Arcaded Frieze Limestone Mantel in a Beamed Room

Set into the wall of an empty new room, this mantel is carved with a repeating arcade of shallow lunettes along the frieze, each one scalloped inside, running the full width beneath a moulded shelf with returned ends. The jambs are plain and undecorated so the carved band carries the whole piece, and the opening is lined in herringbone brick above a low raised hearth. The limestone is pale and almost blond. Photographed under exposed rafters beside steel windows, it suits great rooms, new build houses, barn conversions and contemporary rustic interiors.