SolidNature and AMO dream Il Sonno
setup As Milan Style Week 2026 approaches, designboom takes a seat with David Mahyari and Samir Bantal for an unique look at a visionary transformation. Within the curated landscape of designboom’s Room for Dreams, SolidNature presents Il Sonno Grocery store, an idea conceived by AMO, OMA‘s think tank, in collaboration with SolidNature. This immersive experience reimagines the everyday act of grocery shopping as a profound journey through geological time. By changing regular home products with stone artifacts, the setup challenges the culture of disposability and welcomes a shift in perspective where modern consumption is replaced by awareness.
‘Imagination is the most effective tool we need to produce a much better tomorrow,‘ starts David Mahyari, owner of SolidNature, to designboom.
‘The job stems from AMO’s exploration of the supermarket as a spatial and behavioural reconsidering of the grocery store typology,” includes Samir Bantal, director of AMO at OMA. ‘Nobody believes while shopping– it’s a space of pure reflex. In Il Sonno, this reflex is fixed in stone. The grocery store, which is normally defined by speed and turnover, is reconfigured as a static environment where every component, from shelves to products, is rendered entirely in natural stone.’
David Mahyari, owner of SolidNature, (left) functions as the ‘dream maker’ for Il Sonno, adopting a resolute ‘yes’ philosophy that permits the mind of Samir Bantal, Director of AMO, (right) to press borders without imaginative compromise
All images thanks to SolidNature
monumental
collaboration in between SolidNature and AMO
The synergy behind Il Sonno originates from a fifteen-year partnership in between SolidNature and the creatives at OMA/AMO, which conceived the project’s conceptual structure.
‘The concept behind the installation reframes the grocery store not as a place of consumption, but as a constructed system of behaviour and time,’ says Samir.
In this new chapter, Mahyari functions as the ‘dream maker’, adopting a resolute ‘yes’ approach that permits the mind of Samir Bantal to push boundaries without imaginative compromise. The procedure does involve a practical translation of abstract dreams into physical reality, using over 40 ranges of stone to craft a landscape that is both amazing and grounded. This partnership thrives on the belief that design need to leave a lasting psychological imprint on the soul of the visitor.
‘We (SolidNature) see ourselves as curators, bringing life to the appeal of the material and the brilliance of creative minds we work with,‘ comprehends David. ‘In many methods, we are dream makers. The imaginative minds are the heroes in our story. Our function is to take their vision, give it form, turn aspiration into reality, and bring the complexity of execution, so their dream can come to life exactly as thought of.‘
the design process for Il Sonno includes a useful translation of abstract dreams into physical reality, using over 40 varieties of stone to craft Il Sonno, Italian for’sleep’, bridges the space between the significant history of natural stone and our contemporary desire for a mindful world. Stone has actually survived centuries, making the human existence feel wonderfully momentary by comparison. The installation invites a various method of looking at the everyday. It questions whether our environments were specified not by mass production, but by long-term worth and objective. This utopian viewpoint encourages a future-oriented way of thinking, where the richness of nature’s colors shows our own power of choice.
‘We approached the style by transforming the daily routine of looking for groceries into a world of wonder and reflection, where commodities are removed of their daily function,’ adds the director of AMO at OMA. ‘In the existence of stone, we are the short-term part.’
‘Il Sonno invites us to look at the everyday through a different lens. With more awareness, more intent, and a deeper sense of value. That awareness uses a powerful perspective on how we pick to live, produce, and develop for the future,’ describes the owner of SolidNature.
the highlighted products are realized from offcuts and existing stone blocks, ensuring that every piece of nature is honored rather than wasted Sustainable beauty blossoms along Il Sonno aisles At the core of the setup’s craftsmanship lies a harmonious blend of modern development and ancestral skill. The production team employs advanced five-axis CNC machinery to accomplish the recognizable geometries of milk cartons, cleaning agent bottles, and more products. Nevertheless, it is the last touch of the artisan’s hand that breathes life into the mineral grain. Mahyari keeps in mind that devices alone can not complete the journey; the human hand is essential to apply the fine detailing that elevates a block of earth into an identifiable, frozen product.
‘We can create it with innovative devices but you always need craftsmanship.‘ David continues, ‘ultimately it’s the hands which require to complete it and make certain that it’s getting a completing touch. This workmanship empowers people to respect the material more.’
the installation welcomes a various way of taking a look at the daily, as stone is eternal in contrast to people Sustainability is woven into the really material of the design process. A number of the featured commodities are realized from offcuts and existing stone blocks, guaranteeing that every piece of nature is honored instead of lost. This approach highlights stone’s low carbon footprint and its inherent resilience as the supreme sustainable material. By showcasing such a wide array of surfaces and types, SolidNature withstands faster ways, picking instead to respect the product by presenting it in its most diverse and amazing forms.
‘All the products are made from off-cut pieces or blocks from past productions. We knowingly prepare to re-use material to make the installation’s products. We engineer all our installations so that the product can be utilized once again after demolition,‘ added the owner.
the production team uses sophisticated five-axis CNC equipment to attain the recognizable geometries of milk cartons, detergent bottles, and more products Within the polycarbonate-clad walls, visitors encounter a mirrored sanctuary that reflects their own fleeting presence. Beneath the glow of industrial fluorescent lights and the hum of grocery store muzak, the installation produces a space for both external wonder and internal reflection. Some will be motivated by the lively textures and shapes, while others will ponder the scales of time. Ultimately, the experience is developed to ground the visitor, motivating them to stand still and consider the millions of years of history held within a single rack.
David questions, ‘what is our significance with material that will outlast us? We’ve attempted to touch audiences by working towards an astonishing installation, however also utilize reflection in mirrors to concerns visitors: what is your position precisely in this world?‘
Samir includes: ‘In Il Sonno, the experience of rushing through the grocery store is slowed down to a state of observation. What is normally instant becomes unknown.’
it is the final touch of the artisan’s hand that breathes life into the mineral grain, elevating a block of earth into a recognizable, frozen commodity In Il Sonno, time ends up being scaleless, and a dream state is understood as a shift in the understanding of truth. Through this exclusive take a look at David Mahyari and Samir Bantal’s procedure, we see how the stone of the earth can outlive the frantic rate of the everyday. Visitors can find a sanctuary during Milan Style Week 2026 to check out the aisles of their own consciousness and witness the permanence of stone firsthand.
‘Il Sonno is about freezing the idea of time. It is a timeless area, where the products, shaped by the earth over millions of years, will outlive us in this area. It is us who have become the short lived stock, non-stop changing in time, with a date of expiration,’ says Samir Bantal. ‘This is a no-cash grocery store: you pay by going to.‘
‘It would be beautiful if individuals walk into the installation and feel instantly grounded. That is the power of the product. It gives people area to explore, to slow down, and, in doing so, to really remain in the moment,‘ concludes David Mahyari to designboom ahead of Space for Dreams.
visitors can discover a sanctuary, developed by SolidNature and AMO, throughout Milan Design Week 2026 to check out the aisles of their own awareness and witness the permanence of stone
project information
:
brand: SolidNature|@solid_nature
setup: Il Sonno
partner: Samir Bantal (AMO/OMA)
exhibit: Room for Dreams
location: ME Milan Il Duca, Piazza della Repubblica, 13, 20124 Milano MI
dates: April 21– 26, 2026
hours: 10:00 AM– 8:00 PM Daily