Tea at Trianon: A Newly-Designed Orangery

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

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

A Newly-Designed Orangery

From The Gloss:

When Dublin-based architecture and interior design practice LyonsKelly recommended to their clients that they “do as little as possible” to their newly acquired 19th-century redbrick home, it chimed with the owners’ view that actually their house was pretty perfect and probably would not be enhanced by an oversized glass box or indeed an extension of any kind. So LyonsKelly delivered a series of gentle amendments, transforming the interior by moving the kitchen, amalgamating smaller service rooms into it and beautifying and modernising throughout. The refurbishments had the desired effect, but the requirement for additional space remained.

Suggesting this challenge could be met by creating a separate structure in the garden, architect John Kelly set about working on a scheme that could serve as a guest apartment, an entertaining space with a kitchen for caterers to use, a sitting room for the kids and their friends and their computer games. Taking inspiration for the exterior from Sir John Soane’s Dulwich Picture Gallery and The Royal Hospital Chelsea – both of which combine neoclassical brickwork, arches and soft symmetry – Kelly designed an orangery to occupy the southfacing garden wall and enhance the view from the house, rather than compete with it. He explains his decision to choose this particular type of pavilion: “An orangery is a specific architectural term, a structure designed to keep plants warm over winter with a solid roof and its own heating and water system – it’s not a glorified conservatory. It’s actually a structure that can support living, leisure and work.”

The aim was to make the orangery look like it had always been there: elegant and highly detailed, ornate brickwork was chosen to match the main house, and light from large expanses of glass maximised with the use of steel-frame windows. While the footprint is modest – just 50 sq metres – inside, proportions are generous (the ceiling is almost 4m high). The layout of the main living space includes one full wall of joinery concealing dishwasher, hob, oven, TV and even drawers of file storage so living arrangements are complete. “As our practice integrates architecture and interior design, we are reminded every day that design works best when considered from all the angles – both should get equal billing but so often, one dominates at the expense of the other,” says Kelly. (Read more.)