Can be used for countertops, wall decor, and even improving your home’s Fengshui.
If there’s one thing that building material supplier Hafary is known for amongst many Singapore homeowners, it’s its eye-catching ceramic tiles, which have found their way into many a gorgeous local abode (such as this all-green Redhill HDB flat flat or this XL-sized Yishun flat).
What you might not know about Hafary, however, is that they’re also retailers of natural stones that have been processed for use in homes – including favourites, like amethyst, rose quartz, and even retro green marble.
A rainforest green marble slab, perfect for the retro 'kopitiam' look.
While samples of these natural stones are available at the recently-expanded Hafary Gallery at Eunos, Hafary also has a less-known, ‘by-appointment-basis’ showroom/warehouse in Sungei Kadut where you can view and purchase entire slabs in-person.
But to get there, visitors will first have to travel to the (far) northern reaches of Singapore – which is why we booked a trip to The Stone Gallery to show you the way!
Getting to The Stone Gallery by Hafary at Sungei Kadut Street 2
Hafary’s natural stone warehouse, which also houses The Stone Gallery (as well as The Stickies Bar ), is located at 18 Sungei Kadut Street 2 and it’s accessible by car OR a 10 minute walk from bus stop 49021 located along Sungei Kadut Street 1.
Hafary’s warehouse at Sungei Kadut. Look out for the huge logo.
The entrance to passenger lift 3.
Once there, you’ll want to head left and locate the nondescript door to passenger lift 3 by following the paper signs on the walls (see why we call this showroom ‘secret’?). After that, go up to level 7 where you’ll be greeted by the entrance to The Stone Gallery, along with all the air-conditioned relief you could hope for.
Go past the front doors and you’ll find yourself at your destination!
What can you expect to find inside The Stone Gallery?
Inside, the Stone Gallery can be divided into three mini-galleries, each dedicated to natural stone products from an Italian manufacturer; these brands include 1) Petra Antiqua, 2) Salvatori, as well as 3) Antolini.
Homeowners who are looking for ways to jazz up their homes with geometrical patterns and raised 3D textures will want to check out the natural stone slabs at the Petra Antiqua section.
According to Wee Geck Ying, a Senior Business Development Manager at Hafary (who also guided us through the showroom), Petra Antiqua stone finishes are designed to “challenge the idea that stone is a rigid material” – which is why you’ll find numerous slabs carved with organic patterns, like waves and curves, in this part of The Stone Gallery.
The Petra Antiqua section.
Also on display here are surface coverings that fall under Petra Antiqua’s Surfaces collection; these natural stone tiles come in all sorts of textures, colours, patinas and finishings, including silver and gold plating (yes, the real deal).
One thing to take note, however, is that like most of the items on display in The Stone Gallery, Petra Antiqua’s offerings have to be indented from Italy; meaning that it’ll take some time (“by my very rough estimate, about 2-3 months, depending on availability” says Geck Ying) for them to arrive in Singapore after Hafary has put in an order.
Aqua natural stone from Petra Antiqua’s Hedonism collection (left) as well as its soothing, wavelike curves and botanical patterns (right).
Like Petra Antiqua, Salvatori is another noteworthy Italian brand whose natural stone tile and slabs have found their way into this part of Sungei Kadut. Their company focus, though, is somewhat different from its counterparts, explains Geck Ying.
“Salvatori is very sustainability-focused and they have products that are made from (natural stone) off-cuts. So what happens is that they’ll take unwanted pieces from different batches, and put them together to create new patterns.”
The Salvatori section with its Lithoverde feature wall.
One such green product that you can find mounted on a desk-adjoining wall in the Salvatori section is Lithoverde®, which is comprised of 99% off-cuts and 1% resin binder. Due to the upcycling process involved in Lithoverde®’s manufacture, each piece is also one-of-a-kind, making them unique surface coverings for any interior designer to work with.
Raw in Silk Georgette stone tiles (left) and Fontane Bianche wall hooks (right) from Salvatori.
As an award-winning brand, Salvatori too collaborates with creatives to push the boundaries of designing with natural stone. Two such products arising from this synergy are the Raw in Silk Georgette stone tiles and Fontane Bianche wall hooks – both of which are on display in The Stone Gallery.
The former, created with the help of Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni, translates the ruggedness of hewn wood into stone through life-like grains. Meanwhile, the latter by Elisa Ossino are elegant, jointless home accessories, whose pure forms are emphasised by the fact that they’re each carved from a single chunk of marble.
The Antolini section.
Moving to the space closest to The Stone Gallery’s entrance, it’s where you’ll find beautiful slabs made from semi-precious gems by Antolini, another Italian brand whose natural stone products are imported and sold locally by Hafary.
Close-ups of Antolini’s blue agate and amethyst slabs.
Here, Antolini slabs are back-lit in a dark environment to showcase every single natural detail (read: veins, streaks, and deposits) visible to the naked eye, making a visit to this section an unforgettable visual experience for any gem enthusiast.
Hafary’s Antolini-dedicated warehouse – what awaits inside?
The (now not-so) secret entrance to the Antolini warehouse.
Owing to the exclusivity of Antolini’s gemstone and natural stone products, Hafary has an entire warehouse section that’s dedicated to storing and displaying the brand’s slabs.
And to visit it, one has to 1) be accompanied by a Hafary staff member (for safety reasons) and 2) locate the concealed entrance to the Antolini warehouse: a pair of sliding doors with mirrored panels that blend almost perfectly with the gilded wall that they’re built into.
Once you’ve made your way into the Antolini warehouse, you’ll immediately be greeted by jumbo displays of bookmatched marble that are approximately 6 metres tall, along with rows and rows of natural stone slabs in almost every imaginable colour.
Vibrant hues and myriad patterns aside, what makes these slabs special is Antolini’s manufacturing process, which sometimes quite literally, capitalises on cutting-edge technology.
One of them, we were told by Geck Ying, is the Antolini Vacuum Process (AVP).
“AVP is a revolutionary strengthening process developed by Antolini that’s exclusive to the brand. Essentially, it strengthens the stones with special resins of the highest quality so that they can be used as a tabletop or as a feature wall. Otherwise, they’d be too fragile to even be cut into slabs,” she says.
Select Antolini slabs are also treated with Azerobact®plus, a bacteriostatic treatment that gives anti-bacterial properties to natural stones without affecting their colours or texture.
Luminous green Amazonite Top slabs from Antolini.
Walk to the farthest end of the Antolini-dedicated warehouse, and you’ll find yourself standing in front of a (very long, but non-exhaustive) display wall featuring almost every natural stone option the brand has to offer.
The Antolini natural stone sample display wall.
And as a testament to the customisability of Antolini slabs, every display column showcases the same natural stone in three different surface finishes: polished (glossy), lether (matte), and hydro (hydro-jetted), each of which possesses different colour intensity and texture.
Yet another warehouse – but for Hafary-sourced natural stones only!
The less-secretive entrance to the warehouse for Hafary-sourced natural stones.
In addition to products from Petra Antiqua, Salvatori, and Antolini, Hafary also has a massive selection of natural stones, which are sourced from numerous countries including Italy, Turkey, Portugal, Egypt and China, to name a few.
Housed within another warehouse separated from the rest of The Stone Gallery (this time, by a pair of regular sliding doors), what awaits visitors is an estimated 80,000 square metres worth of natural stone slabs – a staggering amount that’s enough to cover approximately six hundred 3-room BTO flats!
Overhead cranes assist with the slab viewing process.
It’s also in this space where slabs are shown to their prospective buyers. Overhead cranes are used to hoist individual slabs to an empty area in the centre of the warehouse where homeowners can get up close and personal with their natural stones of choice.
Alternatively, with the company of a Hafary staff member, they’re free to take a trip around different parts of the warehouse – one of which is purely dedicated to white/neutral-coloured marble slabs (“Because Singaporeans love them,” says Geck Ying).
Raw cuts of white marble, which have their own dedicated warehouse section.
A polished Orange Onyx Lotus slab from Italy.
However, that isn’t to say there weren’t exotic natural stones with stronger colours present at Hafary’s second warehouse on the day we visited.
Two offerings that caught our eye were respectively the Orange Onyx Lotus slabs, which showcase gradations of orange and white; as well as the dark Metallicus granite slabs and their silvery threads that intermingle with mottles of bronze and black.
A Metallicus polished granite slab from Brazil.
See The Stone Gallery and Hafary’s natural stone warehouses for yourself!
Finally, one reminder that Hafary (and Geck Ying) has for would-be visitors is that even though bookings to The Stone Gallery and its warehouses at 18 Sungei Kadut Street 2 aren’t obligatory, they’re recommended.
“This’ll help us to ensure that there’s a staff member on hand to assist you,” says Geck Ying. “It’s also strongly recommended that you bring along a floor plan or any drawings that your interior designer has provided to make your trip fruitful.”
So, if you’re keen to visit, don’t forget to prepare these items, and book an appointment either by 1) calling The Stone Gallery at +65 6219 3323, 2) dropping an email to thestonegallery@hafary.com.sg, or 3) filling up the enquiry form on Hafary’s homepage!
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