Dezeen promotion: design brand Luminaire announce their collaboration with Italian stone company Salvatori.
A special installation of Salvatori stone is on show at Luminaire's newly expanded showroom, which now occupies two levels in Miami's design district.
In 2012 Salvatori launched a sustainable marble composite called Lithoverde, made of marble scraps from the stone industry.
They showcased the new material with an installation in Milan by John Pawson - see our story here - and later used it to create a bathroom collection.
Salvatori was founded over 60 years ago in Tuscany and now collaborates with designers including John Pawson, Rodolfo Dordoni, Claudio Silvestrin, Jean Nouvel and Piero Lissoni.
Here are some more details from Luminaire:
LUMINAIRE ANNOUNCES NEW VENDOR: SALVATORI
Few materials elicit the range of associations and sensations that one experiences with natural stone. Essential for built form since the beginning of time, it can convey the historical past as well as express contemporary design philosophies centered on functional environments with reduced, essential lines and planar surfaces. Salvatori is a name signifying innovation in stone, making it a perfect addition to Luminaire’s presentation of the very best in design from around the world.
Whether for sinks, walls or floors or for interior or exterior spaces, the range and hand finishing of Salvatori’s stone allows it to become an integral, complimentary part of any design concept.
For household and public spaces intended to welcome and comfort, one might select a smooth travertine marble, whose unique density and warm colors are particularly suited to this use. Variously, limestone with bright hues and a granular consistency has an unexpected quality of softness, while sandstone gives a sense of calm with uniform shades and a refinement that readily allows for harmonious combinations with wood, stainless steel, glass and leather.
Salvatori is also unique for its development of Lithoverde, a sustainable marble composite the company first previewed at Salone del Mobile in 2010 with a project in collaboration with John Pawson. The following year, Salvatori and designer Rodolfo Dordoni produced Onsen, an entire bathroom collection comprising a sink, bathtub, shower, mirror and lighting in the material. Eco-compatible and displaying the company’s responsible view towards its environmental impact as well as its advancements in research and innovative practice, 99% of Lithoverde is derived from scraps of stone, which traditionally would have been wasted.
Salvatori stone has been used in numerous residential settings as well as in high-profile commercial projects including the Giorgio Armani store in Shanghai and the Armani Hotels in Dubai and Milan, as well as New York's newest Ferragamo boutique (opening in 2012) and the cladding of the Museum of Modern Art. Additionally, architect Kengo Kuma incorporated the material into his 2011 installation at Casalgrande Padana, as did Jean Nouvel at the Kilometro Rosso Science and Technology Park near Bergamo.
Based in the area of Tuscany between Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi, a site famous for its quarries and traditional stone-processing methods, Salvatori has worked with architects, designers and builders for over 60 years and has been recognized by the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade as the most innovative company in the natural stone industry. Established designers who have collaborated with Salvatori include many figures familiar to the design showroom such as Claudio Silvestrin, John Pawson and Piero Lissoni, making the stone company a natural addition to Luminaire.
Luminaire is more than a furniture showroom. It is an interactive design research center, a playground for the soul, an esplanade for discovery. More than anything else, however, it is a resource focused on creating environments that affect people’s lives. The component parts of this unifying philosophy – the necessity of design education, the desire for limitless inspiration and the requirement for impeccably detailed execution – affect every item in our collection, and reflect our dedication to make good design accessible to all. Clients entering our showrooms become immersed in an environment that exemplifies a point of view that we want to share. With the aim of expanding the repertoire and understanding of design in the communities we serve, Luminaire exists as a laboratory for curated exhibitions, thought-provoking lectures and other types of educational endeavors.
Luminaire has built long-standing relationships with an International roster of designers as well as Europe’s most important manufacturers of contemporary furniture, lighting and accessories: Agape, B&B Italia, Boffi, Edra, Established & Sons, Flexform, Flos, Glas Italia, Ingo Maurer, Interlübke, Living Divani, MDF Italia, Paola Lenti, Porro, Roda and Zanotta, to name but a few. These invaluable associations enable us to offer our customers an incomparable selection of the most exqui- site furnishings available, while Luminaire’s in-house team manages the entire spectrum of our clients’ experience, from selection to installation, providing an unrivaled level of attention at each step.

Two Miami locations include the flagship Coral Gables showroom, which communicates the company’s original vision: that good design is a way of life. The Design District’s Luminaire Lab serves as a focal point for experimentation, challenging one’s sensibilities and driving new directions in design thinking. Also in Miami are Luminaire’s Corporate Offices and warehouse, the company’s nerve center that manages a highly sophisti- cated system of tracking, distribution and delivery. Outside of Miami, the three-level Chicago showroom displays the latest collections from the world’s most pre-eminent designers, continuing to evoke and revel in the intersections and effects of good design in today’s interior environments. In addition, a new online store accessible through Luminaire’s website, ensures that the Luminaire experience is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Luminaire has been a pioneering force in the design world for over 37 years, during which time it has reshaped the idea of what a design store can be.
www.luminaire.com