Somewhere between high art and a really expensive prank, AMO and Dutch stone supplier SolidNature have decided that your fruit bowl is not pretentious enough. Their solution? A banana carved from onyx and a milk carton sculpted from travertine. Yes, actual stone. No, you cannot eat them.
From Milan with absurdity
The objects started life as part of SolidNature's Il Sonno Supermarket installation during Milan Design Week - a fake stone supermarket that was, by all accounts, exactly as wonderfully unhinged as it sounds. Visitors apparently lost their minds over the pieces (in the best way), and demand was loud enough that SolidNature decided to actually put them up for sale.
The creative studio behind the designs is AMO, the research and design arm of the legendary OMA architecture practice. So yes, there are very serious, very brilliant people who sat down and thought hard about what a milk carton looks like in travertine. We respect the commitment.
Why this is not just a joke (but also kind of is)
Here's the thing - these objects are genuinely beautiful. Travertine has that warm, ancient, Roman-bathhouse energy, and onyx has a translucency that makes the banana look almost edible in good lighting. Almost. They sit right at the crossroads of sculpture, product design, and the kind of decor flex that makes guests stop mid-conversation to say "wait, is that a stone banana?"
Which is, obviously, the entire point.
There's also something quietly clever about taking the most mundane objects in your home - the milk carton, the banana going slightly too ripe on the counter - and rendering them in some of the world's oldest, most luxurious materials. It's a little commentary on consumption, a little Magritte, and a lot of "I have money and taste and also a sense of humor."
The part where we tell you these are not cheap
Per Dezeen's reporting, these are now available through SolidNature following the overwhelming response to the Milan installation. If you were expecting grocery store prices, we regret to inform you that stone onyx bananas do not go on sale two-for-one on Thursdays.
But honestly? As far as conversation starters go, a travertine milk carton beats another succulent. Get one for the person in your life who has everything and also appreciates a very good bit.
