Makalu: the power of stone, the gesture of design!

Tresore Design presents Makalu, a sculpture-chair launched at the prestigious Salone del Mobile in Milan, which combines the ancestry of Brazilian natural stone with contemporary design with almost poetic precision.

Created by designer Fernanda Freire, Makalu is not just a piece of furniture. It is a manifesto of respect for matter, time and nature. Its name evokes the grandeur of one of the highest mountains in the world, located in the Himalayas. And not by chance: just like the mountain that inspired it, Makalu impresses with its grandeur, but also enchants with its soft, refined curves, which invite contemplation and touch.

A rock, a story

The raw material for the Makalu chair is Black Storm granite, a natural Brazilian rock extracted by Sabagram. Its white and gray veins run through a deep black background, creating unique designs, as if they were maps sculpted by time. Polished to a mirror shine, the material gains drama and life, reflecting the light with intensity and giving the piece an almost sculptural presence.

For Fernanda Freire, the creative process began by listening to the rock itself:

"Working with natural stone to create a chair is, first and foremost, an exercise in listening to the material itself. The rock carries millions of years of geological history, and my challenge is to transform this into ergonomics, comfort and poetry," says the designer.

The biggest challenge, according to her, was finding the balance between visual lightness and structural stability, while respecting the integrity of granite, a material that "doesn't allow for mistakes".

Design that connects

Makalu is not just any chair. Its design transcends functionality and proposes a new way of interacting with the object. Each line of the piece was designed to express both the brute force of nature and the delicacy of human creation.

"These chairs are born out of a dialog between the weight of the material and the lightness of the creative gesture," explains Fernanda. "To sit in this chair is to feel the encounter between the ancestral strength of the stone and the lightness of the gesture that shaped it. It's about being, touching and contemplating."

This search for connection also translates into emotion. The aim is for the person sitting there to feel not only the support of their body, but also the symbolic impact of matter: its solidity, its memory, its essential beauty.

Art, technique and precision

Makalu's production process is a choreography of advanced technology and high-precision craftsmanship. It all starts with the choice of the granite block, which is carefully selected to make the most of the arrangement of the veins. From there, a series of complex steps come into play:

1. Initial cut with a monofilament machine to define the ideal dimensions.

2. CNC machiningwith gradual removal of material and progressive refinement of details.

3. Constant cooling to preserve the integrity of the granite during cutting.

4. Hand-finishingEach curve is polished to a mirror-like shine that highlights the uniqueness of the material.

In the end, each chair is unique, both because of the nuances of the granite and the delicacy of the handiwork.

A premiere to match

Makalu was officially launched on Salone del Mobile 2025in Milan, one of the most important stages for international design. Tresore Design's presence at the event reinforces the brand's commitment to innovation, the valorization of Brazilian materials and the creation of pieces that dialogue with art and architecture.

Fernanda ends our conversation with a reflection that reflects the spirit of Makalu:

"The most beautiful surprise of the process is when, after all this engineering, the final piece still reveals unexpected veins, unique designs that only nature could create. That's when I realize that, more than creating, I'm collaborating with nature itself to tell this story."

That's what Makalu is: design with soul, form with memory, stone with poetry.