In the world of design, of f.e. fashion and architecture, crafts and craftsmanship are getting a lot of attention since 2017. Because I love working hands on with materials, I started to make my own samples of terrazzo. Terrazzo is the name of a craft and material that has its roots in Italy. It was brought to Belgium and other countries in Europe at the end of the 19th century, and knows a revival nowadays. It is a kind of concrete mixture that, by grinding the surface, reveals what is hidden inside. My goal was to make a reinterpretation of the material, and also the craft and labour behind it, to give the craft a new substantive value.
To start my journey I chose Huize Colette, a coffee bar located in Ghent, as my site of design. I had visited Huize Colette several times before, and noticed the big issue of the counters’ form. The sharp point at the end of the countertop had become a pain factor, stabbing the human skin, especially of the servants who constantly had to cross that point. The counter is generally the most central place of a bar, it doesn’t try to hide. To let the material speak, as terrazzo is a kind of concrete, I wanted to make something solid which would complete the counters’ form. Instead of making a slender plate on top, which could also adjust the form, the terrazzo element became a solid prothesis for the counter of the shop. It is a stacking of 10 layers, all together approximately 500kg. This makes it possible to move the piece whenever desirable. To make it more interesting, I wanted to use a material in the mixture of terrazzo, which could be found in situ, ad hoc. First I made some test samples, to test the strength and the visual qualities of the material. In the end, the terrazzo mixture contains the same basic ingredients of a normal terrazzo piece, but instead of stones as granulates I used coffee beans in combination with filtered coffee-water.
Due to the weight of the beans, the granulates started to float in the mixture. Therefore grinding the surface, to make the granu- lates appear, wasn’t necessary anymore. It made the process less labour-intensive and therefore also cheaper. The piece activates the senses with its visual qualities, tactile textures and above all a pleasant scent.
Still to visit at: Huize Colette, Belfortstraat 6, 9000 Gent, Belgium.