When matter becomes project
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Cristallina Design presents two new creations at Matter & Shape Paris.
From March 6th to 9th, Cristallina Design will be present at Matter & Shape in Paris, one of the most interesting events for those who closely observe contemporary design: architects, interior designers, collectors and professionals in the sector.
On this occasion, we will present two new, unreleased creations, born from the collaboration with ECAL – École cantonale d'art de Lausanne, one of the most internationally recognized design schools.
But to truly understand these objects we must start from what makes them possible: matter.
Cristallina marble: a material that tells the story of millions of years
Cristallina Design works with the only marble extracted in Switzerland, from the Peccia quarry in the Ticino Alps.
It is a stone that carries with it a very particular geological history.
Millions of years ago this territory was submerged by the primordial sea and the calcification of marine organisms – including coral – slowly gave rise to the material we know today as Cristallina marble.
Today that same stone is extracted in tunnels in the heart of the mountain.
The quarry was also described with great sensitivity by Andrea Stern, who defined it as “ the Quarry of Wonders ” on the pages of La Domenica del Corriere del Ticino.
The name Cristallina derives from the structure of the stone itself: visible crystals between two and five millimetres which give the surface a very particular luminosity.
A quality that over the years has led internationally renowned architects to use this marble in highly prestigious projects.
A meeting between matter and new international talents
One of the most important aspects of the Cristallina Design project is the collaboration with ECAL – École cantonale d'art de Lausanne.
Every year, we work with around fifteen young talents from around the world. These aren't students just starting out, but designers, architects, and interior designers already working in the industry, who choose this master's program to specialize in luxury design.
Before designing, we accompany them to the quarry.
They see the material where it originates, observe the veining, understand the structure of the marble and its history. It is from this direct encounter with the stone that the projects are born.
We ask them to create objects that are a fusion of art and design: aesthetically strong but also fully functional forms, designed to be used and to last over time.
Among the projects developed during this journey, we have selected a few that truly succeed in transforming material into a story.
And it is precisely from this selection that the two creations we will present in Paris were born.
Taglio The Taglio project, designed by Sebastian Renga, was born from a block of arabesque Cristallina. The shape comes to life through precise and deliberate cuts that define a simple seat. Even the negatives generated by the manufacturing process are not eliminated, but transformed into complementary elements. The project thus becomes a reflection on the material itself: each intervention on the block generates a new possibility. | Crystal The Crystal project, conceived by Emilie Heger, instead starts from a different inspiration. The gaze turns deep into the Swiss mountains, where natural crystals form. A hidden world of rigorous geometries that seem random yet follow precise laws. Starting from this observation, the Cristallina marble — in the Crystal White variant, combined with the deeper Violet shade — is worked as if it revealed an internal crystalline structure. Cut after cut, the shape emerges from the stone as if it had always been there. |
Similar, but never identical, objects
Even when a shape is reproduced, each object remains unique.
Cristallina marble features ever-changing veining and hues: each block reveals a different variation in the material. It is precisely this natural characteristic that makes each piece unique, even though they remain part of the same collection.
Towards Paris
The two creations will be presented for the first time from March 6 to 9 in Paris.
In the next few days, we'll start sharing some sneak peeks of the project.
More images and stories will arrive directly from the event.
Access by invitation
For Matter & Shape, we will be offering a limited number of invitation-only sessions.
Anyone wishing to visit the event can write to us via this link: Matter and Shape contact .
Follow us on Instagram , LinkedIn , or cristallonadesign.com to stay up-to-date on the next chapter.
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