Last year, as part of the group exhibition Alcova, natural stone brand SolidNature built a geologic gateway — and a Milan Design Week 2022 standout — from nine types of onyx. This raised a question: How would it top that come April 2023?

The answer: by going underground. “Beyond the Surface,” SolidNature’s solo exhibition held in Milan in April, began by nodding to last year with a subterranean staircase clad in many of the same high-contrast onyx pairings. After descending into a private parking garage, visitors moved through a series of stone-clad rooms designed to evoke the compressive forces that form precious finishes — but also the dreamy quietude that they inspire.

Before visitors could return to the plaza above (filled with stone animal sculptures by Bita Fayyazi and a travertine dining table by Sabine Marcelis), they were offered a souvenir pebble. 

Designed by Ellen van Loon and Giulio Margheri of OMA, the installation won the Fuorisalone Award 2023, recognizing Milan Design Week’s best off-site exhibition. In the pages that follow, we recap more of Milan’s exceptional shows and launches.