I never gave Terrazzo Floors much thought. I have had a few apartments with them, including one of which was in Barcelona that I absolutely despised. I thought they were messy, chaotic, and, quite frankly, hideous. Then, last year, while were in NY, I walked through the flagship Valentino boutique which is designed by the very talented architect, David Chipperfield, and had my view of terrazzo rocked to the core. “This is terrazzo?” I thought. “No WAY. Really?” I was floored. (Bad, bad pun.) Then more recently I started noticing homes popping up with terrazzo floors that made me wonder what the stuff is made of and is it super expensive to install?
Interestingly enough, terrazzo flooring first became popular when Venetian workers used scraps from upscale jobs to create flooring in their own homes and gardens. They used goat’s milk to bind it all together, but that is one that that has changed for the better.
Terrazzo Flooring typically consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, or glass and is bound together with either cement or a polymeric substance, left to cure, and then polished. It’s considered eco friendly since it uses scraps of natural materials that might otherwise go to waste and because it is long lasting and rarely needs to be replaced.
I have pulled together some of my favorite inspiration which I hope will convince you to give it a second thought, but I’m curious to know what you think and whether you have had terrazzo in your home?
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