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Bespoke Terrazzo Furniture From Mortadello

You’d think that when it comes to terrazzo, we’d seen it all before. But you’d be wrong. Turns out there’s no limit to the ways in which this versatile material can be created and used. Melbourne-based designer Micka Lesinskis gives us Mortadello Terrazzo – bringing his debut line of furniture to the literal (and figurative) table!

Under one of the best and most original business names we’ve seen in a long time (and some very snazzy branding, too!), Mortadello Terrazzo’s Geo Series gives concrete a fun and colourful kick. Step inside his handmade world of cold-cut terrazzo slabs, where the possibilities are endless!

Written
by
Sasha Gattermayr

The Balance Table. Photo – David Leyshon.

The Balance Table, and the cross-section of a pink Chubby Stool! Photo – David Leyshon.

Left: The Chubby Table. Right: An array of Chubby Stools in different heights. Photo – David Leyshon.

Left: The Four Pin Table. Right: The Plank Table. Photo – David Leyshon.

Writer
Sasha Gattermayr
3rd of June 2020

Micka Lesinskis has been a carpenter specialising in high-end residential construction for the last ten years, and he’s also a music producer. Now, he can add stonemason and furniture designer to his creative title! But before launching his own furniture business was on the cards, Micka experimented with all the versatile forms concrete could assume. Once he started adding pigment, oxides and decorative stone to his traditional cement mix he was led, inevitably, to terrazzo.

Owing its name to the striking resemblance a rounded slab of pink terrazzo bears to the speckled cross-section of a cured Italian meat, Mortadello Terrazzo is a one-man-show with Micka at the helm (and the help of his partner Karen!).

‘It’s real concrete terrazzo, not resin or reconstituted stone,’ he explains of the difference between his aggregate and its other typical forms. ‘It’s full of natural imperfections.’ It’s these inconsistencies that Micka likes the most about his pieces. It means every slab is different, with character that can only be found in nature or handcrafted products.

The raw materials Micka uses to make his stone tabletops, stools and ledges are all quarried in Melbourne, adding ‘locally-sourced’ to his impressive list of credentials. In addition, clients can opt for a colour customising service, to create a totally unique surface palette.

Mortadello’s colourful polished cylinders are the result of a four-week process, which sees Micka involved in every stage of the handmade production. His composite material consists of stone chips and pigment, which is combined with a specialised concrete binder. Once the mixture has been poured, Micka leaves it to ‘air cure’ for a week in its mould. As soon as the slab has set, it is hand-polished, sealed and delivered!

See the full range of Mortadello Terrazzo works here.

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