Tea at Trianon: Covington House

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, February 15, 2022

Covington House

From The Talbot Spy:

The gracious sequence of entering the house continues from the entry porch to a shallow vestibule open to the foyer. I admired how the soffit beam curved to meet the wall at each end and how the molding at the spring line defines the boundary of wallpaper below and paint above. I was not surprised to learn that one of the Owners, who is an artist, added the molding that was the perfect decorative touch. The foyer is the circulation hub of the house with its location between the living and dining rooms, side hall and the stairs. The French doors in the rooms around the foyer and the full sidelights at the front door filter sunlight into the space. Opposite the stairs is the elevator, cleverly disguised by a frameless door camouflaged in the wallcoverings. The rear wall of the foyer contains the staircase and the cozy room named “The Snug”, perfectly sized for watching TV a-deux with a view through the triple windows overlooking the lawn and gardens. The living room spans the full depth of the house and has two seating areas, one grouping around the wide front window and the other grouping around the fireplace at the rear wall. The adjacent sunroom began its life as a porch but a previous owner had seamlessly infilled the bays between the Doric columns with windows, moldings to conceal the window coverings tracks and raised paneling below. These two rooms create a wonderful entertaining area.

The focal point of the elegant dining room is the majestic crystal chandelier installed by a former owner above the current Owners’ beautiful antique furnishings. Off the dining room is a spacious pantry that once was a second stair but now stores china and serving pieces. Behind the butler pantry is the mud room with an exterior door and the kitchen-breakfast area. I love checkerboard patterned flooring in kitchens and when I complimented the Owner on the colors and the softness of the material of her flooring she told me it was a “Marmoleum (marbleized linoleum)” product. The checkerboard scale was perfect for the size of the room and the white cabinets, upper cabinets to the underside of the ceiling, earth toned granite countertops, olive green molding and window trim, accents of the stainless steel stove and the diamond patterned backsplash, blue and white ceramics and upholstery creates a kitchen this cook coveted.

The second floor contains three bedrooms, two diagonally opposite each other at corners of the house so either one could be the primary bedroom. One bedroom has beautiful rose patterned wallpaper, a bed with an openwork canopy over the wood bed frame and an oversize chair and ottoman. Matching rose floral fabric cover the valances of the adjacent bath and the background color is used for the walls of the claw foot tub. The other bedroom has a blue and white color scheme and is furnished with two beds with the same openwork canopy opposite the fireplace on the rear wall.
As appealing as the second floor guest room was, I would remain in the elevator until it stopped at the attic level to claim the bedroom tucked under the hipped roof. The elevator opens into the book lined stair landing that is a mini library as a foyer for the bedroom. The bedroom’s charming interior architecture from the knee walls and deep recesses to the front and rear wide shed dormer windows. Below the front dormer window is a cushioned seat where one is apt to find a canine or feline family member taking a nap. The spacious room is furnished with a sleigh bed and a crib for family visits and a table a-deux for watching TV or enjoying a leisurely breakfast. I liked how the wallpaper’s vertical stripes around the knee walls emphasizes the room’s height and ends at the spring line for the sloped ceiling planes. A walk-in closet encourages guests’ expanded stays. (Read more.)