Tea at Trianon: A Belgravia Kitchen

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

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

A Belgravia Kitchen

From Country Life:

As part of a top-to-toe refurbishment of a family house in Belgravia, Alison Henry moved the kitchen to an orangery-style structure, opening up the ground floor and allowing natural light to reach as much of the interior space as possible. She worked with Florence-based company Officine Gullo to come up with a bespoke kitchen design that incorporates gleaming white steel units, smart nickel trims and Italian marble.

The starting point was one of the firm’s signature range cookers, behind which the designer added a splashback of deeply veined Italian marble. The centrepiece is the vast island, which measures just under 15sq ft. ‘I chose a neutral palette in order to create a contrast with the greenery from the garden. Wisteria grows up the wall behind.’

The space is visible from much of the house, so plenty of storage was vital to keep surfaces free of kitchen clutter. Two floor-to-ceiling units either side of the range accommodated a generous larder and fridge freezer; the island is home to the sink, dishwashers, bins and drawer units. (Read more.)