Tea at Trianon: Make a Room Come to Life at Night

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, October 8, 2025

Make a Room Come to Life at Night

The dining room of this west London Victorian house by Lucy Hammond Giles is particularly atmospheric with walls in...

From House and Garden:

To put it simply, if there’s a room – or even a tiny space – in your home that you wish were more inviting, more atmospheric or simply more interesting after dark, then chances are it will benefit from a different approach to colour. We have asked the specialists to tell us which paints, finishes and decorative techniques will help to set just the right mood – and add a little magic – as you prepare for the longer winter nights at home.
It is worth noting that all of this will be in vain if you don’t get your lighting right first. As colour consultant Harriet Slaughter emphasises, ‘lamps, wall lights and candles always give a softer, more inviting atmosphere than overhead lighting, which can feel a little harsh or clinical once the sun sets.’
‘One of the first questions I ask during a colour consultancy is when a room will be used,’ says Simon Hutchinson, colour specialist at Little Greene. ‘If the room is going to be used primarily in the evenings, the colour really needs to compliment and reflect this type of lighting and atmosphere.’ This is not just a matter of taste; even those with the most discerning ‘eye for colour’ will see things differently at night. Simon explains that ‘at low levels of light, the rods in our eyes take the main job of seeing as they are far more sensitive to tonal changes, while the cones that detect more colour become less active, causing colours to become harder to identify and look greyer or very muted’. (Read more.)