When you close your eyes and imagine a dwelling built many centuries ago, what do you see? Are you transported to a romantic medieval castle in the south of France or a quaint farmhouse nestled in the rolling hills of Tuscany? Maybe you envision a villa set high above the jagged coastline of the Mediterranean Sea or a thatched roof cottage hidden within the mystical forests of England? Let your imagination take you further. Can you feel the undulating smoothness of the plaster, the roughness of the massive wooden beams, and the coolness of the rugged chiseled stone? How does it make you feel to be embraced by natural beauty so alive and steeped with character that there is no need for further embellishment or decoration? These visions represent the splendor of natural building materials.

Clay, wood and stone; their combined visage has the ability to whisk you away to another time and place. Their presence alone emits a tangible energy that no man-made material has ever been able to rival. Once upon a time, long ago, the only way to truly experience these architectural examples was to pack your bags, grab your passport and hop aboard the next transatlantic flight. Now you need only to pick up your car keys and drive to the nearest luxury home development, most likely just down the road.

When clients come to me with the desire to create a “new old house” I know instinctively that natural stone will play a pivotal role in achieving the look and feel they are after. To be successful in recreating an authentic period style home, the best choice is always “the real thing” or antiquated materials that have been carefully reclaimed from pre-existing Old World structures. Unfortunately, the costs associated with these salvaged materials can be quite staggering. For those of us working within a more realistic budget, the next best thing then becomes a reproduction material. Thankfully manufacturers have become increasingly talented at the process of replicating the look and feel of aged stone. Through innovative processes such as tumbling, chiseling, guillotine-cutting, acid-washing, bush-hammering, wire-brushing, sand- blasting, etching, and attention to details such as historically accurate random setting patterns, homeowners now have at their fingertips a wealth of material from which to convey the appearance of stone that has seemingly endured a lifetime of wear.

The incorporation of muted slabs, intricate mosaics, and reclaimed architectural elements are just the beginning of the long road to creating a historically accurate dwelling. There will be endless details to explore, scrutinize and attend to, but beginning the process with natural stone will provide a solid foundation upon which to build. Architects and designers fully understand that not every homeowner aspires to create an authentic reproduction of a centuries old dwelling. Most hope simply to capture the essence of a bygone era. Stone, characteristically associated with these classic designs, brings with it the intrinsic beauty and vibrant energy necessary to emulate this feeling. With a little imagination and determination, homeowners now have the ability to create private residences that will be become the “new old homes” for future generations to enjoy and aspire to. Below are tips that will help create the look of age using natural stone. Take these ideas with you, expound upon them, add your own unique twist and create today’s history.

Tips for creating authentic style with stone
• Do your research. Visit authentic old homes in the region you hope to emulate if time and budget allows. If not, there are a plethora of wonderful books and magazines that will help guide your selections.
• Stay as true as possible to the chosen architectural style of your home by incorporating reclaimed materials from the era being replicated.
• Focus on the focal points. Placing one-of-a-kind architectural elements in these highly visual zones will allow your budget to stretch much further. These include pieces such as oversized vent hoods, fireplace surrounds, courtyard fountains, arches and columns.
• Include dramatic details such as inlaid rugs and medallions with a rich patina.
• Research historical tile patterns and seek out the ones best fit for your motif. Pay close attention to tile spacing, grout color and sealer finish to obtain the most realistic look.
• Avoid polished stones in favor of those that are matte finished, muted and appear worn.
• Select a simple edge profile or a rugged chiseled edge for stone slabs.
• For your floor, consider blending several stone colors such as ochre, cream and mushroom for a truly random look.
• Incorporate exposed stonewalls comprised of irregular sizes and shapes.
• Use plenty of texture and dimension in your design for a 3D effect.
Style-Specific Tips
Old World: For flooring choose large random payers that are chipped and worn or a very old looking stone, such as a dark and distressed un-filled travertine in a random pattern. Consider a honed or brushed stone for countertops including travertine, limestone, marble or granite. Use muted mosaics and decorative etched tiles as accents. Select a rustic field tile for the backsplash and insert real metal accents that feature an aged patina. Stick with earthy natural colors such as walnut, wheat, cocoa and cream.

English Cottage: Incorporate dark rugged slate for floors. For countertops, choose something soft and matte-finished such as soapstone, honed marble or limestone. On the backsplash, contrast dark countertops with light colored tiles complete with hand-painted accents of potted herbs and garden motifs. Maintain an earthy color palette.

French Cottage: Seek out authentic reclaimed French limestone for floors. Set rectangular tiles in a herringbone or staggered pattern. Blend thick wooden butcher block and soft colored limestone for countertops. On the splash, feature a hand-painted mural or textural mosaics that depict a pastoral scene such as a farm or vineyard. Blend earthy colors with bright shades of blue, red, yellow and green.

Tuscan Farmhouse: Use large irregular stone payers on the floor and aged marble slabs as the countertop. Incorporate rustic tiles and mosaics on the splash with scenes reminiscent of Tuscany such as hand-painted topiaries, olives, grapes or wildflowers. Use soft hues of ocher yellow, sienna, burnt umber, rust and sage.

Mediterranean Villa: On the floor, inset stone tiles between crisscrossing pickets of distressed wood. Also consider antiquate stone with clipped corners featuring brightly painted accent tiles. Dress back- splashes, vent hoods and stair risers with colorful hand-painted tiles that blend the colors of bright white, cobalt blue, sunshine yellow and rusty red.

Classic: Choose a timeless marble such as Carrara, Calacatta or Statuary for floors and stairs. Consider a black and white checkerboard motif. Use accent tiles for floors and walls that include classic designs such as egg and dart, acanthus leaf, Greek key and dentil. In the bath, choose marble set in a subway brick pattern and a matching hexagonal mosaic upon the floor.

Arts and Crafts: Consider dark slate for flooring. Feature a large fireplace of random stacked stone. Use a matte finished stone, such as slate or soapstone, for countertops. Dress the backsplash with tiles depicting nature including animals, insects, pastoral scenes and wildflowers. Keep colors quiet and earthy, including sage, olive, gold, russet and shades of brown.