When experience inspires design

A terrazzo table full of memories

When Bryan and Jai were searching for their first home together, they began watching TV renovation show reruns for inspiration. A friend suggested Your Home Made Perfect and one of the episodes they viewed was when presenter Angela Scanlon and architect Will Foster came to Diespeker to find out how terrazzo is made.

Bryan says they were transfixed as the pair walked through the factory: “…choosing from the floor-to-ceiling selection of “ingredients” that would one day wind up in their own, unique, one-of-a-kind creation. More than the table itself, we wanted that experience; the opportunity to create something for our first home that nobody else in the world had! Prior to this moment, we hadn’t heard of terrazzo at all. And if we hadn’t watched reruns, we probably never would have.”

So, Bryan and Jai travelled to London and Diespeker’s premises in Bermondsey. They were met by Senior Sales Manager, Sydney Robertson, described by the couple as ‘our enthusiastic, exceptional, and exceedingly helpful guide’! Sydney gave them a tour of the premises including the slabs of granite, marble and terrazzo. He advised them to take photos of any that appealed, to help with the creative process to follow.

Next, they visited the workshop and were extremely excited to be in the place they’d seen on the TV. “Like two wide-eyed kids in a candy store, we gawked at what seemed like endless options for our table. Tubs and tubs of textured things, and sparkly things, and things we never thought could go into a terrazzo table!”

They moved upstairs into the office to discuss the next steps. Looking at the photos the couple had taken, Sydney came up with a code for a terrazzo that closely matched. He explained the composition, provenance and available thickness. “It was truly impressive: here was a man who really knew his stuff, was passionate about it, and genuinely enjoyed his work.”

Sydney fetched a selection of chippings and other aggregate and the couple began curating their own bespoke mix. Over to Bryan to describe the process:

“We definitely wanted something predominantly white, as the final location of the table would be the breakfast nook which was bathed in bright morning light. The room itself was a pale colour of almond milk, and we wanted the table, with its splash of terrazzo colour, to be the centre of attention. After much sifting, we ended up with a sample that showcased a light pink glass, smaller bright blue ones, and even smaller specks which looked like obsidian. Texture was given by pieces of shell, and specks of rainbow were provided by mother-of pearl. We selected these pieces to represent ourselves: pink for Jai (her favourite colour), blue for myself, and black for our beloved black-and-white Alaskan Malamute, Pocco, who passed on almost two years ago. We would have wanted nothing more than to have him join us in our new house; we knew he would have loved it. We chose the shells to represent our shared love of the beach, and the mother-of-pearl to represent our home country of the Philippines, known as the Pearl of the Orient.”

Once the couple had mocked up their ideas for the terrazzo design, they were ready to proceed. But this was just the beginning; the next stage being the creation of an initial sample followed by any modifications needed prior to final production. This process often takes several weeks to ensure the perfect terrazzo is achieved.

The couple said the wait was worth it. They made a few adjustments to the ratio of components, and our bespoke team made a second sample, which received the green light. The table top was made to a semi-circular design.
As well as the terrazzo production, Diespeker helped with the stand for the table. Sydney liaised with a third party for this, and although it was slightly different to what Bryan and Jai had originally envisaged, the natural wood base added warmth and richness to the table and to the room.

The couple, now in their new home, say they sit every morning at their beautiful table and feel that it really is a part of them:

“Perhaps the most magical part of all this, is that it was only later that we realised, completely coincidentally, that it came to represent not only us as individuals, but the happiest day of our lives so far: our wedding day. We got married on the beach, in the Philippines, with our beloved Pocco as our ring bearer – and our terrazzo table inadvertently came to reflect that.

“All the colours are there. Each of us, represented equally: Jai’s large pink glass, my smaller blue crystals and a sprinkling of Pocco’s black fur that we like to think lingers around us no matter where we are. The sand, sea, and shells can all be seen; if this photo were a terrazzo table, this would be it.”

Bryan and Jai say the photos don’t capture the beauty of the table or their joy in owning it. Although they didn’t have a design in mind at the start, they knew in their hearts what they wanted. “We are eternally grateful that we discovered Diespeker, who gave us the opportunity to explore that and to bring it to life.”

A terrazzo table full of memories

A terrazzo table full of memories

Why not visit our showroom?