Tea at Trianon: Ideas for Children's Rooms

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, February 15, 2023

Ideas for Children's Rooms

From House and Garden:

When it comes to buying furniture for your little one's room, it’s probably best to choose sturdier, more enduring options. Kids will climb and clamber about, paying little attention to delicate objects around them. However, there are still some ways to incorporate antiques in your child's room–as Rita says, “you are not wasting good things on children, but starting their collections and developing their taste. I think it really pays dividends.”

As for the bed, think ahead. Children grow quickly, so that sweet tyke-sized bed made of the finest Bahamian lignum vitae simply isn't worth the investment if they can't fit into it in two years' time. Practicality, too, is key: a pink princess bed can always be re-painted, but a custom-built bed shaped like a sailboat is far less adaptable. Bunk beds are a great option for siblings sharing a room or for hosting fabulous slumber parties. Lofted beds are a chic, modern option and help to free up space to accommodate a desk or dresser in tinier rooms. Choosing a full-sized bed, too, is an excellent and practical choice; larger beds will carry your child well into their teenage years and, once they leave the nest, grant you the opportunity to ready the room for guests. (Read more.)