SOLIDNATURE PRESENTS ‘OFF-CUT PUZZLE’ BY MARTE MEI DURING MATTER & SHAPE 2025
A bold exploration of sustainability and design by Dutch artist and designer Marte Mei, transforming reclaimed stone into unique architectural solutions and furniture pieces.
March 4, 2025
Paris, 4 March 2025 – SolidNature, the renowned natural stone brand, is proud to announce its collaboration with Dutch artist and designer Marte Mei. Together, they present a unique, sustainability-driven collection titled ‘Off-Cut Puzzle’ at this year’s Matter & Shape, taking place in Paris from 7th to 10th March 2025. With a shared commitment to sustainability and craftsmanship, SolidNature and Marte Mei have developed an innovative series of designs that transform reclaimed natural stone into contemporary, one-of-a-kind pieces. The collaboration explores new possibilities for offcuts - natural stone remnants that would otherwise go unused - by integrating them into artistic yet functional compositions for architectural surfaces and furniture.
Inspired by the intrinsic beauty of natural stone, Marte Mei developed a technique to scan and rework broken fragments into new, seamless patterns. The collection presented at Matter & Shape reflects this meticulous approach, combining earthy, serene tones with dynamic, colourful accents - bringing together SolidNature’s expertise in natural stone and Marte Mei’s artistic sensibility. The collection includes modular surface designs for walls and floors, as well as furniture pieces that highlight the raw beauty of repurposed materials. Among the featured pieces are a bench and coffee table, crafted from individually shaped stone fragments supported by solid oak frames, embracing imperfections as part of their aesthetic as well as the Mark Lamp, a reinterpretation of Marte Mei’s original porcelain design in SolidNature’s translucent onyx, showcasing the stone’s light-diffusing qualities.
Visitors to Matter & Shape can experience the collection at SolidNature and Marte Mei’s corner booth, where two distinct design approaches will be showcased. One section will demonstrate large-scale, modular applications suitable for commercial and architectural projects, while the other will highlight furniture pieces that integrate seamlessly into interior spaces. A carefully curated colour palette - combining warm, natural tones with bold accents - exemplifies the transformative potential of reclaimed materials. This colour palette will be only one example of the breadth of colours that can be combined.
"Every piece of stone tells a story that spans millions of years," says Marte Mei. "This collaboration challenges conventional perceptions of waste and celebrates the potential of overlooked materials." SolidNature’s commitment to sustainability aligns perfectly with Mei’s ethos of reducing waste and rethinking materials. By reclaiming offcuts and emphasising their inherent beauty, the project underscores the importance of sustainable material use in contemporary design.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Exhibition Details
Matter and Shape by WSN
7—10 March 2025
Jardin des Tuileries, 75001, Paris, France
Entrance: Rue de Rivoli
Opening hours:
Friday 7th: 9.30am—5.30pm
Saturday 8th: 9.30am—7pm
Sunday 9th: 9.30am—7pm
Monday 10th: 9.30am—6pm
About Marte Mei
Marte Mei van Haaster (NL, 1992) is a designer based in Amsterdam whose practice explores allyship with nature. Using her site-specific methodology, she translates ecological and historical research into tangible, handcrafted pieces connected to their environment. She creates each work by hand in her studio or in collaboration with local craftspeople. Her process is rooted in working with natural elements as part of an ecosystem - acknowledging that materials belong to cycles they once emerged from and will eventually return to. By embracing the unique characteristics of each material, her designs aim to foster a deeper connection between people and their natural surroundings.
About Matter & Shape
MATTER and SHAPE is a new design salon in the heart of Paris, the first of its kind, unveiled during Paris Fashion Week in the Jardin des Tuileries in the spring of 2024 (1 - 4 March). MATTER and SHAPE invites exhibitors, great and small, to present exceptional projects and products in an elevated setting, celebrating the culture of global design today.
Powered by the international salon experts WSN, MATTER and SHAPE debuts with an inbuilt audience of boutique owners, buyers, and retail consultants from department stores and multi-brand boutiques around the world who visit the neighbouring salon PREMIERE CLASSE across the same 4-day period.
Our relationships with design collectors, architects, interior designers, decorators, journalists and tastemakers from Paris and beyond will ensure high profile attendees from the worlds of design, fashion, art, architecture and luxury.