For the past few years, the look of mid-century terrazzo has seen an incredible resurgence in popularity. Today we will look at how this style began and how you can have affordable Terrazzo Floors.
The Origins of Terrazzo
The ancient mosaics inspired terrazzo. Mosaics began in Mesopotamia in the 3rd century BCE. In a mosaic, flooring, a wall treatment, or a piece of art used colored stone, glass, beads, shells, and other interesting items to create a three-dimensional effect. Small, flat, square pieces of these materials were called Tesserae.
What began as awe-inspiring wall-to-wall art in public buildings and places of worship was soon used in private homes.
18th Century Terrazzo
These ancient mosaics eventually evolved into what is sometimes called “Venetian Pavement.” Sometimes marble fragments were placed next to each other in a cement base. Other times, marble chips were mixed into the cement and ground and polished.
Modern Terrazzo
Modern terrazzo was much like the 18th Century version. However, sometimes stone was added rather than marble, and sometimes the base material was epoxy rather than cement. Although terrazzo was introduced to the United States in the late 1890s, it only became popular with Art Deco and Modern Architecture in the 1920s.
Terrazzo Today
Today you can find the colorful design concept of terrazzo in wallpaper, upholstery fabrics, fashion, jewelry, epoxy furniture, countertops, and of course, the classics: walls, floors, and artwork. It is beautiful and timeless.
How You Can Have Terrazzo Floors
At Concrete Coatings of Minnesota, we are experts at making old concrete look like beautiful mid-century terrazzo. We have countless colors to choose from, and the project will only take 24-36 hours. If it is concrete – we can coat it. Contact us today to tell us more about your project!
