Design Concepts
Hand Planed Beams: Back In the Old World, rough timber was hand planed
with Scrub Planes to transform a rough board into a semi smooth, antiqued, distressed
timber. As it can be quite expensive importing timber from Europe, Ventoux
has developed a process using these Scrub Planes which by honing the blades a certain
way, creates an authentic timber with a rich Patina once yellowed and stained.
Yellowing and Staining: Ventoux has created a proprietary method of yellowing and staining timbers, doors and cabinets, using a special blend that creates a beautiful antique Patina that looks hundreds of years old.
Exquisite Flooring: Ventoux has available some of the most unique
and original flooring materials that will truly complement the home. Examples of
these are: French Dalle De Bourgogne 1000 year old limestone, French Parafiulle pavers,
Salinas pavers from Spain, Biblical Limestone from Italy and Pecan hand scraped
hard wood floors which are dyed in an aniline die vat; all of which exhibit an incredible
Old World look. All stone floors are hand waxed with a proprietary wax to enhance
the color and to compliment the exact area the floor resides.
Exterior Windows and Doors: We use 100% African Mahogany for the exterior
windows and doors. This material is the most stable wood and has the beauty that
fits the house. The windows are fitted with hidden roll screens and all the hardware
is top quality oil rubbed bronze. Our garage doors and driveway entrance gates are
also 100% African Mahogany, built with steel frames, covered with Mahogany and then
hand distressed.
Interior Doors: Ventoux has many interior door designs to choose from. The doors are all hand distressed with Scrub Planes, yellowed, stained and waxed. All fitted with Baldwin oil rubbed bronze hardware.
Hand Crafted Cabinetry: Ventoux has real artesian cabinet makers that
custom build cabinets piece by piece, the way they did in the Old Country. Cabinets
consist of Cherry and Alder and include an abundance of hand carvings, leaded glass,
furniture turnings, lift off hinges, unique knobs and escutcheons. All cabinetry
is yellowed, stained and hand waxed.
Plaster Walls: We plaster all of our homes and bullnose the plaster into the windows and doors, while exposing many of the door and window lintels. The walls have an incredible Patina finish with that Old World Feel.
Kitchen
and Bath Stone: Ventoux uses Limestone, Granites and Onyx for counters
in the kitchen and baths. Some of these materials include Bush Hammered Limestone
with a chiseled edge, Kilimanjaro granite, and Onice Sultan Onyx. For bath showers
and floors we use hand distressed limestone with unique stone trims such as, chair
rails, pencil liners and mosaic stone in interesting patterns to give each bath
its own unique look.
Exterior
Stone and Plaster: We use several blends of exterior stone for the
home and surrounding walls depending on the client’s desire. A blend we really like
is Osage stone, mixed with other complementary stone, along with some antique brick
inlayed in strategic areas. This is a unique look that resembles the way stone was
laid in the Old World, using whatever material that was available at the time to
build with. For the exterior plaster areas, we prefer a smooth hard toweled finish
which enhances the color and produces a beautiful Patina finish.
Roof Tiles: The roof of the house is one of the most important elements of an Old World Tuscan home. It is an important design feature that the roof appears to have separate roof areas, which is accomplished by varying the height and creating roofing “layers”. We compliment this by using a Baja roof tile that is doubled and tripled with mortar between the tiles to achieve the Old World texture we strive for.
Exterior Surfaces: The exterior surfaces are integrated into the landscape design through the use of seeded aggregate concrete, gold decomposed granite pathways, the use of 3” thick limestone for natural outdoor landings, and using random shaped stones at stairs and around pools.
Lights
and Iron: Ventoux has designed several styles of lights and Balustrades
that are hand forged and beautifully finished for that Old World look.