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Here at Curbed, we’re not immune to the charms of terrazzo, the suddenly ubiquitous material made from chunks of marble or stone set into concrete. From trendy restaurants to high-design apartments, the material is in the midst a serious comeback.
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With terrazzo’s reemergence on the design world stage, there’s been some intriguing innovation in the centuries-old material-making process, which typically requires manually placing marble chippings in a pattern before casting them in concrete.
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Meet Altrock, a new marble-based surface material from London designer Robin Grasby. Altrock terrazzos are made from a combination of stone waste products like marble flour, marble chips, and broken pieces from marble slabs sourced from interior projects. These materials are mixed with a bit of resin and then hand-casted into slabs that can be used for new products like tables, flooring, and countertops. Design-wise, Grasby opted for a “beautifully chaotic appearance” in which no two slabs are the same, rather than putting in place carefully arranged stone patterns.
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Though Altrock is simply terrazzo by another name, it’s notable for using 87 percent recycled materials—and an on-the-nose perfect millennial color palette.