Terrazzo Flooring: How Eco Outdoor Revives the Original Circular Material for Sustainable Design

When you walk into a room with a terrazzo floor there’s an immediate shift in energy. You can feel the storied past. You can see it in the fragments, remnants of terracotta, and even recycled glass. Where other materials hide its history, terrazzo celebrates it. And architects and homeowners are finally rethinking what it means to live with materials that last and make beauty out of what we’d otherwise throw away.

Rammed-earth homes are drawing attention for their ability to turn raw earth into thermal mass walls that endure for centuries. Rice husk boards are becoming more popular as a wood alternative made from agricultural waste. And reclaimed timbers and vintage stone are becoming the definition of timeless style, precisely because they wear their imperfections openly. So terrazzo sits comfortably in this family of circular materials, a centuries-old practice that feels more relevant with every sustainability conversation.

(Jonathon Griggs/Eco Outdoor)

Eco Outdoor, an Australian-founded company whose innovative terrazzo range has continued to push the narrative of circular design forward. In a conversation with LA Times Studios, Ben Kerr, Founding CEO and Product Innovator at Eco Outdoor, details terrazzo’s enduring appeal, technical evolution, and why this centuries-old material is suddenly one of the most relevant choices in modern design.

“At Eco Outdoor, we celebrate the beauty in imperfection,” Kerr said when asked how Eco Outdoor uses terrazzo to showcase circular design in residential projects. “As such, we design materials with uniquely distinct angles. Our ‘In situ’ terrazzo range was the beginning of our terrazzo story. In this collection, we use the offcuts, or ‘unloved’ parts of expensive and highly desirable materials, to create new flooring formats. We then repeat the process using any wasted material from production to transform the irregularly shaped tiles into beautiful flooring formats with smooth finished textures. By using leftover pieces, we give them a new life.”

That philosophy isn’t just poetic but practical. The stone industry produces millions of tons of waste annually. Much of it is perfectly sound material but often not the “right” dimension. Eco Outdoor’s In Situ embraces that irregularity.

The result is flooring that’s both visually captivating and ethically resonant. Each tile carries a small victory against waste, reminding homeowners that responsible design doesn’t have to be austere.

Eco Outdoor describes their use of terrazzo as “raw in finish, modular in format, and designed for open living.” That modularity makes it especially versatile. In a world where seamless indoor-outdoor living is becoming the gold standard. From kitchens that spill onto patios to living rooms that open directly into gardens….terrazzo’s ability to run fluidly across thresholds gives it a distinct advantage. Its durability means it can handle weather outside while still delivering polish indoors.

When homeowners ask how best to incorporate terrazzo into a remodel, Kerr suggests thinking boldly.

“Terrazzo is a top choice among homeowners who want to make a design statement. Usually in the form of big gestures like flooring. Manufacturers will often ship product for large-scale home projects in crates, reducing the amount of material left behind from the production process. Our motto is, ‘If you want to use unloved materials, use enough to make a dent in the problem.’”

Terrazzo and the Evolution of Circular Design

This isn’t terrazzo as a passing accent. This is terrazzo as an architectural anchor. Think floors, staircases, and expansive countertops. Surfaces where the material’s resilience and monolithic pattern can truly shine.

(Jonathon Griggs/ Eco Outdoor )

Floors, in particular, make sense from a longevity standpoint. A single, well-installed terrazzo floor can easily last the life of the building. Compare that to synthetic alternatives demanding replacement every decade, and the case for terrazzo’s sustainability becomes undeniable. It’s a “forever” floor.

Terrazzo is, in many ways, the original circular material. Its history stretches back to 15th-century Venetian workers embedding marble scraps into a lime or clay binder. An affordable solution born from resourcefulness. (They even used goat’s milk as the first sealer to bring out the stone’s color). Five hundred years later, the principle is unchanged: turn fragments into something cohesive.

But the modern twist is all about innovation in the binder and the aggregate. Early terrazzo was cementitious, but today’s high-performance versions often use epoxy resin binders, which are more durable and offer a wider color range. And the aggregate is no longer just marble. We now see recycled glass, reclaimed stone, mother-of-pearl, and even industrial byproducts. Eco Outdoor’s approach echoes this tradition while leaning into a contemporary aesthetic. They mix terrazzo with natural stone and terracotta to create palettes that feel both ancient and fresh.

“Terrazzo is a material that has been around for hundreds of years, yet it continues to evolve globally. As designers create new applications for the material, suppliers continue to innovate with raw material, blending various components together to create something strikingly bold. Most recently, terrazzo mixed with other mediums like natural stone and terracotta has surged in demand, bringing a range of new vibrant and playful colors to the design world.”

That openness to mixing reflects broader design trends. After years of minimalism, people are gravitating toward materials that bring texture and life into a space. The shift echoes the renewed embrace of reclaimed decor—where aged wood and storied ceramics are favored not because they’re perfect, but because they feel lived in. Terrazzo, with its almost infinite combination of aggregates, fits the moment perfectly.

Where Terrazzo Makes the Most Impact

With so many applications, where does terrazzo sing the loudest? For Kerr, the answer is clear.

“Using terrazzo in a home’s main entryway effectively sets a confident tone for owners and their guests when they first arrive. Unlike the neutral effect of natural stone materials like travertine or limestone, terrazzo is designed to stand out, both in color and pattern. As a ‘hero’ material, terrazzo adds a layer of vibrancy that becomes the focal point of a home environment. When mixed with limestone, terrazzo can also add a fun and inspirational pop of color to any bathroom setting.”

The entryway is a threshold. A terrazzo floor there doesn’t just withstand the scuffs of daily life but can share the homeowner’s values. It says: this is a house that celebrates materiality and invests in surfaces designed to endure.

And bathrooms, too, are becoming sites of expressive design. While stone has long ruled the space, terrazzo introduces pattern without sacrificing elegance. The real kicker is its seamless application, which works beautifully for vanities and shower walls, creating a clean, monolithic look.

The Science of Staying Power

Terrazzo’s longevity is legendary. A properly installed floor can last 75 years or more. Unlike materials that visibly degrade, terrazzo simply acquires character. When needed, it can be repolished to restore its original sheen, a process that can be repeated for decades.

This long lifecycle has profound sustainability implications. In a world of quick remodels, a surface that doesn’t need to be torn out is quietly radical. Keeping materials in place is one of the most effective ways to reduce a building’s embodied carbon. That’s the same reason designers are embracing rammed earth walls and rice husk boards: materials that don’t just perform today but endure tomorrow.

Part of terrazzo’s appeal is its ability to bridge eras. It was a favorite of the Art Deco movement in the 1920s and had a major mid-century moment. Today it feels just as comfortable in a contemporary loft. That versatility has made it a darling of designers who want to inject personality without relying on ornament.

In 2025, terrazzo also aligns with the conversation around quiet luxury and design that speaks through material integrity. The aggregates and finishes can be bold, but they are rooted in permanence and authenticity. We’re seeing architects pair it with reclaimed wood and plaster, creating interiors that feel layered and grounded. It’s a counterpoint to mass-produced surfaces and proof that sustainability and style aren’t just coexisting; they’re amplifying each other.

Terrazzo is luxurious but also recycled and bespoke. Terrazzo could also be seen as a philosophy. Value what already exists and elevate what could be overlooked. Eco Outdoor embodies this with each piece being slightly different…each surface alive with variation. That irregularity is part of the allure, an honest reminder that beauty often resides in imperfection.

For Kerr, this is more than a design choice.“By using leftover pieces, we give them a new life,” he says. In doing so, terrazzo becomes more of a conversation between past and present.