Tea at Trianon: Make Your Walls Less Boring

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

Friday, October 13, 2023

Make Your Walls Less Boring

All you need is a little paint. From House Digest:

As you probably know, painting an accent wall is an easy way to add a fun, decorative element to any room. According to Diversified Painting, these focal points are meant to draw attention to one area of the space. Additionally, they could be used to make one shade in your color scheme really stand out. And, a huge benefit of a painted accent wall is that it can easily be changed with minimal effort. Indeed, if you ever get sick of the color, you can just paint over it.

However, maybe you think a solid-colored accent wall is a bit overdone. While it provides a classic appearance, why not spice up your wall's design? Are you game? If so, here are 20 of the most popular and trendy paint patterns right now, which you could easily add to any wall to give it an extra unique appearance. Give it a shot! (Read more.)