French Antique Limestone Slab

A French antique limestone slab, nearly square, with a top the color of butter and pale sand, warmed further by the sun over many years. A faint recessed frame runs around the top, a trace of the stone's earlier architectural use. The vertical sides drop into a rough band of charcoal and ash where deep pits and voids expose the raw grain, so the pale top appears to float on a dark, worn base.

It measures 47 inches wide, 48 1/4 inches deep and 7 1/4 inches high. The near-square shape makes it a stable island in a room, and the thickness means it can sit directly on the floor or on a low frame. Condition was as found, with the pits, voids and recessed frame intact; limestone of this kind stays cool to the touch, which cooks who roll dough appreciate.

In a living room it is a coffee table that takes books and heavy ceramics without fuss. It serves as a plinth for a large indoor planter, as a garden bench or step, or, set into a kitchen counter, as a pastry station. A stone table like this one tends to be the first thing visitors ask about. This limestone slab has sold; we usually have others of similar scale in the yard in Marina Del Rey or on the way from France, and will send what is current if you ask.