Australian natural stone specialists CDK Stone invited Australian architects and designers to Italy’s Carrara to witness marble in the making—from quarry to final form.
In partnership with CDK Stone.
The Carrara marble region forms part of the Apuan Alps in Tuscany, where quarries have operated for more than 2,000 years uncovering the region’s famed white marble. CDK Stone director Tony Victor has been visiting the area for more than two decades to personally select stone, while the company has maintained a presence in the region for more than 40 years. “We travel extensively, ensuring that we inspect almost every block of material we bring back to Australia,” Victor says. “The percentage of premium materials available varies, but typically we select between one and five per cent of the production from any given material,” he adds.
In recent years, CDK Stone has brought their architectural stone consultants on buying trips to tour the quarries. It prompted a thought—why not share this deep knowledge and experience with Australian architects and designers themselves? Cue: ‘Marble in the Making’—an exclusive tour of 16 participants, including architects and designers from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, who travelled to Carrara during Milan Design Week 2025.
Homeroom Studio creative director Romy Dankner and design lead Averil Foggin inspecting the stone slabs at one of CDK Stone’s suppliers. “Witnessing the craftsmanship behind the marble’s extraction firsthand has shifted our perspective,” Dankner says.
Leading the tour during Milan Design Week affirmed the direction CDK Stone had chosen on their buying trip. “We were especially excited to discover materials in rich chocolate browns, terracotta, warm beiges and bold burgundies—tones that perfectly aligned with the vision and atmosphere we experienced throughout the design week,” CDK Stone Queensland state manager Lara Patane notes.
For Victor, CDK Stone has spent years building a reputation for providing high-quality natural stone, and he wanted to share this process firsthand with architects and designers. Ascending the mountain to misted views across Carrara’s Alps revealed the scale of the quarry, where staggered, white-veined cliffs exposed years of extraction. Here, the group witnessed how the blocks were removed and the machinery required before descending to a cave quarry further down the mountain, offering another perspective on the sheer scale and complexity of the process. A traditional Italian lunch followed, served around marble tables carved for the occasion on site, with the tiered stone slopes as backdrop, before the group was seated within one of the marble caves for a complete three-course meal.
The afternoon was spent observing the entire production cycle: from block selection and gangsaw cutting to slabs passing through polishing lines, culminating in a behind-the-scenes look at how CDK Stone hand-picks their final slab selections. The day concluded high up in Carrara’s old town, sampling some of Tuscany’s finest produce.
What quickly came to light was the strength of the long-term partnerships CDK Stone has fostered with family-owned businesses in the region. CDK Stone Queensland state manager Lara Patane explains that the trust embedded in these relationships allows them to proactively source materials that respond to the evolving demands of the Australian market.
Patane also notes that the tour created awareness around natural stone’s unique characteristics and limitations. “This knowledge not only supports more informed and effective specification, but also empowers designers to better educate their clients on the value and realities of working with natural stone,” she adds. More broadly, Patane reflects on the cultural and historical weight of Carrara’s marble quarries, which have sustained the local industry for centuries. “The Apuan Alps have long shaped the livelihoods of the region’s people—what began with forced labour during Roman times has evolved into a craft many now choose with pride,” she adds.
Homeroom Studio creative director Romy Dankner says glimpses of the mountains from Carrara’s streets could not have prepared her for the quarry’s monumental scale. “Our respect for the craft has deepened considerably—the immense skill, precision and collective effort required to transform raw stone into timeless works of art,” she says. While Homeroom Studio’s design process has always been grounded in an appreciation for natural stone, design lead Averil Foggin says each selection now becomes a conscious act; “One that honours the material’s origin and the many hands that shape it into enduring works of art,” she adds.
Studio Esteta director Sarah Cosentino describes the experience as being “both humbled by nature and deeply respectful of the generations of expertise, skill and pride that frame every part of the process”. Fellow founder and director Felicity Slattery attests that by witnessing the significant time, labour and craftsmanship required to create a single slab, they are better equipped to communicate the story and value of natural stone. “Natural stone products can appear costly compared to composite alternatives, often due to a lack of awareness around the production process,” she says.
It’s a sentiment echoed by Penman Brown Interiors founder and creative director Megan Brown. “I love being able to capture and transport a moment in time with this incredible natural material and turn it into a small touchpoint in our everyday lives,” Brown says. “When you live with marble, its inherent beauty is something you can see, touch and feel: nature at its best.”
In future, CDK Stone will be running Marble in the Making as an annual tour for Australian architects and designers.
“The experience of witnessing the extraction site and process—led by the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the families and community who have worked this quarry for generations— profoundly deepened my respect and love for the natural material,” Penman Brown founder and creative director Megan Brown shares.
“The Apuan Alps have long shaped the livelihoods of the region’s people—what began with forced labour during Roman times has evolved into a craft many now choose with pride,” CDK Stone Queensland state manager Lara Patane explains.
CDK Stone director Tony Victor explaining the block selection process. “We travel extensively, ensuring that we inspect almost every block of material we bring back to Australia,” Victor says. “The percentage of premium materials available varies, but typically we select between one and five per cent of the production from any given material.”
The tour included a walk through processing facilities to see slabs passing through polishing lines.
A traditional Italian lunch was shared around custom-carved marble tables, with the dramatic stone slopes as a backdrop, before the group moved inside a marble cave for a full three-course meal.
Architecture and design studios on the tour included DMA Studio, Homeroom Studio, Studio Esteta, Kira & Kira, Stafford Architecture and Penman Brown—all of whom specify CDK Stone natural stone in their residential projects.
