The Terrazzo Sinks at Villa Cardo

It’s easy to fall for Andrew Trotter’s designs. In his architectural work throughout Italy, he breathes new life into ancient properties while also preserving their historical integrity, striking a great balance between tradition and innovation. The latest of his homes to join our collection is the bright and dynamic Villa Cardo in Carovigno, and that’s where we found these terrazzo sinks.

Terrazzo is a composite material usually used for flooring, consisting of small pieces of marble or granite set in mortar and then polished until smooth. Here, Trotter has taken this traditional Italian form and used it to create a simple rectangular vessel that floats in space. It’s devoid of surface area and storage, and almost sculptural in appearance — born in part from necessity.

“We wanted to make the space as simple as possible,” he tells us. “It isn’t a big bathroom so having a cupboard in the room would take up too much space. The storage is outside the room.”

Terrazzo sinks are found in the other three bathrooms, each with a slightly different color. For the room pictured below, he created a long, narrow trough-like sink. “As this is a farmhouse,” he says, “I loved the idea of a trough. This way, the water stays in the middle, and you can put your gels and creams inside at each end.”

Trotter designed the pieces himself, decided the color of the concrete and stones with his team, then approached Huguet to bring them to life. The Mallorca-based company has been creating floor tiles and terrazzo designs by hand since 1933, using natural pigments which result in characteristic color variations.

We love the idea of sinks as sculptural pieces, and these bespoke pieces at Villa Cardo blend contemporary design with historical elements seamlessly, echoing the strong lines throughout the villa. To discover the terrazzo sinks for yourself, visit Villa Cardo here.

Photographs by Salva Lopez