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.

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

If your house is reminiscent of an outdated European villa, you wouldn’t wish to choose something like concrete Decking that is more appropriate for a modern soho gallery setting.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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20 Fabulous Fireplaces you’ll want To Cozy Up Next to This Winter

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. Let it rain snow and hail outside so our mantels can warm you up with style. There is nothing better than a cup of hot coco in front of a warm fire after a long day in the cold!

Our fireplaces are custom-designed to accommodate you and your loved ones. Thinking about having some peace of mind and a good read? Where else then around a stone state of the art fireplace.

Scroll through the different fireplace designs and let yourself fall in love in our stone mantels, guaranteed to keep you warm.

French Rustic mantel fireplace vignette in an exposed wood ceiling living room.


: A French-Victorian mix design will throw your heart and mind into a wonderful world of “make believe” right in your own home.


: A roaring fire warms up the living room, with green and white detailed throw pillow as a compliment to the glowing embers. Limestone Coats of Arms emblems, antique limestone flooring, renaissance painting and classical Provence furniture were all enlisted for this ‘job well done’ design.

cadre-traditionnel-pour-cheminee-pierre-3732-3365883 — A captivating antique limestone fireplace that features an over mantle or a “trumeaux” as it’s called in French. The fireplace back wall butts to the kitchen hood and stove on the other side, flanked by two classical French countryside reclaimed wooden doors.

610x810_Quality97_610x810_Quality97_ad_03 — Majestic french Baroque Renaissance Mix Fireplace. The back wall was filled with the ancient ‘Kronos’ Wall limestone blocks. See more of our Kronos Stone Walls here: http://www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Flat-Wall-Stone-Cladding.html


: This French heavy carved majestic fireplace is the focal point in this master bedroom.

ci_charles-faudree-interiors_pg_117_fireplace-mantel-stone_v_jpg_rend_hgtvcom_1280_1707 — Beautiful reclaimed French Fireplace Mantel from the South of France installed in a cozy living room.


: Rustic Provence look. Each architectural element in this picture has a story of its own and has witnessed a different angle of our rich human history.


: The Combination of antique chairs, basalt table and stone fireplace seem to just work flawlessly together. The various indoor plants next to the mantel look perfect in their weathered urns.


: A simple and clean line Antique Fireplace Mantle with Over mantle by Ancient Surfaces.


: Old World Mediterranean, Italian home decor with a wide open indoor outdoor setting.


: A Beautiful Architectural Bedroom with an Italian Fireplace in a Laguna Beach Master Bedroom.

salon Antique Fireplace en Agen Sold from our Loir Stock to the owner — Installed ancient fireplace mantle in a french Provence style home. The Antique Kronos Limestone Blocks were chosen as the reclaimed wall stone cladding that covered the entire indoor-outdoor wall veneer of this beautiful French farmhouse cottage. To learn more about this unique product please visit this page here: www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Flat-Wall-Stone-Cladding.html

Captura de pantalla 2014-11-04 a las 10.52.38 — This Italian limestone fireplace mantel blends in perfectly with the room soft Italian countryside atmosphere and style.


: Gorgeous, cozy Italian Villa lounge room with a fully carved Italian fireplace that makes you want to just sit there and marvel.


: Hand carved French limestone fireplace mantel from the 17th Century. This small whimsical side fireplace nook makes you wonder how much attention to details has gone into the meticulous design of this beautiful and time honored estate.

Camina_D'Ese_1 — Another inspiring Antique Italian fireplace that is marked by the use of the golden ratio in its carving centuries ago.

A beautiful 16th Century French fireplace with a sunning overmantle photographed during the renovation of this classical French castle.

fireplace_by_kime — A Beautifully hand carved traditional 18th century Italian Limestone fireplace.

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Outdoor Stone Fireplace Ideas that will make you sizzle

Are you having problems coming up with the right design ideas for your outdoor stone fireplace?

Do you feel like what’s out there on the market looks so cookie cutter and low quality that it could cheapen instead of enrich your backyard experience?

If you are hoping to include a unique looking stone fireplace into your wild outdoors you just might be in luck.

Installing a real elegant stone fireplace could be a step in the right direction. Tired of the same ole copy paste Slam Depot stacked stone ‘fireplace kits’ that are “so easy you can install them yourself”?!

They are quite frankly the saddest thing to look at and are littered across the dot-com world that import all sorts of substandard goods guaranteed not to impress you nor enrich your outdoor living experience.

Poof! So glad we got that out of our system for a change. So now back to our regular dose of kumbaya and political correctness…

Here are some real Outdoor Stone Fireplace Masterpieces that deserve to be in your Backyard and should be worthy of setting the stage for your upcoming best memories you’ll be creating with your love ones.

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Top 10 most beautiful ancient fireplace

Sometimes functional items are designed so beautifully that they blur the line between architecture and art. The stone fireplace surrounds in our collection are beautifully hand carved ancient works of art.
As the evenings growing colder, no wonder many of us start turning on the glow of their beloved fireplaces. Many of us think that it might be a little too late to remodel their fireplaces and replace them with the real deal. Well, think again! With some extra motivation fueled by your desire to enjoy your winter season in a European flair, you can have your own masterpiece.

Here are the top 10 most beautiful, inspiring, ancient and cozy fireplaces that maybe still within your grasp:

342N1314 — Our primal connection to art and fire have gone hand-in-hand ever since cavemen created art on the walls of caves by firelight. This mantel fireplace gives a feeling to be simultaneously ancient and modern.

0-la-fi-hotprop-laguna-beach-compound-20141209 — The sculptural elements of this classic fireplace rival anything I saw in the castles of Europe or France! It makes you want to relax in front of the fire while listening to Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto Number 3 in G Major.” That music always makes me feel uplifted in spirit, and I think it fits the fireplace.

Bahia Serena - Newport Beach — This splendid Italian 16th century stone fireplace mantle has been restored sold and shipped to the Americas were it was installed by a team of professional master masons that have perfected to installation process down to a science

This amazing fireplace was custom designed for the client and hand carved from stone. I would listen to Bach again, but this time it would have to be “Tocata and Fugue in D Minor,” a much heavier piece.

2996700671_e202eab866_a-small — This stunning French limestone fireplace mantel was realized in the Provence style and was the main feature of this frugal French farmhouse in Provence.

total-1 — This stunning French limestone fireplace mantel was realized in the Provence style and was the main feature of this frugal French farmhouse in Provence.

Camina Di Massa-3 — This simply designed French fireplace making tradition of the 18th and 17th centuries. Its classical simplicity speaks volumes about the period in which it was conceived.

Reclaimed Mantle-Suzan-L-03 — Selecting the right piece of stone and choosing the direction of placement shows off a stunningly beautiful natural work of art. It’s an ancient piece of stone, yet it reads like a contemporary abstract painting with all the artistic carvings.

greatroom1a — This is a unique Louis XV limestone fireplace from Provence dating back to the 17th century.

Montecito-034 — Baroque and Medieval inspired bedroom fireplace with a modern flair.

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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)

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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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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

Our Salvaging Yard 50 years in the making.

Vignettes of our architectural antique stone elements in our showrooms and yards.

Architectural antiques contemplation. — Architectural antiques contemplation as featured in one of our clients homes in Belgium… By Ancient Surfaces.

It is no secret that we carry one of the worlds most massive and varied range stock of reclaimed stone architectural elements such as garden ornaments stone pavers, limestone fireplaces antique stone sinks and much more.

We are trying to move with the times by making our entire Yard stocks becoming digitally available for online viewing. We hope that one day we can also show most of our published projects that now neighbor in the low hundreds.

Our antique stone yards are a true sight to behold since they look like lost cities out of temporal and physical continuum.

We don’t meant to go all Philosophical on you on a blog but we do find it hard to pick the right words to describe our reclaimed finds.

At the end of the day it’s now what we amass but what we transfer and how much we help to safeguard to the next generation hoping that each generation that follows may some day have the appreciation, respect and passion for what came before it.

Till that moment a significant segment of our written, painted, carved and cataloged human heritage will have to be preserved by conscientious patrons that will respect and preserve those pieces of art down their lineage.

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

Come visit our interactive digital online catalog

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

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Antique Stone Fireplace Ideas to be featured in our upcoming catalog

Antique stone fireplace by Ancient Surfaces. Ideas and examples from our upcoming online catalog.
http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html

Antique stone fireplace by Ancient Surfaces. Ideas and examples from our upcoming online catalog.
http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html

Antique stone fireplace by Ancient Surfaces. Ideas and examples from our upcoming online catalog. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html — Antique stone fireplace by Ancient Surfaces. Ideas and examples from our upcoming online catalog.
http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html

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