Tea at Trianon: Pied-à-Terre Proper

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

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Pied-à-Terre Proper

From Sarah Richardson Design:

One part hotel chic and one part urban retreat, this downtown Toronto condo sits high in the sky overlooking Lake Ontario and the bustling city streets. It’s not every day that we’re asked to design a condo that looks like a hotel, so we jumped at the chance to convert a 2 bedroom + den condo into a 3 bedroom hotel-like abode complete with separate media systems and in-room amenities so our clients can host friends and entertain in the big city.
After months of planning, load in day went off without a hitch. But it took some problem solving along the way to get us there. Read on to discover how we tackled every challenge, and make note of each solution to help you conquer your next design dilemma. (Read more.)