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Top 5 tips to choosing your Outdoor Fireplace

Only second to an outdoor limestone fountain, a fireplace is an architectural element that’s guaranteed to make your backyard the place where everyone wants to be. It easily becomes the focal point of an outdoor living space, drawing both friends and family together around its warm glitter.

An outdoor fireplace that’s hand carved out of limestone can turn a regular yard to an ‘Al Fresco’ living room. Adding a harmonious and exciting space for kids to hover over as they roast marshmallows over a rustic wood burning flame or relaxing with a glass of wine in the evening with friends and loved ones are some of the numerous mood and climate altering applications of any outdoor antique limestone fireplaces you’ll find at Ancient Surfaces.

Choosing a fireplace may seems like a daunting task until you contact us. It pays to work with a company that has 50 years of field experience in the art of fireplace design, making, reclaiming and installation. So if you’re dreaming of adding an outdoor fireplace to your yard here are the top 5 key things to consider beforehand:

Increase resale price: Studies like the CV report have shown the RIO or return on investment on both, outdoor and indoor fireplaces are the highest out of all other remodeling projects you can undertake in your home. If you are considering selling your home sometime in the future, an outdoor fireplace can be very beneficial at sale time. Accented with comfy outdoor living furniture, it will help potential buyers to easily imagine themselves in that space.

Select your burn- fireplace vs. fire pit: Built-in fire pit can be either contemporary or old world looking. Ironically, on many occasions, we’ve converted ancient rounded and rectangular wellheads into fire pits. Their lower height 20 to 22 inches allow them to be placed virtually anywhere in your backyard as they embrace your open space without any visual interruption.

Stone fireplaces are more majestic and monumental in nature. They’ll help you add an architectural presence to any given outdoor location. Offset your fireplace a few feet from a neighbor’s property wall will help you turn a major outdoor design minus into a plus. The fireplaces can be the same as the ones you are used to seeing inside villa style homes in Europe.

Wood vs Gas burning: You can always purchase a prefabricated firebox that range in price from a couple thousand dollars to brand name boxes that are double that figure. Your other option is to have a mason build you a wood/gas burning box from scratch. In both cases you’ll still need to stone clad or stone tile the return and chimney stack in a stone element that complement the stone fireplace mantle you are after.

Without going into your city ordinances and local construction codes on wood vs. gas burning fireplaces or debating the environmental impact of each option, we believe that from an aesthetic and design standpoint a wood burning fireplace offers a unique source of heat that warms people on so many levels while providing you with a mesmerizing audio-visual show that is like no other. In most cases, people settle for a dual Wood/gas burning firebox that offers its users a flexible solution, that is both, romantic and practical as the flames continue to burst out heat long after the logs has turned into cider.

Built-in versus freestanding: Installing an outdoor fireplace is a big architectural plus no matter how you look at it. However, before settling on a plan, think about how you envision yourself using the space. Do you have an open or roofed patio? Do you have an expanded opened-air space just a few step away from your pool of Jacuzzi that can be complemented with a freestanding fire pit?

Consider, but don’t be narrowed by your home’s architecture: The fire pit shown here from ancient surfaces has a lustrous, modern look yet fits in charmingly with any traditional old world looking home.

If you are having trouble imagining how a certain fireplace would look with your home, consider taking your search into the digital realm by starting a free Houzz profile and a Houzz idea book. Start piling in some of the hundreds of photo ideas we have parked in our Houzz database.

One good advice we could give you though, is to choose a stone chimney-piece you really enjoy looking at. Whether it’s the focus of your pool patio or centered on a side property wall, chances are you’ll hopefully live with it for a long time.

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Captivating antique limestone patina hundreds of years in the making.

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At Antique Surfaces we are humbled by one of the most extensive stock of mesmerizing architectural antiques ever to be assembled under one roof. As a first tier reclaimer of various stone elements we have been lucky to work directly on unique reclamation and restoration projects from around the world. We help bring into our clientele homes a much needed connoisseur-ship backed by a solid 40 years old field expertise.

The restoration process of any original carved stone element is undertaken with extreme care and is focused on meticulous attention to details. Salvaging and restoring limestone from privately owned ruined villas, farmhouses, manors and even castles gives us an unobstructed birdseye view and insight into the boutique European stone reclamation business.

Every time we reclaim a never seen before antique limestone fireplace design, we are quickly reminded of the vast and seemingly unlimited ingenuity of stone carvers and stone designers of past centuries.

Being in proximity to antique limestone objects of infinite beauty and character turns anyone into a firm believer in the importance and need to preserve our collective carving traditions from the unforgiving wrecking balls of progress and the unstoppable path of modernization and standardization.

The patina created by centuries of exposure to natural elemental forces is in its own right an art worthy of preserving and safeguarding. Our Arcane limestone fireplaces don’t even look like they belong to our earthly realm and are considered by many top designers and architects to be the pinnacle of antique fireplaces.

If you like this current blog entry we invite you to keep on browse the rest of our entries as they contain more images of dreamy, in situ, antique stone fireplaces that are part of our premium Ancient Surfaces stone mantles collection.

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30 Inspiring Cottage Ideas in Stone

Cottage are usually well known in several countries European nations and are a homier version of a farmhouse is such a thing was even possible in the first place!

An exhaustive number of Cottage comes in various locations in France, Italy and even Eastern Europe and Russia. A cottage is frequently as spacious or small as you desire but typically is under 1,500 sqft. Cottage provide a house abroad experience if you ever decided to build one on a spacious multi-acreage parcel of land.

The preferred cottage style is one you imagine out of natural ecological material such as wood or stone, with some contemporary furniture pieces thrown into the interior design. Whether a Montana style mountain fishing lodge or a warm Mexican hacienda adobe, all cottage share some basic common element focusing on simplicity and wabi-sabi.

Chahaignes - Chateau de la Jaille (10) (w)

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If your house is reminiscent of an outdated European villa, you wouldn’t wish to choose something like concrete Decking that is more appropriate for a modern soho gallery setting.

Cottage furniture is normally envisioned with a washed off light painted and finding the proper furniture can be well worth the effort.

Stone and wood dominates the interiors of Cottages and the ideal flooring for a cottage is a big sized antique limestone flooring pavers coupled with ancient reclaimed stone fireplace the end up working off of each other in making the cottage even more lived-in and homie.

-Kelso Dining Chairs-Kelso Lounge Chairs-Kelso Square Folding Dining Tablein the terrace of aCountry House in Sonoma;Designer: The Wiseman GroupLandscape: Marta Fry

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Golden Ratio Fireplaces, A beautiful journey into warmth & light

Antique-limestone-fireplace-stone-golden-ratio-1

This is a discovery that we as restorers and carvers of Ancient Surfaces have noticed for years now.

The intense usage of the golden ratio in fireplaces carved centuries ago was more prevalent and widespread that previously ever expected.

The odd thing is that only a handful of historic references mention how common place this practice was.

I think that carvers in the renaissance era and onward just developed a second nature to involuntarily produce such harmonic ratios since many stone fireplaces were reclaimed from farmhouses belonging to the less sophisticated mercantile class.

Those merchants never had a connoisseur eye for architectural does and don’t and can be compared to what we call today the newly found money or ‘Nouveaux Rich’.

In most parts they had to employ local talent that were in many cases self tough craftsmen and journeymen not belonging to carving guilds where advanced knowledge and expertise was developed and honed.

Don’t get me wrong, the golden ratio was not a Renaissance invention. It was first noted by name around 300BC by Euclid in his mathematical treatise The Elements.

This ratio can be found across geometry, nature, all sciences, all smart and elegant constructions and has been incorporated by ingenious builders and Polymaths across human history to create and innovate novel and brilliant creations.

This universal Harmony, Truth and Beauty has found its way luckily into our antique reclaimed fireplaces.

We’ve noticed something very peculiar and strange however. Our clients seems to be drawn to stone fireplaces exhibiting such ratios like moths drawn to a light bulb.

The human eye brain and soul seems to have a basic intuition on what is appealing and what is not even at first glance, no training necessary!

Take a look and let me know what you think?

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Unlock the English Countryside Garden to its Full Potential

Many people outside of the UK think that the Georgian Style refers to one single ‘King George’ mainly ‘George The V’. Georgian style however encompasses a full century long spanning the rule of the 3 consecutive Georges that have helped defined that time period in so many diverse ways.

The entire Georgian period is divided into the Paladin phase, Early Georgian and finally the Late Georgian period. The style started as a Neo-classical rebellion against the ‘gaudiness’ or the previous dominating Baroque and Gothic design styles that the British monarchy saw itself surrounded with. George I despised those styles and embarked on a journey of change that ended up spanning 100 years and several rulers.

The three phases complete one another stylistically. As the 19th century rolled by and progress ensued, and the style lessened in terms of carving and intensity reflecting the societal change that the world was going through. Near its tail-end, the style morphed completely into the Regency style.

English cottage and French Farmhouse inspired outdoor closed top Pergola with a Stone Fireplace

The entire Empire took an interest in styling and interior/exterior designs becoming the order of the day; Interiors became more popular as it became somewhat obtainable economically thanks to the new economy of scale and to a booming need to stay ‘stylish’ and ‘up to date’ on matters of design. Georgian became more popular thanks to wide spread of fancy coffee table print books containing architectural rendering and drawings of Decorative Stone Elements that were becoming available to the public for the first time.

Nothing is more soothing than the sound of water and it’s a plus that it masks street noise! Pool and wall fountains come in so many styles allowing you to bring in the charm of different cities and eras into your garden whether Provincial, Tuscan, Arabesque or Rustic to name a few.

Reclaimed limestone flooring, stepping stones and stair steps are slip resistant, need minimal maintenance, withstand extreme climate and heavy use due to their hard molecular structure and are absolutely gorgeous. They are a work of art in themselves with their warm earth tones, striking veins, varying sizes and the possibility of installing them in running bond formation or random ‘Versailles’ patterns.

A swimming pool means you are going to spend a great deal of time outdoors so your pool’s style and personality are key. Using natural limestone coping and flooring for the poolscape spurs superiority and elegance while maintaining a much needed laid back relaxing atmosphere. Their slip-resistant features and earth tone patina are perfect for this setting.

We at Ancient Surfaces have for many years procured some of the finest and most sought after period Gregorian and Victorian Marble surrounds and limestone hearths from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales through direct salvaging, estate auction sales and from our trusted network of our local dealers that are eager to barter with us their finds in exchange of our Southern French and Italian masterpieces.

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Saracen fireplace, the mystery continues

Isolated and scattered across the fertile Medieval French country side, old farms were built according to two techniques. One mixed clay earth, mud filling between weaving timer and stone to make up its walls, the other was strictly made up of Thick limestone walls.

The famous “Sarrasine” fireplaces (for foreign in French perhaps referring to the Moors or the Normans) common to both types of Medieval French Farmhouses were shrouded in mysteries. This class of ancient limestone fireplaces which sport massive firebox openings, reminds historians of the Gallic fireplaces found although the region of ‘Bresse’.

Since the 16th century, Bresse cultivates maize which was brought in into Europe from the Newly discovered continent of America. In less than 50 years this plant transformed the French farmland serving as an ideal fuel for both man and beast alike. Farmers now had somewhere between 30 to 50% more money coming into their pouches every year thanks to corn. The Bress Farmers became the ‘Nouveaux Rich’ of their time and their newly acquired fortunes earned them famous nicknames such as bressans “yellow belly farmers”.

Saracen fireplaces of the Bressan yellow bellies!

The lasting evidence of Bressan flourishing rural past, can still be witnessed by the priceless architectural treasures still found in their surviving farmhouses. The millions of ancient hearthed fireplaces stood the test of time and have become the symbol of the Bressan farm house and formed the basis of its architectural heritage.

Wealthy farmers splurged real well on massive living room, kitchen and dining room fireplaces. back then a good fireplace could cost the family as much as their entire farm house but corn was plenty and the money kept on flowing.

What better way to keep up with the ‘Pierres’ than having a bigger and meaner fireplaces than they did?

Consisting of a central hearth, reminiscent of the original hearth, these monumental Fireplace mantles are called “diffusion heated fireplaces”, “wide heated hearths”, “large walk-through fireplaces” or “Bressane style fireplaces”.

The term “Saracen” or “Sarrasine” spreads in the 16th century, perhaps in connection with the mysterious era of the Crusaders when the French fought a prolonged war against the North African Moors, the Turks, The Arabian kingdoms of Andalusia and Egypt, and Saladin’s hoards. Intrigued by these strange architecture that was culturally mixed, the less educated French Farmer started calling their Fireplaces foreign as if they were the fireplaces of a foreign invader or a ‘Saracen’ hence the term “Saracen fireplaces”.

Another Hypotheses on Saracen chimneys can be likened to traditional Aragonese chimneys from the Upper Aragon region, in the Spanish Pyrenees, that were structurally quite similar to the French farmhouse fireplaces.

The academic jury is still out on the true origins of the Sarrasine fireplaces and for now at least these amazing fireplaces retain their shrouded of mystery.

Here are a few notable Bressian fireplaces worth noting:

– Polygonal (The Planons in Saint-Cyr-sur-Menthon …)
– Square pyramid (The Forest at St Trivier-de-Courtes, The Bresse Field in Romenay …)
– Reliquary (The Mount at Chevroux …)
– Square terminal lantern (The Sougey in Montrevel-en-Bresse …)

In some cases, monumental fireplace featured a “archebanc” (or the bench-chest raised hearth) that once hosted the regional Lords, the elders of the family or distinguished guests.

By the eighteenth century, these chimneys were already considered of another age; from there, certainly, the name of “sarrasines” felt even more fitting to those pieces far from any Moorish connection.

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Breathing room in your Living Room- Antique Stone Fireplace, the Ultimate design breath of fresh air

Let’s imagine a living room without a fireplace, well we can’t! Simply because you can’t have much living going on in any room without a real fireplace! Architects and interior designers have made fireplaces a focal cornerstone in any new home or renovation project that seeks to have an individual persona attributed to it. They have realized more that ever the need to incorporating all inspiring fireplaces into almost every room of the home. No one design element can tell the story of a room more than a well planned fireplace especially if that fireplace was hand carved in real limestone hundreds of years ago!

I like in this blog to go all out and showcase some of my favorite antique stone Fireplaces that have both inspired and awed me.
Those impressive antique and reclaimed limestone fireplaces are found everywhere in the home and are shown bellow in no particular order.

Living rooms are the natural habitats of grand and impressive fireplace. By impressive I don’t necessarily mean fully carved carved out looking like it came from the workshop of a 15th century Italian Renaissance carver. I personally love this use reclaimed 16th century fireplace as the focal point for this laid back French farmhouse inspired living room like the ones you seen on travel blogs or the pages of top interior design magazines…

For centuries an open roaring hearth was the heart of every kitchen. Modern appliances gradually replaced cooking fires and kitchen fireplaces fell out of favor- but the look is back!

Prior to the 19th century, fireplace mantles were frequently positioned at the height of a man’s shoulder. A large hearth allowed for a very large fire, vital as the sole source of a home’s heat. This designer took that large hearth and divided it into 2 parts, setting the hearth at eye level with kitchen diners.

We love to find pieces that tell the tale of their role in the daily lives of people past. This fireplace set into a French country dining room bears the marks of centuries of fires burning within its hearth. By leaving the fire marks intact, the designer created a more relaxed dining room

Imagine relaxing in the tub with a fire crackling just a few feet away. Powder room fireplaces add a luxurious element to bathrooms. Prior to modern plumbing, water was boiled over the kitchen fire and carried to a portable bathtub, often positioned near the fireplace within a noble’s private chambers. This delicate fireplace is the ultimate in luxury.

Small spaces, such as powder rooms, call for Fireplaces of diminutive scale. This 18th c. Cheminée from a Village House outside of Lyon, France has a width of just 45”, less than half the size of many we see. It’s graceful lines would translate beautifully to a French country spa retreat in your home.

Inspired to add a fireplace to an unexpected room in your home? Contact us to learn how you can acquire a centuries old limestone firepaces from our collection, or click here to browse even more amazing pieces.

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Picking a French Provence Fireplace Mantle? a task easier said than done!

Beautiful-dining-room-with-majestic-antique-limestone-fireplace

In a recent discussion with a custom home builder and his client the question of picking the right French style antique limestone fireplace mantle has proven to be much tough to answer than previously though!

There was some focused around whether they should construct all seven full masonry fireplaces or have some antique stone mantle sit on top fire box inserts. As with anything there are pro’s and con’s. The builder thinks that solid masonry fireplaces will work much better with the antique fireplaces when an insert firebox is his preference for the master bedroom. As the debate went on we shared several past projects photos with the builder and client of both cases and near the end they were able to select that firebox type went where.

In today’s post we want to chow everyone the various design ideas and portfolio of images presented to the couple and their builder. There are so many great choices, but we want to know which firebox options and which fireplace mantle design ideas would be your pick.

antique-stone-fireplace-reclaimed — A beautiful majestic limestone fireplace in the center of an old renovated French farmhouse

classic-french-farmhouse-antique-limestone-fireplace — Reclaimed limestone fireplace with an over mantel

This limestone fireplace is the focal point of this small cottage living room — classic-Neolithic-living-room-antique-limestone-fireplace

Limestone-fireplace-reclaimed-stone-wall-cladding — The limestone wall cladding, fireplace and wood beams create an old world look into this living room

modern-living-room-area-with-a-relcimaed-antique-limestone-fireplace — Beautiful mixture between the Old and The new in this French style living room

french-limestone-antique-fireplace — Simple carved antique fireplace in an authentic Provencal kitchen

french-country-house-country-house-antique-limestone-fireplace — French country house with an antique limestone fireplace

Elegant-old-french-house-with-antique-limestone-fireplace-simple-carved — Beautiful interior design of an old restored castle with a majestic reclaimed limestone fireplace

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Keep calm, Ready your Limestone Fireplace, Winter is coming!

A solid stone mantle adds many factors of interest to a house. Providing not only a source of warmth, but style, beauty and value. Ancient surface’s antique custom designed fireplaces are guaranteed to make your home the place where everyone wants to be. It easily becomes the centerpiece of your house, drawing both friends and family together around its warm glare.

These stone fireplace design ideas from our past projects will inspire a space you’ll never want to leave.

French limestone fireplace — Beautiful French Provence living room interior with a French style Limestone Fireplace

Italian Antique Limestone Fireplace — Italian Mediterranean country side bedroom with a majestic Italian limestone fireplace

Italian Limestone Fireplace to add warmth into this Italian Mediterranean Rustic Bedroom

French Provence Limestone Fireplace — A Very “chic” French Provencal limestone Fireplace Style

Modern French Limestone Fireplace — Modern French Bourgogne Farmhouse Limestone Fireplace

French Louis 16 Limestone Fireplace — A French Louis 16th Limestone Fireplace Style

French Farmhouse Antique Limestone Fireplace

Master Bedroom French Limestone Fireplace

French Medieval Saint Remy Limestone Fireplace

Italian Gothic Limestone Fireplace — Gothic Italian Antique Limestone Fireplace in Puglia

French Medieval Limestone Fireplace — A Beautiful Old French Medieval Ruined Limestone Fireplace as seen in Dordogne Region

Restored Antique Limestone Fireplace — A Restored French Medieval Limestone Fireplace from a ruined Castle in Dordogne

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Modern Architectural with Old-World Limestone Warmth

There’s nothing quite like a fireplace to curl up next to on a cool night.

Fireplaces not only add heat in a literal sense, but they also lend warmth and charm to a space.

This is even true of outdoor spaces. Adding an outdoor stone fireplace in your backyard or garden is a luxury you will not regret.

An antique stone fireplace is elegant, elemental, and everlasting capable of withstanding the perpetual ware and tare of all what nature can throw at it.

There are many antique stone fireplace designs to choose from when selecting the style that best fits your home style.

From Italian farmhouse to French provincial or even Greek costal Mediterranean an antique stone fireplace will anchor-in the theme of your house with your outdoors living space guaranteeing you a perfect design that will never need to be remodeled as long as the structure stands.

An outdoor stone fireplace can be used all year long. There is nothing like sitting around the fire during a cool night, whether it be winter, spring, summer or fall, and enjoying the warmth and the dancing flames evokes our basic feelings of shelter and protection.

Your outdoor fireplace will soon become a gathering spot for family and friends, and rather than running indoors as soon as the mercury dips, you will find yourself drawn to sit by your antique stone fireplace ‘Al Fresco’.

Holiday time is an especially wonderful time to enjoy an outdoor antique stone mantel. Even though the weather outside may be unforgiving, the glowing warmth of an outdoor stone fireplace is the solution.

Grab a mug of hot cocoa or warm apple cider, don a hat and some warm mittens, and enjoy the same feeling our ancestors enjoyed before us while in the company of a wonderful stone fireplace during the holiday season.

Decorated with the holidays evergreens and outdoor lights, garland and wreaths, they can greatly add to the holiday cheer. You will quickly find that the memories you make while gathered outdoors around the stone fireplace hearth are ones that you will never forget.

If you already have an outdoor fireplace, then you are all set to enjoy some time spent outdoors to unwind.

If, on the other hand, you only have plans to build an outdoor stone fireplace but have not yet started, you can rest assured that whenever your antique stone fireplace is finished, it will bring enjoyment and warmth to you and your family all year long and for many years to come.

Still undecided on how you want to build your custom stone fireplace and haven’t narrowed down your choices yet, have no fear!

You can find a wealth of antique stone fireplace ideas as well as original stone fireplace pictures and photos in our online database so you can start formulating a clear idea of what you like and how one of our antique stone mantels will fit into your outdoor garden design.

Our Antique Limestone fireplaces can be found in just about any design, size or shape so your only dilemma will be the ability to choose one.

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20 Heartwarming Continental Stone Fireplace Mantels Designs That Will Keep on Inspiring You for Years to Come.

Traditional, modern, antique reclaimed or rustic, these fireplaces prove that the hearth remains the heart of the home across border and throughout the centuries.

A mantel restored from antique French limestone, and fireplace tools from the Hearth Stone in a Beverly Hills Living Room decorated by Philip Hook and Sam Bradbury.

An old Provence style fireplace mantle reminisces of a bygone Napoleonic era of the South of France.

A New Jersey Client who has enlisted us in helping him orient, position, and install the most suitable 18^th Century antique fireplace possible. Furniture was custom in North Carolina by an American Bespoke furniture maker.

A splendid 19^th century Directories style limestone fireplace sits in this ‘Negligée’ Dutch-Gustavian Farmhouse ready to be lit up with a relaxing flame inside of its custom firebox hearth. Owners enjoy slouching back in their prized original Chesterfield leather seat.

With a majestic architectural elements such as this one in your formal living room there would be little need for any other competing focal point or rivaling conversational elements.

In a quantic world of hyper connectivity we seem to be most disconnected with past history, culture knowledge and tradition that has proceeded us. In our eternal pursuit of enlightenment we’ve neglected cosmic and ancestral wisdom that came before us. “If it’s old it must be obsolete”. If it’s alien to our understanding it must be unreverent to our quotidian bread. Oh how wrong we’ve been, how far from the light we’ve erred. We at Ancient Surfaces have fully embraced the loving ways of what preceded us, we built atop that wisdom with passion, love and foresight in order to provide you, our customers, with past and forgotten marvels that will impact you and your interior design like nothing else would.

The designer selected this antique Tudor style Limestone Fireplace Mantle by Ancient Surfaces has been surrounded with a tone complementing paneled walnut-clad walls of a Castle restoration in Hound Hall in the UK.

This Reclaimed Stone Surround we selected by Designer Louis Bruno for his personal home in 2008. This lichen filled ancient stone fireplace sits in a minimalistic style home that reminds us of the architecture of Alberto Campo Baeza.

With inspiration drawn from the owner’s love of France and French Architecture, this home design features reminiscent of centuries past, the builder architect and designer were all mindful of the unique needs of the residents. Modern amenities juxtaposed with ancient reclaimed and vintage elements are common although this property.

Guests of this home enjoy the serene location on the water where they feel in-tune with nature from the sweeping views from the home’s many large windows and patios. Built in a style reminiscent of early twentieth century Provence, this home is a picturesque escape for anyone looking to get away from the hectic city life.

Guests are greeted at the entryway by a beautifully crafted Ancient Limestone entryway that transports them out of Shady Canyon in Sothern California to the glorious days of Provence.

The designers continued this look through the incorporation of classic Brocante chandeliers and other design elements reminiscent of the 1800’s period. The views from every room look out onto the lake or the forests surrounding the home, making it a very private and natural experience. Other features of this home include a large kitchen with a gas stove and pantry. As well as a bedroom with a walk-in closet, master bath with separate shower and tub, in addition to classic furnishings that complete the look.

With its classic French style and modern amenities, this home is a fantastic example of constructing in tune with nature. Built directly on a hill top overseeing a golf course, it seamlessly blends its style with the natural surroundings of the area. Once inside, guests are never out of sight of the beauty that surrounds them. Combining classic French style with a Provence flair, the designers have created an atmosphere in this home to make this a dream house for anyone who visits it.

Another hard to believe reincarnations of this monumental and especially rare 12^th century antique Fireplace Mantle that has a disputed provenance. Like many salvaged elements that have been acquired from other dealers and non-cataloged private estate auctions this 900 years old fireplace (one of the oldest that we’ve handled) had to be restored and reinforced so it can be rendered to code. It now peacefully sits in the private 50 acers estate of an anonymous Coloradoan Billionaire who cherishes family time above all else.

Another 12 to 13^th century Mantle piece that has been salvaged from this private ruined manor back in 1985 awaiting with its other sisters the loving home that will house her once more.

Most probably the most famous home in America after the white house and Hearst Castle! The Doheny Mansion was built in the 1920’s and was home to more than 50 Hollywood blockbusters over the past 90 years. This national landmark (It’s actually a national park run by the California park rangers!) is estimated to be worth 2 Billion US Dollars.

This Empire style fireplace in this Italianate kitchen-living room first floor space was custom tailored for this home. The chairs and 1800’s stools are Spanish, and the light fixture was made by Florentine craftsmen.

For many years now, Ancient Surfaces has been blessed with World renowned stone fireplace commissions that will most definitely constitute the landmarks of tomorrow. We can only make that possible through the contributions and the patronage of our connoisseurs of clientele that will settle for nothing but the very best.

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French vs Italian beautiful fireplaces, a head to head match up you don’t wanna miss

An Antique fireplace mantel is doubtless the most momentous item of furniture that you’ll invest for your house because it’s a permanent fixture that will survive and fit any of the house remodeling and endless redecoration and style changes that a home will have to endure over its lifetime.

French Fireplace:

A French Mantel is identified by its quintessential finesse regardless of carving style and design period. They are a bit lower and deeper than those of the Italians.

All along the 15^th, 16^th, 17^th, and 18th centuries, the extravagant style of fireplaces were generally correlated with French mantels and characterized by floral carvings,

detailed coats of arms and focused more on ‘story telling’. This genre of Neo-classical style came to lead during the reign of Louis XVI.

Ancient Surfaces’ wide gallery of fireplaces contains a trove of French and Italian antique limestone mantel fireplaces which is considered by many expert to be one of the world most significant in both size and importance.

Here’s an antique limestone mantle above was salvaged from France and was raised by a hearth to perfectly fit an existing fireplace box in California.

As for the style of mantles goes, the most sought after are 14^th to 17^th century gems that are Southern Italian, Tuscan or French Bastide also called French Farmhouse of Countryside fireplace which are characterized by their simplicity.