ABOUT HISTORIC DECORATIVE MATERIALS
A Legacy of European Craftsmanship
At Historic Decorative Materials, a division of Pavé Tile, Wood & Stone, Inc., we are devoted to preserving the beauty and integrity of Europe’s architectural heritage. Since 2000, we have sourced and supplied reclaimed French limestone, antique French oak floors, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, and antique Belgian bluestone floors to architects, designers, and homeowners who value authenticity, craftsmanship, and timeless design.
Our showroom is by appointment, allowing clients a private and immersive experience with our curated collections — materials that embody the spirit of French, Belgian, English, & Italian artistry, shaped by centuries of use and history.
Our Heritage and Vision
Historic Decorative Materials was founded by François and Emmi Micallef, a husband-and-wife team whose shared love of art, history, and European architecture forms the heart of the company.
François, born in the South of France, travels across Europe to personally select reclaimed limestone tiles, French oak flooring, and French terra cotta tiles. His expertise and decades-long relationships with suppliers and craftsmen, ensure that each material tells a story of authenticity, beauty and enduring quality — from centuries-old quarries and manors to restored farmhouses and châteaux.
Emmi Micallef, a fine artist, brings the world of painting into architectural design through her line of hand-painted decorative tiles. From her inspired antiqued Delft tiles to her blue and white Cuisine de Monet tiles, her work captures historic interior design that offers clients the opportunity to live surrounded by meaningful beauty.
Together, François and Emmi blend art, history, and design into a curated vision of European elegance that endures beyond trends.
What We Offer
Each material within our collection has been chosen for its rare character, timeless presence and artisanal craftsmanship:
Reclaimed French Limestone Floors — authentic stone marked by centuries of wear, ideal for both historic restorations and period homes.
Antique French Oak Floors — aged planks, restored with integrity, offering warmth, texture, and the soul of old-world craftsmanship.
French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tiles — salvaged from provincial farmhouses and noble estates, each tile tells its own story through color and patina.
Antique Belgian Bluestone Floors — elegant, resilient stone with deep natural hues that evoke European heritage and enduring luxury.
These collections are highly-vetted and will bring authenticity and beauty into interior design.
Why Choose Historic Decorative Materials
Authenticity: Every floor and tile is either genuinely reclaimed and carefully inspected or hand-crafted reproducing the beauty of reclaimed materials through European technique.
Craftsmanship: We honor traditional methods — hand-finishing and aging each material to preserve its natural patina and structural integrity.
Sustainability: Natural materials either reclaimed or hand-crafted lives and breathes in a home — a commitment to preserving architectural history.
Expertise: We value our private appointments to ensure each project achieves harmony, proportion, and historical resonance, articulating through our materials the goals of the homeowner.
Designers and clients from across the United States, Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Europe visit our by-appointment showroom for the quality and authenticity that define Historic Decorative Materials.
Visit Our Showroom
To explore our collections, our e-commerce site, www.pavehdm.com, is updated with latest stock, specs, transparent pricing and offers in real time, shipping quotes. If a restoration or new build is in the works, please schedule a private appointment in our showroom. We welcome you to experience the artisanal craftsmanship and beauty of our reclaimed French limestone, antique French oak floors, French reclaimed terra cotta tiles, and antique Belgian bluestone floors — materials that carry the soul of Europe into the spaces we call home.
Ménerbes 18th Century French Reclaimed Terra Cotta Tile Octagon + Cabochon -Ménerbes, located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France, is officially known as one of the most beautiful villages of France. The view is breathtaking and so is this very rare terra cotta tile octagon lot we salvaged from this region. Dating back to the very early 18th century, the patina on this terra cotta tile is magnificent. With the edge details precise but incredibly aged, the surface texture and it's perimeter feel and look like worn leather. The cabochon tiles that are set around the octagon are authentic to the original floor, making this tile floor even more precious.
NEW COLOR WAY! 18th Century French Oak Flooring: THE QUEEN'S HAMLET + Vecchia Roma Antique 18th Century Italian Reclaimed Limestone Flooring - The Queen's Hamlet is a French oak floor color that has achieved the status of insane. May I say that? It's THE perfect weathered oak colored floor that has gray undertones with warmer oak hues - it's a desaturated color where the eye is led to believe this is in fact, the oak flooring of Marie Antoinette's hamlet - centuries ago. It's an upgraded farmhouse floor where it exudes the elegance of life in the country...fit for a queen. Looking for a stone worthy enough to live amongst it's artisanal greatness? That would be our Vecchia Roma Antique 18th Century Italian Reclaimed Limestone Flooring.
Antique Belgian and Spanish Limestone Farmhouse Trough Sinks and Wash Basins -Trough sinks have a farmhouse aesthetic that bonds with modern décor. The hand-carved limestone sinks, worn from weather and use, have a patina that whispers stories as you brush your teeth. It's the astute designer/homeowner that sees these antique limestone trough sinks as the artistic element in a bathroom, powder room, kitchen, wine cellar or laundry room. Faucet on the wall, water pouring freely into the spacious basin - water+ stone, unearthed, hand-carved centuries ago - a powerful source that will replenish you.
The Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Flooring - The Great House Collection - a reclaimed reproduction of antique French oak flooring is achieved with aged French and European oak flooring. Working within the tannins of newly milled oak floor, our wood technicians perform a 7-10 step oxidation method to age the floor from the inside out. Hand-finished, its' patina, rich colors and edge details are what brings the authenticity to interiors - from Cottage Style and Belgian Farmhouse to Minimalist and English Georgian. The image below is courtesy of Greg Dutton of Midland Architecture. His family home. Greg has installed our Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Floors in the Great House Series - color: Aged Cognac.
Antique Italian Checkerboard Cement Tiles + 17th Century Antiqued Delft Tiles - Rare lots of Italian antique checkerboard cement tiles will anchor a room in historic authenticity and elegance. This lot of Bluestone Gray + Chalk Gray Italian reclaimed cement tile brings forth even more beauty when paired with our Antiqued 17th Century Delft Tiles, hand painted by co-founder of Historic Decorative Materials, Emmi Micallef.
Sharing a partnership with it's parent company, Pavé Tile, Wood & Stone, Inc., a by-appointment showroom is time worth spent. Off I-91, heading toward Stowe, VT or Canyon Ranch, The Berkshires, Tanglewood or Smith College, the Pavé Showroom raises itself to the highest bar when presenting these antique and aged tile, wood and stone European building materials.
As direct importers of bespoke European materials, François and crew have installed at Pavé beautiful installations and vignettes, which means clients can feel the ambiance and see the nuances, color range and edging details of these forever classic tile, wood & stone collections. With 20 years experience in design and installation, the knowledge and effort that has gone into becoming experts directly importing and designing with these products from France, Belgium, Italy and England mean quality material + quality design.
French Provincial 19th Century Cuisine de Monet Wall Tile Collection -Hand Painted by Co-Founder of Historic Decorative Materials, Emmi Micallef's inspired designs from Claude Monet's kitchen in Giverny, France will forever be a classic with reclaimed French terra cotta tiles and a La Cornue stove. Focusing on the the tile design arts from 14th Century England and 17th Century Amsterdam to 19th Century France, her Historic Decorative Wall Tile Collections add historic elegance to traditional, European and farmhouse interiors.
The Kings of France 18th Century French Oak Flooring - this is an aged French oak wood floor with a vintage surface unlike any other on the market. The color is not arrived by stains or oils, but by an oxidation process working within the oak tannin that actually changes the composition of the wood fibers. This is a 7-10 step process with drying time in between each plank. The boards are then individually worked and crafted to achieve the authenticity of an 18th century patina. The texture and finish cannot be reproduced on-site. Over time, these wood floors will continue to age and patina in one's home. They are stunning.
Dutch Blue 17th Century Antiqued Delft Tiles is a collection that co-founder, Emmi Micallef hand painted to fill a void of finding lovely Delft tiles that also have an historic authenticity. Delft Tiles tell stories of life in 17th Century Amsterdam - whether that be the flowers in a field, ships coming to port from distant lands or wooden toys beloved by the children. Click here to read my blog: Musings on Delft Tiles and Why Delft Tiles are Making a Resurgence in Interiors.
See our latest in-stock French reclaimed hexagon terra cotta tile lots. French reclaimed terra cotta tile hexagons are becoming more rare. When we find lots, we bring them to stock. We salvage these lots in the Central and Northern Regions of France like Normandy, Ile de France and Central Val de Loire. These lots go fast - so check often to view latest stock!
Reclaimed Olde London Limestone Flooring - Salvaged in and around London, these 18th Century reclaimed English stones exemplify a classic English interior with colors ranging from mushroom and mule to charcoal, olive and cream. They are frost/thaw resistant and an exterior landscape of this reclaimed English limestone would add elegance and incredible history to one's home. Olde English reclaimed limestone flooring raises the bar for interior applications in old world, farmhouse or luxury decors.
The Great House Antique French Oak Floors are extraordinary. The colors of these aged French oak planks are not created by applying stains or oils, but by using an oxidation method that works within the tannin of the oak itself. This changes the composition of the wood fibers where color is created authentically. The resulting French oak floors appear salvaged or reclaimed and partner beautifully in the luxury home interiors and the classic, farmhouse interior design to the eclectic, minimalist decor.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW A GALLERY OF INTERIORS OF THE KINGS OF FRANCE COLLECTION
THE PAVE TILE, WOOD & STONE, INC, SHOWROOM will transport you. Make an appointment to see and touch installations and vignettes of our directly imported, extremely curated antique and aged French, Belgian and Italian oak and limestone flooring.
