These Stunning ‘Terrazzo’ Tiles Are Made From Recycled Eggshells
Walking around eggshells isn’t such a bad thing when they’re this gorgeous and sturdy while keeping waste out of landfills.
The part of the egg that no one consumes has been turned into tiles by way of Nature Squared, a sustainable design firm that transforms natural waste—like seashells, bamboo, feathers, tobacco leaves, and more—into architectural materials. This time around, it has repurposed white eggshells from bakeries and kitchens in the Philippines to line walls at home.
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Eggshells don’t just have an elegant matte finish, but they’re also rich in calcium (therefore making great bioceramics), naturally absorb and filter carbon dioxide, are waterproof, and happen to be UV-resistant too.
The collection of tiles is called CArrelé, named after the chemical symbol for calcium and the French word for tile. To create the material, Nature Squared, founded by multidisciplinary artist Elaine Yan Ling Ng, first crushes the shells into small fragments. The pieces are then fitted together through a binding agent.
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Due to their varied shapes and sizes, the crushed eggshells gather to create a speckled look similar to terrazzo, Yanko Design points out. To color the tiles, Nature Squared dyes them with natural ingredients like madder, indigo, and chlorophyllin; and for neutral tones, it “toasts” the white biowaste to develop shades of cream and brown.
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Even though 250,000 tons of eggshell waste is produced annually, it is often overlooked as biowaste. Converting it into a valuable bioceramic keeps the shells out of landfills.
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As they’re waterproof and easy to clean, CArrelé tiles are suitable even for bathroom and kitchen walls. But walls aren’t the only parts of the house eggshells are good for—the firm intends to recycle them into floor tiles, stools, bookends, and other home accessories as well.
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[via Apartment Therapy and Yanko Design, images via Nature Squared]
