The collection is built around natural stone pieces that have been shaped over thousands of years, making the design process an exercise in adaptation.

For this collection, stone material is sourced from a small valley at the foot of the Italian alps 100 km north of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi. The collection uses natural boulders that are found and collected from fields or riverbeds rather than extracted from a quarry. These pieces, often referred to as ‘trovanti’, can be a mix of metamorphic rock, granite, and sedimentary rock. Although ‘trovanti’ are found in the same region, their origin and composition can be unique and significantly distinct from each other. Since we are working with natural pieces of stone that have been shaped over thousands of years the design process has become an exercise in adaptation. The aesthetic parameters are set by the stone itself, and the intention was to delicately manipulate the material to maintain and display its essence and history. 

At Surfacedesign, our work always begins with the ground: the geology of the place. New Geologies challenges our typical design process and pushes us to create an experience that is both in conversation with and distinct from the ground. We are pushing ourselves to be almost austere in our treatment of each stone element—what are the essential cuts that unearth some hidden quality of each ‘trovanti’; how can the idea of a pedestal be reinterpreted through aluminum scaffolding to both lift the monolithic pieces off the ground and by virtue of that separation create a new and intriguing dialogue between site and object, material and landscape.

Within our practice we use stone of all types and finishes as horizontal and vertical surfaces as well as more sculptural elements. We play with finishing of stone to reflect light, create texture and shadow and depth to a garden. Stone is the literal and metaphorical link from the regional landscape to our site and back to the pieces themselves.