5 terrazzo ideas to spruce up your home with an old vintage flair

Introducing a unique texture to a space, terrazzo transforms to incorporate the old-world charm into your home.

30 July 2024

Traced back by almost 500 years, the origin of terrazzo ideas lies in the innovation of mosaic workers. Terrazzo is generally defined as a composite material which has been poured in-situ or precast as tiles. Traditionally, amongst the memories of people, terrazzo is defined as a material withholding the charm of century old mansions or ancient properties that have been passed down through generations. In the contemporary time, such nostalgia is evoked through the usage of terrazzo in multiple forms and media. Bringing back this Art Deco material, these terrazzo ideas can infuse your home with that old vintage flair.

A Textural Envelope

A view of the dining room as seen from the living room. The original terrazzo flooring has been restored all over the home.

Suryan and Dang

The rug in the room is by Humminghaus with black modernist lines running through it, anchoring the stark white traditional gaddis with bolsters.

Suryan and Dang

An alternative to the tactility of fabric and the ruggedness of stone, terrazzo is a medium of visual texture throughout a space. In this Ahmedabad home restored by AD100 architect Kunal Shah, the original terrazzo flooring home has been restored and maintained to lend the space its original characteristic. Enveloping the breadth of the space, terrazzo tiles spread a chaotic murmur across the home. Terrazzo also acts as a contrasting element to plain and classic facets like the simple furniture and fabrics throughout the home. Except for parts where it was too damaged, the home has retained the nostalgic charm of its original terrazzo floors.

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Terrazzo + Teak

A view of the Rameshwar Broota in the entrance gallery, while seated in the living room. The use of terrazzo and teak for the flooring divides the space. On the walls, custom Jotun Paint colours.

Suryan and Dang

Details of the flooring, which consists of hand-poured terrazzo and teak wood.

Suryan and Dang

The stunning terrazzo floor was specially-poured in this art collector’s Delhi home. Designed by AD100 architecture firm Studio Pomegranate, this house is centred on the home owner’s extensive art collection. The stellar combination of the texture of terrazzo and richness of teak wood as the flooring enhances the utility of the space towards highlighting the artworks. With sleek corners and curvilinear boundaries, the materials interplay at various spaces in the house and demarcate areas of movement and stillness. The innate movement within the terrazzo allows for a guide to the various spaces in the house, while the stillness of the teak allows for moments of pause and wonder amongst the artworks on display. Lastly, the ingenuity of incorporating the teak doubles up as a warm respite for the feet during the cold winter months.

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Terrazzo Details

The black and white terrazzo breakfast table is by KalingaStone — a stunning seater and a conversation starter in the kitchen.

Ishita Sitwala

Terrazzo stairs lend a Spartan atmosphere to the space.

Niveditaa Gupta

Lending a spartan atmosphere to the space, this Bharuch home designed by AD100 architect Samira Rathod utilises terrazzo in a rather unusual style. The combination of cement and terrazzo flooring extends to the stark grey staircase inside the house. The raw capacity of such a material transforms and transfuses the visual language of the space through a material sense. In another instance, contrasting black and white terrazzo deals for a conversation starter when designed as a breakfast table at this Surat home. Designed by The Company of Design, this table is a standout element amongst the tonal variety in the kitchen. Terrazzo can be utilised as accent materials that cater either to a material harmony, or a material highlight.

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Coloured Terrazzo

A landscape painting from the family’s collection accompanies an intricately carved coffee table and vintage armchair in the living room.

Kuber Shah

Maroon-red terrazzo flooring adds warmth to the space.

Kuber Shah

A momentary departure from the classic terrazzo floors, this heritage home in Panchgani designed by Oll Korrect Design Studio features a rather striking maroon-red terrazzo floor. The concoction of red, white, and black terrazzo chips blends seamlessly as a heritage colonial styled element. Its charming cottage-style warmth begins as a wonderful driving force for the design of the rest of the house. Paired with materials engaging a vintage aura to the space, a striking coloured terrazzo floor adds depth to this heritage home’s creative vision. It is infiltrated and supported with pieces from the family’s personal collection such as a chinoiserie bookshelf, a landscape painting, and much more.

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Larger Chips

In addition to the flooring, in the kitchen and dining area, the breakfast counter in terrazzo and oxide was designed by Studio Motley.

Murtaza K Gandhi

On the TV console designed by Studio Motley is a Paresh Hazra painting.

Murtaza K Gandhi

The boldness of larger chips in terrazzo floors can serve as a focal element in a home’s main living spaces. In this Bengaluru apartment designed by Studio Motley, a terrazzo flooring with large rectangular chips populates the major living area of the space: the main living room. Sporting as a replacement of a rug, the patterned floor allows for demarcation of the space from the rest of the surrounding areas. It doubles as a highlighted characteristic whereas the surrounding areas feature a plain flooring. This allows for a visual transition from the main living room as well as a locomotory flow.