Why Terrazzo is Back in Style (And How to Bring it to Your Home)

Terrazzo is back in style—not that it ever fully went away. But these days, it’s experiencing something of a resurgence. A big reason is that the world is becoming more and more focused on using environmentally friendly materials—and terrazzo is known for using recycled materials. It’s also become such a trendy choice because it’s just such a beautiful and versatile material. Since it’s available in any number of colors, it’s easy to work into your home’s design.

Want to learn more about this flooring and how you can bring it into your home? Read below, and we’ll show you what you need to know, and we'll also show you why flooring from Terrazzio is the ideal method for bringing this on-trend style to your residence.

A Quick History of Terrazzo Flooring

You can trace the roots of terrazzo flooring all the way back to ancient times and the mosaics that the ancient Egyptians created. However, true terrazzo is a more modern invention that stems from pavimento alla Veneziana (Venetian pavement), which was developed in Italy during the 18th century.

The process for making pavimento alla Veniziana evolved over the years to create the terrazzo that we’re familiar with today. Namely, rather than manually placing marble chips next to each other in a mortar base, the world’s first terrazzo makers started simply mixing marble chips into mortar, then spreading the mixture out to cure so that it could be polished.

By the late 1800s, terrazzo was a popular flooring option in a lot of places—and in the 1890s, it made its way to the United States. However, it didn’t really take off here until the 1920s, when it was used frequently with Art Deco and Moderne building styles.

From there, terrazzo’s popularity grew until the 1960s, when it exploded into the limelight with the construction of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The first Walk of Fame tiles were laid in 1958, and each features a terrazzo star.

Since then, terrazzo has waxed and waned in popularity. While it’s never fully fallen out of favor, always remaining a solid choice for a beautiful floor, these days, it’s trending back to the forefront.

Terrazzo's history highlights one of the key advantages of Terrazzio's line of tile products. Laying a traditional terrazzo floor is a laborious process that requires pouring the mixture onsite, then grinding it down into a flat, smooth flooring. With Terrazzio's products, you get to skip these steps. Terrazzio's flooring comes in large format tiles that give you the same look as poured terrazzo—without the pouring and grinding.

How to Use Terrazzo in Your Home

The sky is virtually the limit when it comes to ways you can use terrazzo in your home. It’s a popular material not just for flooring, but for tiled walls and backsplashes. With Terrazzio tiles and products, commercial installers have been known to create beautiful logos and designs—and that's something you can consider for your home, too. Why not leverage Terrazzio's custom design services to create a patterned backsplash or centerpiece for your floor?

Another advantage to terrazzo is that it's available in any number of colors and color variations. When you’re picking a color palette, think about the color scheme found throughout your home, and use those to match your terrazzo. You can choose between dark or light bases flecked with marble in virtually any color. When you're working with Terrazzio, choose paint chips and samples in your desired colors, and Terrazzio can help you find matrix and background colors to match.

Don’t forget to factor in the size of the markings in the terrazzo you choose. Most commonly, you’ll see terrazzo with smaller flecking, made with finely crushed chunks of marble. However, it is possible to create a really bold look with specialty terrazzo that has a much bigger and bolder pattern due to manufacturers using huge chunks of marble to create a big, bold look.

Don’t Wait! Incorporate Terrazzo Into Your Home Today with Terrazzio Tiles

Terrazzo tiles are a timeless option—one that never fully goes out of style. These days, it’s a trend that is come back in a big way, and that’s in large part because there is so much that you can do with virtually limitless terrazzo colors and patterns. When you choose Terrazzio's products for your project, you'll enjoy not only the timeless look and incredible durability of traditional terrazzo flooring, but also an easy installation process that lets you enjoy your new floors the day after they've been installed.