May 2018 – Antique Fireplaces

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.