Tea at Trianon: Tips for a Kitchen Makeover

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, September 3, 2018

Tips for a Kitchen Makeover

From Goop:

The LA design firm Nickey Kehoe has long been a go-to for vintage furnishings and accessories with a sense of whimsy. The owners, Amy Kehoe and Todd Nickey, split their time between their retail store and their design studio in West Hollywood, while also dreaming up custom furniture for their own NK Collection.

Recently, Kehoe found herself bringing her work home with her—embarking on a soup-to-nuts kitchen renovation project for her 1920s Spanish cottage in Los Feliz. The challenge was a familiar one: Breathe new life into a highly trafficked kitchen with modern updates (courtesy of home-appliance brand Dacor) but maintain a warm, lived-in vibe, which is a Nickey Kehoe signature. “I like the idea of conversing around the table while dinner is being made,” says Kehoe, who prioritized a big, beautiful dining room table for the space. “It makes the kitchen more intimate.” Kehoe gave us some useful design tips that she and Nickey apply across their projects and that proved particularly clutch for her own family’s living space.

“At Nickey Kehoe, we think of the kitchen as the heart of the home,” Kehoe explains. “There’s a gravitational pull to the kitchen, so I focused on incorporating details that create a sense of inclusion.” For Kehoe, that translated to sourcing an antique breakfast table instead of an island to encourage conversation. She omitted a tile or stone backsplash to help soften the look of the space—and to visually connect it to the adjacent family room. She added this table lamp by Sofia Studios to the countertop for a warm glow. “It acts as a night-light to signal that the kitchen is closed,” she laughs. (Read more.)