Bespoke Marble Kitchen from Italy: How Worldwide Delivery Works

Everything begins with a message. Write to info@michelessi.it, send us a WhatsApp or use the form on our contact page, in English or Italian, from any country. To understand the project we need only a few things:

• Where the kitchen will live: indoors or outdoors, and the city and country of delivery.
• The measurements of the space, even sketched by hand: lengths, heights, and the position of windows, doors, water and gas connections.
• A few photographs of the room as it is today and, if you have them, reference images of what you like.
• Your material preferences: marble, natural stone, Dekton, quartz, or simply a colour.

With these elements we reply with a first proposal and a free quotation. If the project is in Italy we can visit the site; if it is abroad, the work proceeds remotely with the same method, as with our Dubai project.

A marble kitchen is drawn to the millimetre, because stone cannot be trimmed on site like a factory-made cabinet. For distant projects we work with verified measurements, taken on site by you, your architect or the contractor running the job, following our instructions. On more complex sites a template is used: a full-size pattern of the worktop's true footprint.

From those measurements comes the three-dimensional design: the finished kitchen seen from every side, with the position of the island, the sink, the hob, the splashbacks and the sockets. It is the preview that lets you settle every detail before the stone is cut: the thickness of the worktop (typically 2 or 3 cm, or solid blocks for the most sculptural islands), the edge profile, how the stone meets the doors and tall units, the direction of the veining. Revisions are handled remotely, by e-mail or video call; only once the drawing is approved do we move on to the slabs.

Marble is a natural material: two slabs from the same block resemble each other, but they are never identical. That is why choosing the slab is part of the design, not an afterthought. There are three ways to do it:

• In person, at our showroom in Aprilia, among the marbles and natural stones we hold in stock.
• Remotely, with high-resolution photographs of the available slabs and, where useful, samples sent to you.
• By the block, for book-matched projects, where the slabs are laid side by side like the pages of an open book and the vein must run on from one element to the next.

We guide you through marbles such as Calacatta Oro, Statuario, Carrara, Nero Marquina and Verde Alpi, through natural stones, granites, quartzites and travertine, and through engineered surfaces, Dekton, sintered stone and quartz, which echo the look of stone with greater resistance to staining. For a kitchen that will live in a different climate, under desert sun or beside the sea, our advice on materials takes that into account too.

Every Michelessi kitchen is built entirely in our workshop on the Via Pontina, where we have worked stone since 1976. The chosen slabs are squared and cut on CNC cutting centres that transfer the 3D design onto the stone; then the craftsman's hand takes over where the machine cannot go: matching the veins, polishing the edges, cutting the openings for sink and hob, assembling the mitred joints of solid-block islands. The surfaces receive the chosen finish, polished, honed, brushed or bush-hammered, and the protective treatment that guards marble against water and grease.

Before packing, where the project calls for it, the pieces are dry-assembled in the workshop: we check that every element meets its neighbour exactly as drawn, so that there are no surprises on arrival. Read more on our marble craftsmanship page.

A marble slab is heavy and fragile at the same time: it travels well only if it is packed well. For overseas deliveries we prepare:

• Made-to-measure wooden crates, with the pieces standing upright, separated by spacers and protected at the corners, which are the most vulnerable point.
• Numbered pieces that correspond to the installation drawing, so whoever fits the kitchen knows where every element goes.
• Transport and customs documents prepared with the freight forwarder, describing the goods and their Italian origin.

Shipping is by road within Europe and by sea or air for more distant destinations; the method is chosen together according to urgency, volume and destination, and the schedule is set out in the quotation. On arrival we recommend photographing the crates before they are opened, for your own protection.

In Italy the fitting is done by our own team: the same craftsmen who saw the pieces take shape in the workshop come to the site, fit the pieces, seal the joints and hand over a kitchen ready to use.

Abroad, installation is coordinated with the project. Depending on the country and the scale of the work, our technicians can supervise the fitting on site or guide the local contractor remotely: we supply the numbered installation drawing, guidance on adhesives, sealants and joints, and stay in touch through the delicate stages. That is how the Dubai project came about: bespoke interiors and exteriors designed and built in Aprilia, then installed in the residence by our own craftsmen.

The process is the same, but the stone has to answer to different conditions.

Marble is calcium carbonate and acids dull its surface: indoors we recommend the protective treatment, while outdoors we often prefer granites, quartzites and sintered stone, which fear neither frost nor sun.

Can you make a marble kitchen without coming to measure our home?

Yes. For projects abroad we work with measurements taken by you, your architect or the contractor, following our instructions, and with a template of the worktop for more complex sites. The 3D design and its revisions are handled remotely, and the stone is cut only once the drawing is approved.

Is marble suitable for an outdoor kitchen?

Marble outdoors must be chosen and treated with care, because it is sensitive to acids and frost. For gardens, terraces and poolsides we often propose granite, quartzite and sintered stone, with barbecues and ovens in refractory stone; marble remains an option for sheltered surfaces or for those who welcome its natural patina.

Who installs the kitchen abroad?

In Italy our own team does the fitting. Abroad, installation is coordinated with the project: our technicians can supervise the work on site or guide the local contractor with the numbered installation drawing and instructions, as in the Dubai project.

How do you look after a marble kitchen worktop?

With water and a neutral cleaner, wiping up spills straight away, especially lemon, wine, vinegar and coffee. The protective treatment applied in the workshop should be renewed over time; with this care a marble worktop ages gracefully and can be re-polished.

If you are picturing a marble kitchen built in Italy for your home, wherever it may be, write to info@michelessi.it, call +39 06 9275383 or message us on WhatsApp at +39 327 4764044: we will reply with a first idea and a free quotation. We have practised this craft in Aprilia since 1976; our contact page gives the showroom address.