Origin Stories
Derived from the Italian word meaning ‘terrace’, terrazzo has its origins buried at least as deep as Ancient Rome, where it took the form of a composite material created as a means of using stone chips that would otherwise represent a wasted resource. Embedded into clay or lime-based cement, the stones were set in place, cured and then polished smooth – destined for use as a flooring material that couldn’t help but be as decorative as it was durable.
With even earlier embryonic appearances in BC era Greece – in the form of pebbles polished smooth in river streams used to create mosaic-style floors – and via pitstops in 12th century Islamic architecture, terrazzo had a significant resurgence in interest during the Renaissance era, notably in and around Venice where there was a plentiful supply of stone chips available as a result of the construction taking place at that time.
Craftsmen known as ‘terrazzieri’, became skilled in the art, design and craft of creating this man-made, inherently uniquely patterned surface, and the material has been associated ever since with the creative arts of this famous floating city.
A US Golden Era: Art Deco Style
The 1920s marked the beginning of a new wave of terrazzo style and application – especially in the US, where it became widely associated with the art deco architecture of the period and was a typical flooring choice for high profile buildings and publicly accessible spaces – from landmark skyscrapers, through Hollywood walkways, to schools, hospitals and government buildings. It had the advantage of being cheap, easy to install, resilient, and attractive as a flooring choice for high traffic areas.
From the time of its introduction to the US in the 1890’s to the peak of its golden era in the 1920’s and ‘30’s, thousands of terrazzieri carried their skills and their cultural hinterland to America. The material became as embedded in the American architectural psyche as the Italian cultural heritage that travelled with it and its immigrant workforce – the latter enticed by the promise embodied by Lady Liberty – of America as a melting pot of global culture and the land of the free.
Sadly, terrazzo eventually fell foul of mid-century preferences for even cheaper, easier flooring materials – linoleum and carpet among the main players – and fell out of fashion and favour – at least for a while.
Contemporary Relevance and Style
In recent years, there has been a renewal in interest in terrazzo – centred as much on domestic interiors as public space and as much on countertops and wall surfacing as on floors. Its appeal perhaps a result of a growing taste for glamour and exuberance – as in the 1930’s – marking a counterpoint to economically anxious times, or maybe as a material particularly suited to the planetary concerns of the day, as we search out materials that actively help convert ‘waste’ into forms that add new value.
Either way, terrazzo has developed as a contemporarily relevant and design-forward material, and is available in a variety of forms and finishes – for application as flooring, cladding and in furniture construction. It can be created using traditional or industrialised methods: either as traditionally poured cement bases embedded with stone chips or other forms of aggregate and set and finished in place, or as precast or decorated engineered slabs, or cut-to-fit tile – in finishes that are polished, honed or textured. Its patterning ranges from the uniquely embedded to the repeatably engineered and, depending on the base material employed, it may be suited to indoor or outdoor use (UV resistance as much as durability a factor in the suitability for any given area).
Wherever your preference might lie on the spectrum between the purity of a traditional form and the exuberant joie-de vivre of a modern print, a variety of priorities and preferences exist that we are happy to explore with you if your taste tends towards ‘terrazzo’.
