Rustic Warmth - Stone Fireplaces

For many people, the words "stone fireplace" conjure up images of a rustic hearth, perhaps in a charming log cabin. However, with a wide and versatile range of options in stone facing today, the stone fireplace has moved past the traditional style. Today's stone fireplaces range from massive river rocks set into soaring log home great rooms, to sleek and stylish stacked stone sections with a contemporary, modern feel.

Which style do you prefer? Rustic? Modern? No matter your style preference, the elemental combination of stone and fire makes for a warm and inviting spot in almost any home.

Sleek and contemporary stacked stone
(by Cornerstone Group Architects)

(by David Fleener Architects, Inc.)

(by Simpson Design Group Architects)

(by Shuffle Interiors)

More photos after the break

A Short Introduction

Hello and welcome to my new blog. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Eva, and I live in the scenic Black Forest region of Southern Germany, with the man who is love of my life and one crazy cat.

The Black Forest in Spring (www.nachrichten.at)

We live in a 200 year old farmhouse, which we purchased last summer. The date carved into the lintel stone at the front of the house, above the old stable door, is 1802, but the house has been remodeled since then, most notably in 1937, and again in the late 1990s. We're in the process of redoing everything! Stripping out the old wallpaper, refinishing the remnants of the original random-width oak flooring (which only remains in the dining room and office), replacing the 75 year old windows... we have almost completed our first room, the kitchen, which we completely gutted, re-designed and remodeled to have a charming French Country farmhouse look.

So far I have no completed "after" photos of the work, but hope to very soon. In the meantime, I do have some of the "before" photos posted on Flickr, taken before we moved in:

The photos of our house in "before" mode

Now, then... the aim of this blog is to extend on my Tumblr blog of the same name... interiorstyledesign.tumblr.com . I hope to post many articles about different styles of interior design and decorating, as well as architecture, plus a sprinkling of gardening, landscaping, exteriors, and design.

I am an interior decorator as well as a residential designer, and in the near future will be offering both customized, individualized comprehensive home decorating services, as well as both stock house floor plans for sale and design services to create unique, one of a kind custom plans. So stay tuned for these services to be appearing soon, and in the meantime, I hope you enjoy my articles and photos (all photos will be attributed to their original sources if not taken by me personally).

Thank you for visiting!