Tea at Trianon: Ask the Expert: Top 5 Spring Decorating Ideas

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

Monday, May 1, 2017

Ask the Expert: Top 5 Spring Decorating Ideas

From Victoria:

Spring is the season that celebrates fresh new beginnings; it’s a season filled with natural beauty and color. Once winter is over, I can’t wait to celebrate spring’s glorious return by infusing our home with the colors, shapes, and scents of the season. It is so rewarding to re-imagine and refresh our existing rooms by adding a few show-stopping accessories, or just rearranging some of the antiques that are already there.

Living in California, our garden bursts into bloom quite early, and I draw inspiration from Mother Nature. The garden is visible through large French windows in the living room, as well as in our master bedroom, and I let it take center stage in my decorating. I bring in lots of soft neutral colors of white, cream, and linen, with just a few colorful accents.

As an antiques dealer, I am always trying to incorporate heirlooms into our home’s design in new ways, so change is a constant. For spring, I edit my collections and display fewer pieces to freshen and lighten the look, like antique Limoges porcelains with pastel colors on a tea tray. Pillows in bright colors line our couch in the living room. I design simpler table settings with silver, china, and antique white table linens, so that my flower arrangements, and spring’s fresh foods, can really take center stage. (Read more.)