Tea at Trianon: A Designer Finds Her Dream Home

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

Thursday, October 29, 2020

A Designer Finds Her Dream Home

From La Dolce Vita:

I have known interior designer, Alexandra Kaehler for quite a while now. We first connected in the O.G. blogging days and have kept up with each other on Instagram. We are both designing rooms for the Lake Forest Infant Welfare Showhouse this season and I know that we are eagerly anticipating its new opening date. We recently connected when Alex shared photos of her home in Winnetka, Illinois. When Alex and her husband set out to find the right house, they were both shocked that they fell in love with the very first home they saw. It must have been kismet because they went on to buy it. While Alex loved the character and bones of the mid-century home, she had big plans for it. I was drawn to the way she was able to update a very traditional, 1958 home to make it feel perfect for her young, vibrant family! She’s punctuated the spaces with punchy wallpapers, graphic art, and interesting lighting fixtures. You’ll find antiques and vintage finds juxtaposed against modern art, a cheerful use of color, and thoughtful, personal touches throughout the house all of which speaks to my modern-meets-traditional aesthetic. (Read more.)