Huber Naturstein, partner of Italian natural stone supplier Antolini, recently opened its Stone Gallery. For STEIN, the owner took the time to give us a tour of his “hallowed halls”, despite an upcoming major order for a luxury store. Franz Maximilian Huber doesn’t actually have time for a press appointment these days: he has several night shifts ahead of him at a […]
Huber Naturstein, partner of Italian natural stone supplier Antolini, recently opened its Stone Gallery. For STEIN, the owner took the time to give us a tour of his “hallowed halls”, despite an upcoming major order for a luxury store.
Franz Maximilian Huber doesn’t actually have time for a press appointment these days: he has several night shifts ahead of him at a customer’s premises in Munich’s Maximilianstrasse, Bavaria’s premier shopping mile when it comes to luxury stores. A jewelry store is being built here. The opening is scheduled for Valentine’s Day. The natural stone comes from Franz Maximilian Huber, the owner of Naturstein Huber from Markt Schwaben. He is an Antolini partner.
As Huber gives a tour of his “hallowed halls” on a Wednesday evening, his employees are still busy with the large natural stone slabs. One of them is sawing the grooves for the steel pins on the back of a slab. “The formats for the floor are so large that reinforcement is necessary to prevent breakage,” explains Huber. For Munich’s Maximilianstrasse, he will use flamed and polished hard stone and a limestone marble, both for the floor and for worktops. An umbrella stand and a mantelpiece will also be made of natural stone. The color spectrum ranges from red like “Ocean Red” to green like “Verde Borgogna”, as the natural stone company Antolini from Italy names its stones. “With one slab, you even get the feeling you’re standing in front of a school of mackerel,” says Huber. His passion for the stone is palpable, almost contagious.
The slabs from Huber Naturstein are “cut in structure”, which means that a pattern on one slab merges into the adjacent one. This creates a harmonious overall picture. “A computer program defines which slab goes with which slab,” says Huber. For particularly complicated floors, the stonemasons make a mask from chipboard and tracing paper beforehand so that the data can later be transferred digitally to the computer.
Just how well this works can be seen in the entrance area of Huber Naturstein. This is also where the so-called Stone Library is located: the various stones that Huber offers are arranged here according to color and processing method. Huber calls this a “haptic experience”.
The Stone Gallery in the rear storage rooms of Huber Naturstein is an even greater experience. What could be seen in small sections in the entrance area is displayed here in large format slabs in a huge warehouse. On entering, Huber taps his cell phone and switches on the sound system in the hall with an app. Light blues sounds and beguiles visitors. 400 square meters of natural stone hangs on the wall here. There are even more slabs downstairs. The floor is not made of concrete, but is covered with carpet so that it has an effect of its own. “The concept for the Stone Gallery came from my partner Antolini,” says Huber. It was only completed a few weeks ago.
But the concept also has its price. “One square meter can cost as much as 2,000 euros,” says Huber. With a waste of half the material, you have to think economically, says Huber, who has a degree in business administration.
Surface treatment instead of engineered stone
He answers whether he has ever tried engineered stone: he has, but not a single slab has been sold. “If people have the choice between engineered stone and natural stone, they always choose the original” – at least that’s Huber’s experience.
A new surface for marble from Antolini that makes the material acid-resistant is due to be launched in the summer. Huber is counting on such innovations: “That will move the market!”
It is now eight o’clock in the evening. The sun has already set. “Yesterday we worked until ten,” says Huber. Tomorrow we’ll start again at seven in the morning. Finally, Huber talks about the “old days”: he comes from a traditional family of stonemasons. His ancestors have been working in the trade since 1860. In 2003, he pulled his father’s company out of insolvency. In the meantime, 14 years have passed and Franz Maximilian Huber provides work for 20 employees. And then he says a rather beautiful sentence: “Every single day I am surprised with new rocks.” You can feel his passion in every single sentence. He’s right: a stone is not just a stone.
You can find out more about Huber Naturstein at huber-naturstein.com.
