French Antique Limestone Trough

A French antique limestone trough, broad and low, with the look of old masonry that has stood in the weather for generations. The color is varied: cool ash and taupe, muted gray, ochre and warm iron tones, with lichen spreading across the surface in earthy orange and yellow. The exterior is coarsely textured with point-tool marks, deep pits and small crevices that gather shadow, and the rim is uneven, the corners softened.

It measures 54 inches long, 30 inches deep and 15 inches high, a wide shallow basin at a comfortable height to plant and tend. The inside carries the worn surface of a working vessel. Condition is as found, and nothing has been cleaned off; the lichen would not survive a hard cleaning, so we have not touched it.

Along a garden wall, on a terrace, or beside an entry it holds lavender, herbs, grasses or trailing greenery. It also serves as a still water basin, where water deepens the gray tones of the stone, and indoors a trough this wide holds firewood by a hearth. Pair the stone trough with lime plaster, reclaimed timber, dark iron or gravel. The limestone trough is in Marina Del Rey; see it by appointment, or ask for photographs and a delivered quote.