Mirror80

Reflecting on recent retro style

  • Home
  • About Mirror80
  • Contact

A DIY Terrazzo Pumpkin Project

September 20, 2016 by Kate Leave a Comment

DIY terrazzo style

It’s Mirror80’s first DIY project of autumn! Today’s pumpkin painting endeavor was inspired by the current terrazzo trend. “Terrazzo”, as in the flooring material filled with flecks of marble or granite! These days, terrazzo style can be found on everything from flooring and furniture to pillows and jewelry. Let’s see what happens when a terrazzo pattern is painted on pumpkins! First up: check out the look…

Terrazzo modern style

Terrazzo style via Cool Machine, The New York Times and ArchiExpo (clockwise, L to R) 

Ready to paint some produce?!

DIY pumpkin painting terrazzo

Supplies

Terrazzo DIY supplies

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

  • small white pumpkins
  • craft paint
  • paintbrushes
  • thin tape (optional–I used this selection)
  • paper to cover your workspace

Terrazzo project

When it comes to the craft paint, I used a mix of glossy and matte, but quickly found that I preferred glossy. It has a more polished look. This project takes a bit of patience, so I highly recommend small pumpkins. You’ll enjoy it more if you aren’t faced with the task of painting large produce! Small paintbrushes are helpful, since you’re wanting to paint “bits” of color rather than large shapes.

Project Steps

'80s paint squiggles

Step 1: Select your paint colors. 

I even mixed some custom colors using the paint I had. My palette: fall’s hottest hues, which I wrote about in this post for Decoist. See the fall inspiration board I created for Decoist here. A mix of eggplant-y lavender, wine, peach, mint, dusty blue, and teal was just what the doctor ordered for this pumpkin painting project.

Terrazzo DIY pumpkins

Step 2: Paint terrazzo-style shapes on your pumpkin. 

I free-handed most of the shapes on the pumpkins, yet I started by using the thin blue tape (pictured in the previous section) to create a series of taped off geo forms around the pumpkin. Kind of like creating your own stencils! See the peach shape in the center of the pumpkin below? It was originally outlined in thin blue tape. Once the paint dried, I peeled off the tape, and I had a precise-looking “bit” that served as a nice contrast to more of the “blobby” shapes on the rest of the pumpkin. I used tape to help me paint 5 precise shapes per pumpkin. I painted the rest by hand. After all, there’s nothing precise about terrazzo style. The more irregular, the better!

Terrazzo pumpkin

Step 3: Work your way around the pumpkin, spacing out the shapes evenly.

The paint dries pretty quickly, so I was even able to paint all of the lavender shapes, then all of the teal shapes, etc. You will likely need to touch up in places, since some paint colors are thinner than others (for some reason). Toward the end of the painting process, you can fill in any odd gaps by painting smaller pieces in the colors of your choice. It’s a labor of love, but definitely fun.

DIY terrazzo project

Step 4: Display your pumpkins with pride!

Mine are currently on the dining room table, mixed in with the peach pumpkin below, as well as a pinky-peach, glossy pumpkin I picked up this weekend. You will see these pumpkins again in an upcoming fall tablescape post, complete with ’80s Deco ceramics!

Terrazzo tile style

Thanks for reading! Happy painting…  XOXO, Kate

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • More
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Pocket
  • Print
  • Email

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mirror80 is a blog that celebrates the intersection of modern design and retro style. I'm Kate, and I enjoy exploring the look and feel of the "recent retro", with a focus on the late '70s through the early '90s. Welcome to Mirror80. Read More…

Categories

  • Art
  • DIY
  • Fashion
  • Film
  • Graphic Design
  • Interior Design
  • Interviews
  • Playlists
  • Reflections
  • Retro Foodie
  • Still Life
  • Television
  • Video Picks

Mirror80 Email List

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a weekly email featuring our latest posts. [ninja_forms_display_form id=2]

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

  • Pastabilities
  • A Magical Fall
  • DIY Frosted Pumpkins
  • “Physical”, Working Out and Womanhood
  • An ’80s-Style Dining Room Makeover

Archives

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

FEATURED POSTS

Embracing Color

7 Easy Ways to Bring ’80s Style Home

Top Gun Style: A Tropical Patio

Retro Architecture at the Beach

Holographic Style

Teatime, Retro-Style

A Memphis-Meets-Deco Home Tour

Dead Malls, Childhood Memories and ’80s Style

An ’80s Fashion Photo Shoot!

1980s Interior Design Styles

Copyright © 2023 · Dynamik-Gen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.