From the Game of Thrones to Majorca, a Powder Room journey from the fictional to the unexplored.
Game of Thrones, The Stark’s Sink
Similar to the many sinks featured in the epic HBO series Game of Thrones, this Norman invasion Era sink from the South of Europe is one of the few surviving limestone sink elements of that time period. It holds true testimonial to the utilitarian and functional design style during the 11th century. Historically speaking, The Normans (similar to their fictional counterparts) conquered the best part of Europe and have reached the most Southern tip of Europe close to 1,000 years ago. The Starks are not far behind in the conquest of their realm. It’s no surprising that their wardrobe, architecture and every day tools and wears reminds us of the Tudors and the Normans to a great extent.
In Her Majesty Secret Service
What would have a George the 5th style sink looked like during the post war era! This sink above can actually be in one of James Bonds own personal safe houses in London or beyond as envisioned by Ian Fleming. Can someone say Skyfall?
The Saladinian
John Saladino created and realized this masterpiece above in his own private villa in Santa Barbara that he meticulously worked on for more than 10 years. This romantic ruined Tuscan countryside style powder room is a superb mix from the American school of the golden age during the 1920’s and the Southern Italian Renaissance. This 17th century Italian marble sink carries the architects fascination with history and his personal connection to the Italian Middle Renaissance.
La Bastide De Marie
As the Name suggests this shallow Medieval French limestone trough reminds us of the very famous Provencal bed and breakfast called ‘La Bastide De Marie’. This Best kept secret of Provence has taken the world by storm and has attracted many of this world’s famed and fortuned who openly professed to have spent the best time of their lives in this French Bohemian wonder.
The Hampton Provençal Escape
True to New York own cultural pedigree, architectural antiques infusions has been an integral part of the big apple’s interior design scene since at least the early 1800’s. This Oolitic (with a double ‘o’ that’s no typo!) French limestone trough sink added the needed balance to this elegant checker boarded new Hampton powder room.
The Merchant of Venice
Full of history and intrigue, old world charm and sophistication this powder room offers a monolithic limestone block as its sink, coupled with the ‘Millennium Limestone’ planks on the floor and a golden leaf artichoke shaped pendant light down its ceiling. This simple hand etched modern looking sink seems to fit well in place with its creative surroundings.
If These Stones could talk…
Really! what would they say? What journey have they traversed for them to land into this traditional French Cottage home? The drama is completed with the 2” thick foundation vanity slabs, a 22″x16″ antique limestone trough sink together with their reclaimed Biblical Stone backsplash are all supported by a row of salvaged 19th century rough iron balcony balustrades from the South of France.
One Night in Casablanca
Who haven’t watched Dr.Zhivago? Who wasn’t moved by the surrealism of Casablanca? A fusion of a dying ottoman empire and a Southern Spanish Andalusian style with touches of late 19th Century British Victorian, is enough to make anyone wanting to pack their bags to the shores of this North Africa nation.
The San Simeon
Keeping true to Randolph Hearst vision of an authentically reclaimed Mediterranean villa, this brilliantly designed 15th century Spanish style planter sink was custom tailored in height and width to fit into this dreamy powder room in Lake Norman, North Carolina.
Mizners Pride
The old Spanish Colonial revival style architect, Addison Mizner would have easily designed and constructed an entire south Floridian mansion based on this original 13th century Spanish wash basin and pedestal sink. This brilliant powder room above seemed to have been inspired by this pioneer architect himself. What we would do just to see the look on his face after seeing one of our design element dedicate to his genius…
Ibiza at Home
Fun under the sun, a perpetual party and an unquenchable thirst for being alive is what most of us associate with the Iberian island of Ibiza. Few however, attributes this splendid retreat with her rich and diverse architectural tradition. This beautiful photo features an antique hand carved marble shell shaped sink that seems to be pulled out of the depth of the deep blue Mediterranean Sea. The turquoise, emerald and cobalt colored tiles shown in its back splash have been reclaimed and restored for this specific powder room.
The ‘Great Gatsby’
A sink design that embodies the artist Erté and his Art Deco, the Roaring 20’s, the Charleston Era and the never ending party as portrayed in Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’. This marble sink carries in its simple masculine form this early 1900‘s Theodor Roosevelt ‘can do’ spirit. Its antique etched stone ‘Kronos Stone’ backs plash creates an amazing contrast of smooth and rough, beige and grey tonality mirroring the duality of opulence and hardship as experienced in America during the 1900’s to the 1930’s
The Mortar, the Pestle, and the Powder Room
You can’t mention stone reclamation and re-purposing in one sentence without resorting to the mental flashback of the ancestral mortar and pestle cookware that have been since the 1700’s reused as vegetables prep sinks and powder room sinks across European and Colonial American kitchens of all styles. The photo above portrays such a monumental stone mortar sink installed in a contemporary powder room setting.
A Heart in Majorca 
What is Majorca? The best way to describe Majorca is that first and foremost it’s a state of mind which also happens to be a real geographical destination, a cultural melting pot and a fusion in styles and design spanning across the millennia. Situated between North Africa and the South of Europe, Majorca is a symbol of cultural understanding and civilizational co-existence if there was ever one. Majorcan culture merges European architectural tradition with Gothic, Grecian and Moroccan influences. This rich tapestry of finely weaved architecture was the creative mind behind the crafting of such wonderful sinks. This Majorcan sink above would be perfectly suited in any Asian, Tropical, Mediterranean or Coastal powder room design.
The Napoleonic Exile
Ever wondered what Napoleon villa in the island of Elba would have looked like? The self-proclaimed emperor never met the fate of the countless other dethroned emperors that have littered the dunes across the sands of time… Such simply carved marble sink have mushroomed across Europe in the early 19th Century and have become a staple of French ‘Empire style’ sinks.
All on Board, the Orient Express
Those decorative sinks are witnesses of a Bygone era. The golden age of the British Empire have reached its apex during the advent of the locomotive. Those railed beasts were accredited to making planet earth a smaller planet for the first time ever in its history. Overnight, the hidden treasures of Asia and the forgotten carved elements of Anatolia could be found in a week’s notice in the curiosity markets of south Kensington and New Bonds streets in London until their migration into the halls and research labs of the British Museum. Sinks like the one shown in this photo can be seen as true timepieces. Even though they don’t tell time in the traditional sense, they’ve encapsulated the spirit of tradesmanship and mercantilism of the 18th and 19th century in the post ‘East Indian Trading Company’ era. Luckily to our clientele, timepieces such as this sink can still be found at Ancient Surfaces who has diligently restored and refurbished dozens of them back to their formal glory over the years.
Modern Neolithic
For the early man, stone was everything. From building blocks that could shelter him, to primitive shrines that looked like early stepped pyramids, stone was man’s first raw material that was fully adaptive and willing to take the shape and function needed by its creator. Raw and unfinished, bold and none apologetic are some of the adjectives that come to mind when you gaze at our Neolithic looking dimensional block sinks installed in ultra-modern technologically superior powder baths. This meeting of two separate worlds that cannot be more diametrically opposed, seems to be so natural and complimentive.
The Saint Bernard De Clairvaux Snk
The moment you see this sink silent hymns and Gregorian chants start running in your mind. As the name suggests, the Saint Bernard de Clairvaux sink takes you back in time to Spanish and French monasteries from the 11th century. New York in the late 1800’s have witnessed an unprecedented period of wealth shortly followed by a serious patronage of art not seen since the golden age of the European renaissance.
The St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church is a medieval Spanish monastery cloister which was built in the town of Sacrameni in Segovia, Spain, in the 12th Century but dismantled in the 20th century and shipped to New York where to this day it can be seen by the millions of tourists who flock into the city yearly. Following in the same footsteps as those visionary patrons of art, one can now claim such unique fragments as the one seen in this photo above thanks to the diligent stone restorers of Ancient Surfaces.
The Cottage Wall Fountain 
This beautiful limestone wall fountain sink has been custom carved by one of our seasoned artisans following the exact proportions of an original Provencal wall fountain sink that has been reclaimed by our team a number of years ago. This piece now sits in a loving home in paradise valley, Arizona where the owner cherishes it and avidly entertains her guests with the historical journey behind it.
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