Antique Limestone Mantles: Where Hearth Meets History

In the cozy corners of homes, where families gather and stories unfold, there’s an unsung hero that stands as a testament to time: the antique limestone mantle. With each curve, crevice, and chiseled mark, these mantles whisper tales from centuries past, beckoning us to listen.

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Crafted from the very bones of the earth, limestone mantles have cradled the warmth of countless hearths, bearing witness to intimate family moments, fervent discussions, and silent contemplations. Their presence is more than just functional; it’s a bridge to bygone eras, a tangible touch of history in our modern abodes.

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Ancient craftsmanship shines through in every piece. The meticulous carvings, the artful designs, and the subtle patina that only time can bestow, all speak of an age when creation was a labor of love. And in today’s world, where machine-made often overshadows handcrafted, these antique limestone mantles stand out, exuding an authenticity that’s both rare and revered.

But the allure of these mantles isn’t just in their appearance. It’s in the stories they hold. Imagine the generations that have huddled around them, seeking warmth, sharing tales, celebrating milestones, or simply basking in the comfort of silence. Each mantle, in its own way, has been a silent participant in these moments, absorbing the echoes of laughter, the warmth of embraces, and the weight of tears.

Living room mantle decor
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Contemporary living room mantles
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Incorporating an antique limestone mantle into your space is not just about aesthetics; it’s about embracing a piece of history. It’s a nod to the artisans who poured their soul into creating it and to the generations who once called it their own. And in doing so, you’re not just decorating a room; you’re enriching it with stories, memories, and a touch of timeless elegance.

Fireplace mantles
Mantle designs
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Stone mantles
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In the dance of design, where trends come and go, antique limestone mantles remain eternal, gracefully waltzing through time. And as you add your chapter to its ongoing story, you’re reminded that true beauty, much like history, never fades.

Schedule a call with Ancient Surfaces team in order to secure your antique fireplace mantel.

Come visit our interactive digital online catalog

Call us at: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588

Sales@AncientSurfaces.com

The Warmth of Elegance: Limestone Fireplaces and the Italian Design Legacy

In the grand tapestry of design, certain threads stand out for their timeless appeal and enduring elegance. Today, we weave together these threads to explore the beauty of limestone fireplaces for villas, inspired by the rich legacy of Italian design and architecture.

Classic design of an antique limestone fireplace mantle, a masterpiece by Ancient Surfaces
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The fireplace, often the heart of a villa, is more than a source of warmth. It is a focal point, a gathering place, a storyteller. And when crafted from limestone, it becomes a piece of art, a testament to the timeless beauty of natural stone. Ancient Surfaces, with their unparalleled craftsmanship, brings this art to life in their collection of limestone fireplaces.

Handcrafted ancient limestone fireplace mantle showcasing timeless beauty by Ancient Surfaces
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Imagine a fireplace, its surface adorned with the intricate patterns of the Georgian Style. The symmetry and balance of this design style, inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, lends a sense of harmony and order to the space. The limestone’s natural variations in color and texture add depth and character, creating a visual narrative that captivates the senses.

Exquisite detailing on this antique limestone fireplace mantle, a gem from Ancient Surfaces
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Maritime Hotel NYC

Now, picture a fireplace that embodies the elegance of Neo-classical design. The clean lines and simple forms of this style contrast beautifully with the rugged beauty of the limestone. The result is a fireplace that is both modern and timeless, a fusion of the past and the present.

Majestic ancient limestone fireplace mantle, a testament to time by Ancient Surfaces
Reclaimed Limestone Mantles
Old Stone Mantles
Salvaged Architectural Elements

But the beauty of limestone fireplaces extends beyond the confines of the villa. They transition seamlessly to outdoor spaces, their charm enhanced by the natural surroundings. The limestone coping, with its durability and versatility, makes it an ideal choice for outdoor fireplaces. Whether it’s a cozy patio or a grand outdoor living room, these Antique Limestone Mantles add a touch of rustic elegance that blends effortlessly with the natural landscape.

Rustic charm of an antique limestone fireplace mantle, a signature piece by Ancient Surfaces
Reclaimed Limestone Mantles
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Salvaged Architectural Elements

In the realm of design, certain styles have a unique ability to transport us to a different time and place. The Baroque and Gothic design styles, with their ornate details and dramatic forms, evoke a sense of history and grandeur. The Versailles patterns, with their intricate geometric designs, add a layer of sophistication and complexity. And the Sarrasine fireplaces, with their distinctive French charm, bring a touch of romance and elegance.

Historical and ornate ancient limestone fireplace mantle curated by Ancient Surfaces
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Elegant antique limestone fireplace mantle by Ancient Surfaces
Custom Carved Limestone Mantles
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A piece of history- antique limestone fireplace mantle, beautifully preserved by Ancient Surfaces
Custom Carved Limestone Mantles
Hand Carved Mantles
Intricately Carved Architectural Elements

Time-worn beauty of an ancient limestone fireplace mantle, handpicked by Ancient Surfaces

Reclaimed Limestone Mantles
Old Stone Mantles
Salvaged Architectural Elements
Maritime Hotel NYC

Intricate carvings on ancient limestone fireplace mantle from Ancient Surfaces collection

Custom Carved Limestone Mantles
Hand Carved Mantles
Intricately Carved Architectural Elements

Come visit our interactive digital online catalog

Call us at: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588

Sales@AncientSurfaces.com

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)

gmg-bahama-house-inn-harbour-island-1009485

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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Deck your fireplace during Christmas

A fireplace is often a focal point already, but when holidays come, it takes on added significance —with Santa coming down the chimney and all. Encircle your Christmas stockings with mantel decorations to suit the holiday spirit. Once your fireplace is cheerful, it’s time to light a fire, sit back with a glass of wine and soak up that heart-warming feeling of the holidays at home.
A fireplace is always on display, but this time of year it’s especially under the spot lights, with friends and family warming up in front of a roaring fire or huddling in the living room for an evening of games or movies. The stone mantel, which usually is an added value actor throughout the year, lands a starring role around the holidays, with beautiful, stockings and string lights draped across it.
Here’s few of Ancient surfaces mantel fireplaces decorated in a very stunning way to add Christmas spirit into the room

92035061_o — A mostly white color palette with pottery, tea lights and snowflakes contrasts dark foliage and garlands. Looks beautifully matched with the Christmas tree. Gives feeling of warmth.

sedona 003 — The stone fireplace shown in here follows a Romanesque Revival or, more specifically, Romanesque style. Located in the home’s formal living room, it has a very robust and masculine look.

sedona 101 — A French Provence Antique Limestone Fireplace adorned by Garlands, flanked by stockings and decorated with Mistletoe, Red Roses and Christmas shrubbery.

P1250441 — Natural greenery, wreaths, candles, silver, gold and white … white bee lights covers this beautifully cared mantel stone fireplace that sets a truly Christmas spirit for this room.

c2fa8f4f1e8c31782350a1e97d7b4af0 — Very simple and clean fireplace, very warm yellow lights are dispersed around the fireplace and on the stove along with reindeer and a tiny Christmas tree to create a special mood and get into the Christmas holiday feeling.

DSC_0388-b — A traditional Southern Italian Fireplace with a Baroque Puglia Style Christmas Decoration focused on Angelic Cherub decoration and Sicilian ceramic in the Majolica Melograno style

DSC_0417-c — An Authentic French Pyrénée mountains Fireplace carved in the style known locally as the “Cheminee Montagnard Des Pyrénées” finished with a minimalist natural garlands, wine flasks, organic homemade Bees wax candles and an antique Candelabrum.

Come visit our interactive digital online catalog

Call us at: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588

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Simple vs. Classical Beauties. which fireplaces will you choose?

They say nothing lasts forever, but we all know that one can own a few items that may last for generations to come. No, we’re not talking about a girl’s best friend to quote Marline Monroe. Even though our stones can’t be worn on your wrists or fingers, they still can be a crowd pleaser none the less. Installing an antique limestone fireplace in your family room can be the one design element that everyone in your family agrees with and is comforted by especially when it starts raining or snowing outside.

Pedigree (History and Provenance) of the fireplace aside, what design elements one should consider when selecting a fireplace that may last you a lifetime in some cases?

You always need to keep in mind that your fireplace selection will have to be a permanent fixture in your home and is supposed to live through any design change your room or home will be going through in the future. What would you rather go for? A well carved fireplace or a simply hand carved one? Let’s consider the positive aspects of both choices and see how they may pertain to your taste buds.

Fully carved stone mantles:

When considering a fully hand carved limestone fireplace close your eyes and think of a complex and rich multi-layered ‘Taurasi’ wine blend from ‘Campania’ that’s been well aged in oak barrels.

What nuances would your eyes savor? Can you envision tasting the Southern Italian Baroque acanthus leaves free flowing on this mantle corbeled sides or the rich and velvety pallet of the sprawling and spiraling vined foliage that can grace the front face of your unique fireplace?

Can you imagine the glowing heat radiating from inside the stone built firebox of such a captivating mantle? The reflected shadow of the flame dancing on the medieval carved limestone coupled with the intoxicating sound on the flickering burning wood becoming one with the melody of slowly decanted bottle of Barolo from Piedmont…

If you picture yourself in that frame, allow yourself to be captured by an antique well carved limestone fireplace that’s been salvaged from centuries old Renaissance or Baroque castles by Ancient Surfaces.

A fully carved fireplace of that era will define the look of your entire room and anchor your whole house with an authentic design persona.

Simple carved Fireplace:

Simply carved fireplaces allow visual evenhandedness between styles, finish patina and shade of the room and the stone of the fireplace. In a simple fireplace the design focus shifts from the carving to the actual antique limestone itself as it becomes the predominant design feature of the mantel instead of its minimal carved elements.

When it’s simple it goes with everything else right? Well yes that is true, but one has to be careful that going with everything doesn’t turn into a disappearing act where the mantle itself totally blends with its environment in the same way a window frame blends with the wall.

Simple architectural fireplaces when realized symmetrically and when created and carved under the golden ratio and the golden mean will carry more of a creative punch than most of its other ornately carved counterparts. Minimalism when portrayed in well-defined and harmonic ratios, guarantees you a powerful visual output and a soothing organic feel that will satisfy your design vision for that space.

With a simple yet elegant antique hand carved fireplace you’ll be looking more at the architecture, structure and patina of the fireplace and how its various component simply integrate together with your space.

As a wise man once said: “the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.” William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347)

Come visit our interactive digital online catalog

Call us at: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588

Sales@AncientSurfaces.com

Antique stone fireplace elements as seen in our architectural catalog

Antique Limestone Fireplace Circa 14th century

This Online catalog selection featuring some of our captivating antique limestone fireplaces were taken from our own printed fireplace catalog from 2011 to 2016.

One of a kind antique limestone fireplace hundreds of years old reclaimed and restored by hand, shipped from Spain to a French castle in the Dordogne region close to the Limousine national forest.

A captivating antique Limestone Fireplace that features an over mantle or a ‘trumeaux’ as its called in French.

A lovely antique stone fireplace with an etched Cross motif on its midsection. This Cross is known as the Maltese Cross.

A finely carved crest of two lions flanking a Medici vase is the main characteristic of this antique 15th century fireplace.

A beige limestone antique fireplace dating back to the 17th century. This lovely stone mantle was restored to its formed glory by the capable hands of our professional artisans who had to change and beef up its top shelf and extend its legs.

This antique Italian beige limestone fireplace was supplied, restored and installed for this charming private Italian Villa. Over the years, the list of our clientele has grown into the thousands and reads like a Forbes 500 list.

Both our clients and competitors admire the rarity and uniqueness of our one of a kind Antique Fireplace Mantles that we salvage and carefully (and sometime painstakingly) restore back to their original splendor without defacing the time honored patina that those pieces have acquired during their temporal journey since their hand carving centuries ago.

We are trying to move with the times by making our entire Yard stocks becoming digitally available for online viewing.

This massive undertaking required tens of thousands of man hours worth of documentation, data entry, archiving and classifications.

We’ll be keeping everyone updated on this herculean undertaking as the months or even maybe years role by!

To learn more about those fascinating and unique architectural gems as well as their hand carved exact replicas feel free to please contact us through our website at Ancient Surfaces.

Reclamation Images

Call us at: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588

Sales@AncientSurfaces.com

Come visit our interactive digital online catalog

Call us at: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588

Sales@AncientSurfaces.com

7 Simple yet Elegant Antique Stone Fireplaces

A simple fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with herringbone brick inlay into the firebox.

This simple limestone carved fireplace is Tuscan in design installed with a thick stone hearth ad terracotta bricks. Running bond brick are inlay inside the firebox.

A simple French fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with herringbone firebox bricks. — A simple French fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with horizontal and vertical running bond firebox bricks.

Another Italian inspired simple fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with a benched raised stone hearth. — Another Italian inspired simple fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with an inserted, benched, raised stone hearth.

A simple Tudor fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with herringbone bricks lining the insides of this gas burning firebox. — A simple Tudor fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with herringbone bricks, lining the insides of this gas burning firebox.

This Italian countryside fireplace was hand carved out of hard limestone installed with an interesting herringbone firebox and running bond brick lines. — This Italian countryside fireplace was hand carved out of limestone & installed with an interesting crisscross herringbone pattern.

The Mariana Fireplace — A unique hand carved limestone fireplace coupled with its own custom seating bench. Ideal for outdoor settings, and family rooms. The middle Floral is an old European symbol of the Virgin Mary, is carved and mounted on a the middle keystone.

We still consider ourselves apprentices who are in constantly pursuit of perfecting our craft by learning more and more about our past and how to better merge it with our present contemporary setting because once you stop learning about your roots and origins you stop caring about your future projection and stop growing as a company or as individuals.

To learn more please visit our Website at: http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html

or call our sales office at: 212-461-0245

The Perfect Feng Shui stone fireplace by Ancient Surfaces

To learn more please visit our Website at: http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html

Our deep knowledge and experience in hand carving, sourcing and installing antique limestone fireplaces isn’t restricted to European style fireplaces.

Gothic Tudor style fireplaces that contain very little to no decorative carvings are perfect candidates for any Asiatic, Feng Shui Style home.

Phone: 212-461-0245 // 212-913-9588

Sales@ancientsurfaces.com

Modern Rustic Bedrooms Fireplaces

we wanted to shine some light on these beautiful bedrooms inspired by the same classic styles of Architectural Digest Magazine and Veranda Magazine. Only this time the subtle and sophisticated take on modern classic decor is distinguished and gives us a glimpse of hope in making this beautiful era relative to our contemporary and multi-cultural lives.

some of their furniture shown in those images only appears ancient because of the antique aging process and hand-waxed lacquer finish but the detail in craftsmanship is undeniable so we won’t hold that against them. Using metallic fabrics and bold color in unexpected places while remaining true to the idiosyncratic fashion of the old world is simply a great combination for any period room. Wouldn’t it be grand to wake up in one of these royal-sized beds with the sun shining into your massive french windows as you examine the finishing touches of such flawlessly elaborate architecture and ponder the meaning of life? We’d like to think so…

Here you will see Baroque and Medieval inspired bedrooms with a modern flair. We only hope you come back to reality soon enough to enjoy our next post!