Let’s travel back to the 15th century Venice, Italy, where mosaic tile and marble were in high demand. Venetian craftsmen used remnants from construction projects to produce this method of creating patterned flooring. Lately terrazzo has been catching my eye. I’m drawn to the flecks and pops of color against neutrals. I’m specifically liking the pastel palettes. It reminds me of looking at ice cream filled with sprinkles or tasty chunks of chocolate chips.
What is Terrazzo?
Terrazzo is a composite material containing chips of marble, glass, quartz and granite sprinkled throughout. Terrazzo means “terrace” in Italian and dates back more than 500 years in Italian homes and terraces. Workers would toss scrap marble into wet cement, which would later be ground and polished. This was an eco-friendly way of recycling materials gained popularity and eventually made its way to the United States in the 1890s and contributed to the amazing design that came out of the 1920s art deco scene.
Now, you would commonly find terrazzo in countertops and flooring and is still popular today. Lately, I’ve been spotting some fun color combinations!
Here are some cool ways terrazzo is integrated in products.
I came across a neat DIY project from one of my favorite DIYers – Tina Le, where she creates a tray with a terrazzo look-a-like material, jesmonite. She recreates the look and her end result came out really nice! I would like to try this out one day.
Let me know in the comments below if you come across any other fun terrazzo finds!
