Timber Terrazzo

24 November, 2017

Foresso uses high quality FSC British timber that is unusable for joinery due to defects or odd sizing to create a versatile surface material. It reclaims these components and fashions them into a material that recreates the aesthetic of traditional terrazzo, with a rich grain and hand-of-the-maker quality. Both pleasingly modern and classically styled, terrazzo can be found everywhere – from restaurant entryways in Belgravia to flooring in the London Underground. Random and organic, manufactured yet identifiably human, Foresso builds upon this tradition.

Conor Taylor has invented a new way to repurpose British timber for an original take on traditional terrazzo. Taylor was inspired by seeing extremely high quality wood regularly wasted in enormous quantities during processing. Delicate curls of planed wood and pieces of beautiful timber would, due to their unusual size or shape, regularly be pulped for filler or burned.

Throughout this process, Conor tackled the technical hurdles of imbuing timber with the qualities of marble: crafting wood chips with a stone-like feel, making the surface consistent and durable, and optimising the proportion between timber and resin-binder material; all ultimately ensuring that Foresso could be produced efficiently and at a large scale. To complement its quality craftsmanship, Foresso only uses FSC-certified timber and always sources locally. After refining the process and recipe, Conor switched his attention to design – carefully selecting binder colours and timber compositions to reference terrazzo’s classic aesthetics. As part of this process, Conor began work on developing Foresso’s collections – each recalling an experience of London’s many distinct locales.