The Classic Terrazzo – The Old, New and Now!

Art Deco, also known as ‘Style Moderne’, is a movement in decorative arts and architecture that originated in the 1920s and developed into a major style in Western Europe and the United States during the 1930s. Art Deco was one of the most fashionable international design movements in the modern art era, bringing sleek lines and decorative style to architecture, furniture, floorings, jewellery, arts, and many other forms.

In the 1920s, Terrazzo became a popular choice in the United States, in both commercial and residential spaces. Schools, churches, hospitals, homes and airports were quick to adopt terrazzo because of its key features – durability and easy maintenance. With the creation of electrical saws to cut terrazzo in the 1920s, it became convenient to create attractive patterns and schemes for flooring.

Terrazzo carried an image of modern life and progression, colour, playfulness and glamour, the design captivated people everywhere! This material was not only a popular choice in the 1930s but even today it is a very popular material used amongst all interior designers and architects.

Quick to adopt international trends, BFT was already at work, post the Gothic period in the 1930s when the Art deco period ushered in India, making a shift from pattern tiles to plain cement tiles and marble mosaic (Terrazzo) laid in geometric Art Deco style. The vision of Bharat Floorings & Tiles remained unchanged, and the aim of laying unique, custom-designed floors that would combine beauty with strength and durability was met with each completed project. Right from laying the floors of residences of Mumbai's elite to iconic public buildings such as hotels, cinemas, schools, clubs and hospitals, Bharat Floorings and Tiles was undoubtedly deemed the leading tile manufacturing company back then and even today.

Few iconic places where Bharat Tiles’ Terrazzo tiles can be spotted are – Oval Maidan, Dhanraj Mahal, Kamal Mahal and more.

In this article, we take you through our journey over the years with this extremely versatile material!

The Dawn of the Art Deco Floors:

The Terrazzo tile had its origin in India during the art deco period in of Mumbai’s history when Bharat Tiles were installed across the country, but particularly in Bombay residences, cinema, offices and landmark public buildings. The Art Deco style was developed following World War I, offering people a glamorous for a new era. During earlier, colourful tiles in art deco form were popular, but now the use of greys, blacks and whites are in trend.

The Art Deco Floors, the 1930s – 1960s by Bharat Floorings was known for detailed and clear lines, geometric shapes, and were implemented on a surface or attached to a structure. They were made of high-quality marble chips and came in a wide variety of background colours that created stunning floors which were widely appreciated by architects and often covered by the press.

This range is available even today and can be done in 27 colours, with a wide variety of chip options to choose from. The chips are available in Jaisalmer stone, Kadappa, Italian and Indian Marble, Lemon Yellow, Udaipur Green, Agra Red, Snow White and a dazzling range of recycled glass.

Back then, another pattern that was trending within this range was the ‘Tessellated Terrazzo’ floor which was seen in many apartments of those times. We are so excited to see that this range has come full circle and is popular yet again in the design world. Our new showroom conceived by renowned designer Ravi Vazirani incorporates the tessellated terrazzo floor in the reception area using the Classic White chips, Jaisalmer Yellow Stone chips, Baroda Green Stone Chips and small Sicilia Chips over the black base. It imparts a fun, playful vibe adding a charm of its own to this pretty little corner in the reception area.

Premium Terrazzo Floors from the 50s – 70s

The ‘Premium Range’ is one of the most popular, attractive and versatile tiling options available at Bharat Floorings! The Premium Terrazzo contains some expensive materials such as Crème Italian Marble, Verona Red, and Classic White chips and is perfect for those who are looking to create something exclusive. Laid in a mall or a commercial space, this option looks stunning!

The earlier trend was to create a bold pattern with fun and playful colours but in today’s time, ‘simple’ and ‘elegant’ are two words that perfectly describe this classic range. Adding to this, now we also have an option to add brass inlay and LED lights to the terrazzo tiles!

The year 2010 saw the emergence of the Cast-in-Situ Terrazzo floor with a white base and, mixed and semi-precious chips, that instantly upgraded the aesthetics of the space giving it a whole new appeal. This type consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips; sprinkled or un-sprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both. Colours that are more dramatic like yellows, red, green were popular, however, recent trends favour more neutral colours including pastels and lighter tones.

This is an exclusive range, which is an apt choice when looking to create a luxurious space!

Terrazzo Walls

Why do floors have all the fun! Starting from 2016, the Cast- In-Situ application could now be used on walls and floors seamlessly! You also have the option to add brass inlays in quirky, contemporary designs rather than just creating geometric shapes. Another cool way to highlight the look and feel of the space is to embed LED lights. A perfect example of this application is this stunning terrace in a private apartment in Mumbai!

Terrazzo Furniture:

Terrazzo tables tops, large slabs – Magnum, Monolith furniture, terrazzo armchair, two-seater bench, cement objects, cabinet knobs, and anything and everything one can think of can be customized by BFT, as per the client’s requirement. The possibilities with this material are endless, and we love to explore and create something innovative and creative each time.

True art takes time! Customizing your tiles might take some time, but the results never disappoint.

Reinterpretation of trends from the past and making them more contextual to today’s times is very popular amongst designers these days! The transformation from geometric shapes to a uniform style, and subtle colours has taken over the terrazzo tile trend in recent times, to achieve a modern and luxurious look.

At BFT, you also have the option of customization where in you can select different sizes of the glass chips, colours and shapes, not to forget the option of adding any kind of brass inlay and selecting different chip sizes. We at BFT shape ideas into reality! Cement by itself is a good medium for creating surfaces which are long-lasting where customisation is possible with design and colours.

Terrazzo is an everlasting product and will never die, always finding its way back into design world trends in some form or the other. We’ve come a really long way in exploring the potential of this versatile material and can’t wait to experiment with it some more in the near future! Stay tuned…

MUMBAI – HEAD OFFICE
Bharat Floorings & Tiles (Mumbai) Pvt. Ltd
32, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Ground Floor, Next to Stock Exchange, Fort, Mumbai - 400 023
Tel: 91 (22) 4057 4400/23/44
E-mail: info@bharatfloorings.com

Follow us on our Instagram account - @bharatfloorings and Facebook page -
@Bharatflooringsandtiles for more updates!

Come visit us at our stores in Mumbai, Goa, New Delhi, Pune and Bangalore (by appointment)

For more details visit us at – www.bharatfloorings.com