ABODE
INTO THE OUTSIDE
EARTH Surfaces
ELLIN GOETZ
Clockwise from far left: Firepit seating with custom hardscape designed by Ellin Goetz; Earth Surfaces of America in Naples creates an array of styles and designs.
Locally made terrazzo surfaces and shell-embedded pavers offer custom solutions for exterior hardscapes By Nanci Theoret
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errazzo, that speckled surface often associated with 1920s Art Deco and midcentury design, has leaped from the past to modern high-end design, getting shoutouts from Pinterest and Vogue. It’s also moved outside to cover patio decks, driveways, walkways, and staircases, often mimicking the look of brick pavers, marble, cobblestone, wood, paving stones, and shell-embedded tabby. Naples landscape architect Ellin Goetz appreciates terrazzo’s versatility and durabil-
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ity—and the freedom it lends to her designs. She favors unpolished, shell-embedded pavers for driveways, pathways, and outdoor sitting areas as an homage to Naples’ historic tabby construction. Since discovering locally manufactured terrazzo from Earth Surfaces of America 15 years ago, she’s created custom looks for public projects, such as the Naples Botanical Garden and the new children’s garden at Trinity-by-the-Cove, and private residential clients, using terrazzo for walkways, pool decks, and pool coping. “It’s such a wonderful material. I can be creative in the shape of pools and steps. I like to keep it subtle and natural outside to look like Florida as much as it possibly can,” says Goetz. “I always want to use local materials when I can. I try to promote that it’s locally made and not dug out of the earth [overseas]. It’s a nice alternative to stone. It’s a dense, high-quality product that doesn’t degrade.” ENDLESS OPTIONS Naples-based Earth Surfaces started as a mosaic specialist in the 1990s, switching to high-end, cement-based terrazzo products after it could no longer compete with imports, says owner Tony DiNorcia. The company works with landscape architects, builders, and interior designers, producing custom pavers, large- and small-format terrazzo tiles, and countertops and vanities on-site. “We manufacture custom terrazzo surfaces in any shape, size, color, finish, and content,” says DiNorcia. “There’s a lot of artistry involved.”
NAPLES ILLUSTRATED
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5/26/22 3:34 PM
