We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
Traditionally found in everything from retro school flooring to palatial columned homes (not to mention much of Memphis design), terrazzo is being reimagined in a mosaic of shapes and colors. Made by mixing stone or glass chips into concrete, the material is then polished to a smooth surface, revealing beauty in the flaws.
Here are three new masters of the material that you need to know, plus the best speckled products on the market to help you bring this trend home.
All That Glitters
Dutch duo Hubert and Elisabeth van Doorne founded Bottle-Up to help reduce glass bottle waste in Zanzibar, where they had spent many vacations. “Our goal was to create products that can be made and sold locally,” says Elisabeth. The couple collaborates with skilled craftspeople on the island, who use a technique similar to terrazzo—mixing leftover glass fragments sourced from nearby bottle factories into white cement. What results are sculptural (and sustainable) pieces that shimmer in the light.
Surface Appeal
Handmade in Los Angeles by husband-and-wife team Ian and Erin Besler, Besler & Sons celebrates everyday objects and utilitarian geometries in candy-hued terrazzo (created by adding vibrant pigments to the cement powder). Ian likens the process to unwrapping a present: “When the cast pieces come out of the molds, they look like regular chunks of concrete. But after a few hours of wet grinding and hand polishing, the colors are revealed and it’s never the same thing twice.”
Handcrafted Heritage
“Terrazzo has been used for centuries by the artisans in my region,” says Alberto Bellamoli. The Italian designer, who produces many of his sought-after terrazzo pieces in Verona (where he was born), opened a studio in Denmark last year. His first collection, Collecta, features his signature Dalmatian-spot pattern. Bellamoli selects stones from the marble quarry, then lets the materials do their thing. “You have the ingredients, but the final results are always slightly out of your control.”
Clockwise from top left:
Le Pli Postal, Papier Tigre, $25 My Terrazza Cushion, ENO Studio, $52 Terrazzo Wallpaper by Ferm Living, Domino shop, $114.99 Terrazzo Pendant Light, Meraki Decoration, $420 Terra Large Table, Normann Copenhagen, $539 After Party Rug by Garth Roberts, CC Tapis, $9,520 Terrazzo Candleholder 2.0, Bakery Studio Shop, $90 Terrazzo Dimple Tray, Zakkia, $89 Primo Terrazzo Tavolini, Another Brand, $283 Terrazzo Pencil by Hay, Nannie Inez, $2.80
See more hot design trends:
Dream Weaver: The Season’s Best Woven Accessories & Decor This ’80s Design Trend Has Made a Major Comeback Trend We’re Loving: Hats That Double As Wall Decor