OMA/AMO and solidnature replace supermarket commodities with their stone lookalikes in milan
a supermarket cast in stone at designboom’s milan installation
SolidNature presents Il Sonno Supermarket, designed by OMA/AMO for designboom’s ROOM FOR DREAMS during Milan Design Week 2026. The work can be discovered within ME Milan Il Duca and transforms the familiar market into a study of SolidNature’s expressive stone. Set within a lightweight structure of translucent polycarbonate and metal trusses, the installation reads immediately as a supermarket, although every surface and object reframes the subjects under a veil of permanence.
Shelving units carved from onyx, marble, and other natural stones hold rows of goods that resemble everyday items. Bottles, eggs, soap bars, and packaged foods appear recognizable at first glance, but are then revealed to be something else entirely. The layout follows the logic of aisles and product categories, allowing movement through the space to feel intuitive while the material condition introduces a slower pace.
images © Giuseppe Miotto / Marco Cappelletti Studio
a translucent veil backdrops solidnature stone
The decision to construct everything from SolidNature stone shifts how this unusual OMA/AMO-designed supermarket is understood. Surfaces carry veining, translucency, and depth that register with changing daylight, especially as it filters through the ribbed polycarbonate walls. The overhead truss system frames the open-air setting, while trees and sky remain visible, so that the space is grounded in Milan’s seasonal atmosphere.
David Mahyari of SolidNature describes this approach as a shift in value: ‘Natural stone introduces a different sense of value, rooted in sustainability, durability and authenticity.‘ Within this context, the installation positions material longevity against systems driven by speed. The contrast is immediate through touch and sight, and each playful object carries the weight of geological time.
SolidNature and OMA/AMO present Il Sonno Supermarket during Milan Design Week 2026
frozen gestures of consumption
With its strange supermarket in Milan, designboom, SolidNature, and OMA/AMO build on a simple observation about behavior. ‘Nobody thinks while shopping, it’s pure reflex,‘ says Samir Bantal of AMO. In Il Sonno Supermarket, that reflex is held in place. Products become fixed gestures that are stripped of use and held at the moment of recognition.
This suspension creates a subtle shift in how the space is read. A visit moves from navigation to observation, with attention drawn to edges, finishes, and the repetition of forms. The mirrored surfaces embedded along the perimeter extend the aisles and fold visitors into the display, and serve to contrast movement alongside stillness.
shelving and grocery items are carved entirely from natural stone
a dream state grounded in construction
The installation’s title points to sleep, yet the experience remains direct and physical. Time feels stretched through material rather than narrative. Samir Bantal frames it as ‘the interval between recognizing an object and realizing it has solidified,‘ describing a condition where a fleeting environment becomes fixed.
Lighting and sound reinforce this reading. Fluorescent fixtures establish a familiar retail atmosphere, while ambient audio drifts between background music and intermittent announcements. These cues maintain the logic of a supermarket, even as the material palette pulls the experience in another direction.
the layout follows supermarket aisles to guide intuitive movement
backdropped by polycarbonate walls, mirrored panels extend the space
project info:
name: Il Sonno Supermarket
stone: SolidNature | @solid_nature
event: ROOM FOR DREAMS
location: ME Milan Il Duca, Piazza della Repubblica, 13, 20124 Milano MI
dates: April 21st – 26th, 2026 (public days: April 21st-26th)
opening hours: 10:00 – 20:00 daily
photography: © Giuseppe Miotto / Marco Cappelletti Studio
This article is part of designboom’s Dreams in Motion chapter, exploring what happens when we treat our dreams and reveries as an active, radical rehearsal for impending material realities. Explore more related stories here.
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