Design Concepts



example2 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.


example2 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.


example2 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.


example2 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.


example2Kitchen 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.


example2Exterior 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.


example2Lights and Iron: Ventoux has designed several styles of lights and Balustrades that are hand forged and beautifully finished for that Old World look.