Terrazzo tiles: say goodbye to Carrara marble

Terrazzo tiles are coming back: let's explore the flooring trend that's pushing Carrara marble out of our homes in 2018.

If you too love the timeless elegance of Carrara marble, we have bad news: after years of blessing our kitchens with its understated, gray and white class, 2018 is the year when we’ll have to finally wave it goodbye. Look, we’re heartbroken too, but don’t get too sad! We’re sure it will make a comeback in the future, but, in the meantime, we should try having fun with the trend that has chased Carrara away: terrazzo tiles.

Take a look at more terrazzo designs by KTS

Give free reins to your imagination

Terrazzo tiles have a long and honored history: did you know that this style comes all the way from the 18th century Italian pavimento alla veneziana? They’re made with chips of marble, glass, granite, quartz, which makes for their extreme versatility: there’s an almost infinite range of combinations of different stones, minerals and colors to suit everyone’s taste. This is the reason why, after centuries, terrazzo tiles are still being employed all over the world. What’s fascinating about terrazzo-style tiles is that the combination of chips from different materials can create the most fascinating patterns. If you take a close look at this specific tile, for instance, you’ll have the impression of looking at a section of a stratified rocks with the fossilized remains of ancient plants. Wouldn't it look amazing in your home office?

Browse more natural designs by Magban

Intensity

Depending on the mix of chips from different stones and crystals, and on the binding that was used in the mix, you can get quite intensely colored tiles. The terrazzo tiles below, with their flaming red shade, are perfect to style the floor of an elegant staircase; moreover, a material like that could be even used to complete other home décor pieces, like interior balustrades or columns. In fact, try entering an old Venetian palace, or cathedral, if you have the chance: you’ll notice that terrazzo has been employed to style many architectural elements.

Take a peek here if you haven't checked out KTS yet!

Brightness

Some styles of terrazzo tiles are perfect if you’re looking to brighten up an otherwise dark room. A floor tile like this one, for example, plays with the contrast between the base color, a bright gold, and the irregular touch of darker, richer tones, like dark green and burnt caramel. Because of the interplay between these almost opposite shades, this tile will never look vulgarly bright or too extreme. An original idea: why not use it for your bathroom? It would make for great chromotherapy in the morning: shall we bet you won’t need to drink coffee to wake up anymore?

We're in love with Davil Travertini's designs, aren't you?

A neutral choice

By now, you should have gotten an idea of why it is so easy to get addicted to terrazzo: it works everywhere! The tiles we’ve been looking at so far are quite bold: they’re either very bright and colorful, or they consist of considerably big fragments of rocks and minerals. But in reality, if you need a more sober look for you floors, you’re more than free to choose a terrazzo like the one pictured below. It employs neutral shades like beige and gray, which make it perfect for a classic-looking kitchen with brown or white furniture; at the same time, tiny inserts of black and white chips make sure it will never look repetitive and boring. Tip: this particular style of terrazzo tiles is perfect for kitchens. Why? Well, if you enjoy cooking, you know very well how often crumbles end up on the floor, or how often that soup or sauce you’re preparing squirts out of the pot and spots the tiles. The big advantage of this kind of flooring is that you’ll never notice any spots! We’re not giving you an excuse not to clean, but it’s good to know that you won’t have to worry too much about cleaning up the floor immediately.

Check out some more neutral terrazzo styles by Grupimar here

Terrazzo, terrazzo everywhere

As we were saying, terrazzo flooring (and terrazzo-style surfaces in general) can be perfect for almost any context. We’ve just suggested using a bright-colored tile for your bathroom; but you can also choose terrazzo to style kitchen and bathroom countertops, as well as dining room tables and living rooms cabinets. If you decide to employ terrazzo this way, our suggestion is to pair it with a warmer and natural material, such as opaque wood! The interplay between shiny terrazzo and opaque wood will make any room immediately more interesting and appealing.

Need some more classy bathroom ideas? Check out Santa Margherita!