Who amongst us haven’t dreamt of teleporting an authentic Provence room from the pages of your favorite French farmhouse magazine directly into your home?

People are getting inspired once more by the charm of the French country side after being bombarded for decades by this tired sterile cold ‘Modern’ décor which has been too popular in recent years.

Dominated by unnatural building elements and materials, modernism, as we know it, seem to have taken a life of its own. Instead of complimenting and integrating architectural wisdom and practices a transmutated in its latest incarnations into an absurd world of surrealism that almost feels and none conducive to humans, their nature and their older of natural evolution.

Reconnecting with the time-honored rustic farmhouse style of living starts with an internal drive to rediscover the wisdom of past centuries. For some this means starting small, a little antique limestone in the backsplash, spending more time in your outdoors, growing a small herbal garden, or learning how to ferment your own pickles and vegetables.

No matter where it starts, know that your home design will certainly influence the way you think, communicate, and connect with family members and the rest of the world around you.

Many are afraid to compound superfluous elements in the style of their homes, in fear of having too much of a good thing. Farmhouse living can be done with only a few accents at a time, in order to avoid a staging effect. Those who’ve lived with our authentic elements and experienced our passion for them can tell you first hands that Ancient Surfaces is not your typical architectural stone outlet.

A Provence home is synonyms with lavender fields and bright sunshine, cobble stones and henhouses, outdoor potato sinks and citrus trees. There are many elements that create a French country style and give the interior a warm and lively style. The style of the French countryside and its decor are particularly warm and welcoming.

The predominant colors in the French countryside style are those of the solar spectrum to yellow soft gold, brick, red, light turquoise green, cobalt blue and soft colors of the ocean. This color palette should be the companion to every successful French Brocante, Bastide or Campagne style house.

The glossy black and matte gray highlight the bright colors and accessories. Wooden furniture and Rusty fixtures have a warm, muted patina and wonderful lines. An important element of the French country décor are natural materials. The walls plasters in light pastel colors, heavy antique wood beams on the ceiling and walls, delicately curved stone elements, all together create a simple and elegant Provence style.

No real French country style is ever achieved without a stone fireplace, lined with herringbone limestone bricklettes inside the firebox. Dried herbs, copper kettles and other metal utensils like metal pokers are fixed to the sidewalls of the chimney stone surround.

The architectural elements such as the antique wall cladding and stone floors and ceiling wood beams form the backbone of the French country style.

No rooms in the French country style are decorated without an armoire to store clothes, sheets, towels, bowls, pans and plates. The large table in the dining room should be rectangular or round with a matt or gloss varnish very soft. Simple carving details adorn the chairs in the dining room and living room. The chairs have leather folders or vertical slats.

It’s a fact that no designers but working for over 40 years with some of the brightest and most talented names in this industry, have left us in ‘Awe’ of their creative genius. This unique connection has honed our eyes, opened our hearts and trained our senses to smell, touch, see and feel what it is to be Provence.

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Most of our clients are quite stunned to learn that all our projects rival one another in uniqueness and beauty. The post below is an article in a magazine “Campagne Decoration”” featuring our restoration of a french farmhouse style home that most agree is a treat to look at.

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

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