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Top Five Interior Design Trends with Terrazzo 2019

Terrazzo toilet partitions

The new year has just started, and new projects are coming through. It’s time we give the top five trends for designing your home or office space with Terrazzo flooring and partitions that will get the most thumbs up this year.

Connect with Nature  

There will surely be more greens and plants indoors this year, and it is best to adopt this trend and experiment with the wide array of plants that can be used for your indoor theme. For the busy, high-traffic spaces, best to put in low-maintenance indoor plants such as a Bonsai tree, Pothos, Iron Plants, Succulents, Snake plants, or the lucky Bamboo. Putting greens against light-colored Terrazzo marble tiles will light up a room instantly, appearing vibrant and brighter with stark contrasts all around.  If the flooring has already been laid out and decided, one can also use terrazzo pots for plants.

Responsible and Sustainable  

As awareness increases about sustainable practices in design, more clients are ensuring their visions for interior design are executed in the most environmental-friendly approach, as much as possible. With the least carbon footprint and polluting by-products, designs considering the environment’s status is surely a hit this year. From incorporating energy-efficient lighting, to sourcing natural and renewable resources such as bamboo or natural stones, employing the most responsible practices is marked “hot” and classy this year.  

Femme Rules  

Feminine colors are taking over. Even the most sophisticated spaced which only used to have greys, whites, and blacks will level up using femme colors, tones, and softer elements. Terrazzo marble for flooring will definitely match elegantly with light tones. Rose colored walls would match with pearl white and light grey Terrazzo colors. Or even smaller elements such as gold and white terrazzo kitchen countertops will bring out the femme glam of spaces.

Maximal Vs. Minimal Art 

Minimalist art is slowly taking a backseat this year to give way to vivid, vibrant, concrete, and maximalist art pieces. Spaces will be revived with art pieces that has bold details and colors. This will be matched with smaller pieces such as floor lamps and throw pillows that will take color cues from the same center art piece for the room. Terrazzo’s simple and subtle tones will allow these colors to pop in the room.

Wallpapers  

Plain walls are also going to be obsolete and out this year. Wallpapers are back and will revive the classic and playful era of shapes and patterns. Designers will have more options for wallpapers now, given the capacity to customize and print designs on-demand, unlike in the earlier decades where wall-papers are usually off-the-shelf and limiting.

Maximizing Terrazzo partitions and flooring with these trends will be a smart choice for your home or office space. Talk to Terrazzo Australian Marble today to get the best Terrazzo recommendations for your design vision.

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Integrating Terrazzo with Permeable Pavements for Urban Design

National Portrait Gallery Canberra – Supply and installed external paving.
National Portrait Gallery Canberra – Supply and installed external paving.

Sustainable design continues to take center stage in 2019 for building physical objects and creating spaces. Practitioners in urban development are accelerating in adopting materials that have minimal environmental impact, if not eliminating negative effects, from sourcing to polishing. The root is not solely on acquiring and using the materials, but the bigger weight is put on design. Whether it be terrazzo, wood, or asphalt, the materials’ components and structure would be useless if the design does not put its strengths into play.  

Across the globe, sustainable outdoor and urban designs are being highly incentivised by the government to encourage local public and private entities to push the standards higher when creating infrastructure and construction projects. One of the most common upgrades to urban space is the reconstruction and redesign of walkways and pavements to answer several challenges brought about by natural elements (e.g. heavy rainfall causing floods) or human requirements (e.g. safer and more accessible walkways for persons with disabilities). In Australia, a Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) approach is the lead practice to ensure urban water cycle and water supplies are integrated into urban design to achieve minimal damage, improve aesthetics, and overall appeal of the space.  

This approach, when applied to pavement and sidewalk design, continues to use permeable (or porous) pavements among other materials.

Terrazzo Pavers

Why Permeable Pavements 

In urban development groups, permeable pavements have been known for more than three decades. It is used as an alternative to more common materials such as cement or asphalt. It is mostly used as part of an overall water management strategy. It helps manage stormwater and other urban water surplus by allowing water to drip through it into the soil. Given that this material answers several environmental benefits, the challenge for urban designers is to use this material and still execute a design objective.

Design and Functionality 

Identifying materials that can withstand and function perfectly with outdoor elements may seem easy for urban developers. But when faced with design challenges, many find it challenging to find other elements that may complement the functional strengths of permeable pavements. This is where terrazzo comes in. With flexibility in terms of colors and finish, Terrazzo becomes the ideal element to complement permeable pavements. Whether it is having cohesive patterns running through street walkways or creating functional elements such as benches and counter tops, Terrazzo will surely be an element of choice to put urban design visions into reality while keeping sustainable design practices in check through permeable pavements.

Timeless design leaves lasting impact. Combining elements which are highly functional, sustainable, and aesthetically sound creates livable spaces for generations to enjoy. To know more about Terrazzo and how it can be integrated with outdoor designs which also maximize permeable pavements, talk to Terrazzo Australian Marble today.

 

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Choosing The Right Flooring For Your Medium-Sized Office

Photo credits: http://www.floorcareuk.com/terrazzo-floors

Designing the office space can be one of the most interesting tasks given to an individual or an ad-hoc group in the office. While there are many companies who can afford to pay interior designers, not all small to medium-sized businesses can do. One of the starting and most visible elements in an office space would be the flooring. Be it a fully-carpeted work area or terrazzo marble customized with the company’s logo, the individual deciding on this matter should use some guidelines as to what would be the best flooring for an office space.

Clarify the nature of work to be done on the space

Offices can have several departments with several functions. It is important to have clarity as to the function of the department that will use the space. If the department requires a lot of focus where people are usually seated on their chairs without much mobility (e.g. Finance department), it may be best to have a light and bright ambiance. Having light colored and plain carpets could be good but the maintenance may be a challenge. Terrazzo can be another best option since one can customize the colors without looking too plain. Otherwise, for high foot traffic spaces, it is best to stick with flooring that is generally non-slip and easy to maintain — like plain, smoothly finished concrete.

Divide the space

Dividing the space means maximizing different flooring options for the different areas of the office. Terrazzo marble can be used at the lobby or reception to bring out an elegant and welcoming vibe to the space. Terrazzo tiles can also be used in the pantry or cafeteria as this is easy to maintain and clean. Carpets can be used for meeting rooms and work areas. While it may seem costly to use several flooring materials for a single office space, this investment should be considered as this does have an effect in the general moods and attitudes of workers towards their tasks throughout the day. Separating the cafeteria or pantry from the workstations can give a feeling of relaxation or “break” from work, if done correctly.

Start with the simple office furniture

A common roadblock for office design is choosing (and buying in bulk) office furniture pieces that compliment the flooring. There’s an “ahah” moment when those designing the space later on realize that they should’ve considered planning the furniture during the design phase too, and not just look for furniture AFTER the construction has been done. If one gets to the buying of furniture much later and finds trouble selecting the best pieces, the most basic rule is to start simple. Buying the most extravagant ergonomic swivel chairs which suddenly does not “properly” roll on carpeted floors will be a painful and expensive mistake. Ideally, buy the simple pieces first and identify if it matches and FUNCTIONS WELL with the flooring.

There are other ways to maximize different flooring materials for different office space requirements. It would be best to consult the Terrazzo Marble experts to recommend the best types for your flooring needs.

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Greys and Marbles: Minimalist Glam using Terrazzo Precast

terrazzo

Grey is a safe color – an absence of the color spectrum, yet with a tinge of black and white and some hues of deep tints. Some may say that grey is an anonymous color. But in an article by Kyle Chayka of Racked emphasized Grey as still a color that can define characteristics and even an identity. In the article, it says “Sameness of color, whatever the color, creates solidarity; a collective identity within a group.”  

In today’s interior design practice, grey is treated as the base color that can be expanded by adding different elements and colors. Combining it with the pearl or ceramic white and swirls of glossy grey present in marble brings out a glamorous look that many designers employ. This glamorous grey look can be carried out with Terrazzo Precast.

  • Toilet and Bath lather with gold – Adding a tinge of gold, either on the terrazzo precast grey color or to the details such as the faucet or shower heads accentuates and complements the grey perfectly. Other smaller details such as the door handles or the curtain rods can also be made in gold. These details will surely pop against the terrazzo tiles or marble.  
  • Kitchen beam with white – To complement with grey and marble in the kitchen, the ideal elements to incorporate are white ceramics and white furniture. This brings a neat finish which is always a plus for any kitchen. White connotes hygiene and  cleanliness which rightfully represents the kitchen and food preparation areas of a home. 
  • Living room class with glass – To reinforce class and sophistication, glass fixtures are ideal elements to match grey Terrazzo Precast and marble flooring. It illuminates the room especially if windows are part of the design, allowing natural light to bounce of mirrors, and shine on the subtle grey and marble flooring.

There are other approaches to glam up a space with Terrazzo precast. Consult Terrazzo Australian Marble for implementation solutions today. 

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One Level Up On Solo Living Using Terrazzo

terrazzo australia marble

A big step for a young professional is moving out of a common house – either the parents’ home or a room shared with friends, to a more independent lifestyle. Getting one’s place can be a little tricky especially when one wishes to live a lifestyle that suits the daily routine of work while incorporating some elements of play in the space. Terrazzo Australian Marble has been redefining spaces with their top-grade terrazzo tiles, giving every square foot a personality. Here’s how terrazzo can push solo living one level up from the common designs young professionals usually see and get in their first pad.  

  • Kitchen top dress up

One of the changes in lifestyle for young professionals living alone would be having to spend some time in the kitchen to prepare their meals. Getting the right “feel” for the kitchen makes this chore an exciting one. Precast Terrazzo can be the material of choice to dress up the kitchen top while making it easy to maintain.  

  • Flooring sections to divide space

Given the continuous rising property value not just in Australia but globally, young professionals are sometimes limited to a small space for their first attempt in solo living. Using terrazzo tiles to divide the floor area into functional spaces is an approach used by many interior designers. Dividing the workspace from the living room helps these young professionals set the mood for work, especially these days when people are allowed the flexibility to work from home. Dividing space can also set the mind up for the tasks needed to be accomplished.  

  • Toilet and Bath with personality

For some young professionals, this area of the home may be seen as a basic necessity space which don’t need any dressing up. This is far from the truth. The toilet and bath area can be with personality by simply switching to the right colors of terrazzo tiles. With a luxurious finish and an array of colors to choose from, this flooring and wall material can make this basic space a kickstarter for the young professional’s mood for the day.  

Matching with the right furniture and lighting, Terrazzo can be a that piece of the interior design that’s worth investing in. Maintenance is easy while durability is unquestionable, characteristics that would surely benefit the young professional who’s establishing his lifestyle through solo living.