Tea at Trianon: Hostess Secrets for Creating a Summer Table

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, June 21, 2021

Hostess Secrets for Creating a Summer Table

From Victoria:

Tabletops donned with breezy linens, fragrant blossoms, and cherished antiques are the site of countless cheerful summer moments. Under the tutelage of FrenchGardenHouse curator Lidy Baars, we explore ways for bringing joy to outdoor gatherings. In this exclusive feature, we share her top five tips on using time-swept pieces in your alfresco entertaining spaces.

Encourage a mingling of opposites.

“I love the mix of elegant antiques with shabby, vintage pieces, as well as some new finds,” says Lidy. In this vignette, she uses a new French linen napkin alongside storied objects while still maintaining a common thread of purple to tie them all together. Finding ways to bring the old and new together allows for abundant creativity.

Utilize color, especially from nature.
“Because we entertain outdoors, and the garden is usually a colorful backdrop, there is less need for decorating the tabletop than when entertaining indoors,” says Lidy. She and her husband regularly host guests in their outdoor haven, allowing the hostess to use Mother Nature as her decorating assistant. On this alfresco table, she unfurls a vibrant tablecloth to emphasize the sun’s yellow rays but opts for more simple serving pieces with her collection of ironstone. (Read more.)