Tea at Trianon: Gazebo Ideas

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, March 6, 2024

Gazebo Ideas

From Elle Decor:

If you’re a Sound of Music fan, you’ll appreciate a good gazebo moment as much as a dress made from some old drapes. There’s that scene when Liesl and Rolf twirl and leap across a gazebo’s benches (we all know how that one ended). Then, of course, there’s the moment when Captain von Trapp confesses his love to a blushing Fräulein Maria as moonlight streams through the delicate glass panes. While you might not have the benefit of a villa and sprawling Alpine grounds to frolic across, you might want to consider adding a gazebo to your own backyard for a touch of elegance. Not only do gazebos provide a statement focal point for your yard and a conduit for connecting to the great outdoors, but they also provide a perfect venue for alfresco entertaining or a little quiet time to yourself.

But what, exactly, makes a gazebo, well, a gazebo? As gardening guru Patrick Taylor defines it in the Oxford Companion to the Garden, a gazebo is an “ornamental building of slightly uncertain character, without the gravitas of a temple nor with the frivolity of something more whimsical,” he writes. The word itself comes from a “jokey” Anglo-Latin phrase for “I shall look about.” Similarly, these garden structures—generally fashioned from wrought iron, clapboard, or trelliswork—have “undertones of cheerful if insubstantial and ephemeral prettiness.”

“A gazebo is one type of garden folly—a somewhat whimsical destination within a landscape that feels separate from a home’s architecture, secluded, and of the land,” landscape architect Geoffrey Valentino, partner at the firm Hollander Design Landscape Architects, tells ELLE DECOR. When it comes to determining whether a gazebo would make a fitting addition to your backyard, first, consider the size of your outdoor space. Because a gazebo is meant to offer its own little slice of escape—“a great destination within the landscape,” as Valentino puts it—they’re best suited to larger yards or more formal gardens.

Landscape designer Sam Spiegel concurs. “In order for them to be used effectively, they need to be placed where they can be properly appreciated from a distance with the correct plantings to accentuate the details chosen for the gazebo,” Spiegel added. He endorses situating the structure at the end of a long garden walk so it feels as though the gazebo itself is a special destination.

Whether you have developed a pastiche for manicured landscapes and trimmed verdure or have left your billowing garden to its wonderfully wild devices, whether you’re in need of a contemporary poolside retreat that’s front and center of everything or a hideaway that’s submerged behind foliage for a peaceful outdoor escape, we’ve pulled our favorite gazebo moments from the archives of ELLE DECOR and beyond for even more inspo for a paradise-status backyard. These fabulous structures will inspire you to live deliberately in the backyard of your dreams. (Read more.)