let users playfully adjust the elemental forms of circle and cone to their liking. The Topkapi table from Marsotto Edizioni puts its circle atop a sharp tripod base, firmly anchoring the piece in the 21st century.
When it comes to mining the past, Toronto design studio Castor takes a literal approach. The marble base of its desk lamp is from an old Bank of Montreal building; the shade, from a defunct lighting factory. And Formafantasma turns more luxurious discards—leather remnants from the production process at Fendi—to create the supple surface of its Roman-style campaign table, making a piece that’s truly fit for an emperor.
