Marble, from the Greek marmaros, meaning “shining stone”, continues to be loved by Italians: for more than 80% of those who own it “it was the best choice I could make”. Among those who do not already have it, 60%, the majority, say they would like it. These are some of the data emerging from the research that Marmomac and VeronaFiere, the international exhibition of stone and its technologies, commissioned from Emg Different.
The research, presented by Emg CEO Fabrizio Masia, is the first carried out to understand how Italians view this material. Resistance is of various kinds, but first and foremost, probably, is comprehension: in fact, 50.1% declare that there is not enough information available at the time of purchase, and even professionals, such as architects and interior designers, have difficulty with information, prefer to play it safe and divert their clients towards other choices.
As mentioned, those, who choose it, end up loving it. And even those who, for some reason, seem to have a change of mind become attached to it. Of those who have ended up liking marble, 64% declare that they do not want to replace it, despite indicating deterioration, fragility, and maintenance difficulties as critical points when the cause is not a change in personal taste.
The use of marble remains high, placing second in 56.4% of homes, preceded only by ceramics (58.3%) and followed by wood/parquet, stoneware, and terracotta. It is used in the living room (50.1%), in the bathroom (46.3%), and in the kitchen (42.5%). Its use is particularly favoured in the South and on the Islands, where it is present in 62.4% of homes. 54% of those who renovate intend to use it, particularly for floors, kitchen and bathroom tops, stairs, and windowsills.
The adjectives Italians most often use to describe it are expensive, luxurious, beautiful, and natural. But the adjective that circulates most often among professionals and experts is lasting, confirming that marble is a choice that is not influenced by fashion and trends. However, in addition to the gaps in understanding and information, there is also the need to rejuvenate. 66.8% of those who own marble are over 70 years old.
The research presentation also featured a round table discussion, moderated by Giorgio Tartaro, that analysed the main themes of the research.
During the discussion, many more topics emerged. Susanna Citrano, architect and director of Overalls Architecture London, focused on perception and its use in the summer, Andrea Mancuso, designer and founder of Analogia project, showed how important it is to know the peculiarities of stone to make art out of it, Monica Venturini, marketing manager of Asso S. P.A., dealt with disproving the unsuitability of marble for kitchen countertops and finally Camilla Bellini, designer and designer teller, illustrated how much, how and why social media are essential in the distribution of information.
General Manager of Veronafiere, Giovanni Mantovani, highlighted, “The study shows that, among the sources of consumer information, online channels have a strong potential to be explored to involve a younger audience. And with Marmomac Plus, we already have the largest digital portal available to the global marble community”.
Source: www.repubblica.it
