Restauration of antique materials

Honoring the heritage of yesteryear, knowing how to yield before the natural beauty of stone, bowing before the stonemasons’ know-how and talent who have enriched our environment with their creations for thousands of years…"Les Mémoires d’Adrien”, our company specialized in antique materials, bears all its spirit. It carries on with humility and wisdom this savoir-faire and know-how with a rare and acclaimed talent.

Since many years now, Alain Bidal travels through France to retrieve various elements of our architecture : antique fireplaces, ancient wash-houses, fountains, floorings, etc. We then restore them with care within our ateliers located in the heart of Provence.

RESTORING ANTIQUE FIREPLACES & MANTELS

The antique fireplaces are first cleaned thoroughly to remove all the layers of paint and thus reveal the natural stone beneath. In the old days, the legs of these fireplaces were anchored into the walls. They are now being re-cut to fit the current layouts and spaces in our homes. Small restoration and “transplants” are also being done on various parts of these mantels (jambs, lintels, trumeau…) who have suffered through time.

RESTORING ANCIENT FOUNTAINS

Genuine antique fountains are very rare and scarce. This is due to the fact that the fountains are exposed to the weather elements and put to the test by their use.

To overcome the scarcity of these antique fountains, we imagine and create unique designs here in our workshop from ancient materials (like stairs, ledges, pavements, copings, cornices, architectural elements ...). So many elements from our architectural heritage that, by the imagination of our stonemasons, are transformed into original and unique fountains. A wide range of our models are exposed in our landscaped park.