Tea at Trianon: Cheveux de la reine

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Cheveux de la reine

Some ideas from a top designer, based upon eighteenth century decor.

"What's great about this room is that it's not too matchy-matchy. Note the colors: There's red upholstery, yellow drapes, green walls and a blue carpet. I try to achieve a similar mix in my own work, whereas some people become obsessed with having the exact same blue everywhere in their house—which can look so overdone and fussy.

"Decorators often choose the rug first and use it to guide the palette. But I try to avoid letting the carpet drive design choices, as I think it makes the décor seem forced. Start picking other pieces first and then choose a rug that doesn't match too perfectly, so it feels like the room has evolved over time—as if you've inherited an antique and just made it work. That's a more European approach." Stark is a favorite source for carpets.....

The wonderful blonde fabric used for the walls and window treatments is called cheveux de la reine, which translates to 'the queen's hair'—based on Marie Antoinette's. It catches light beautifully. Window treatments are one of the most important elements in a room—certainly the strongest vertical gesture. Choose wisely because even simple white canvas will telegraph a lot. I prefer a clean look like this: just great cords and tiebacks. The sharp tailoring reinforces the architecture of the room and lets the windows be the star." On the designer's wish list: Décor de Paris's Canovaccio Tieback, decordeparis.com. (Read entire article.)