Petit Trianon: billiard and guard's rooms.

In my second in-depth look at the Petit Trianon, we'll continue to explore the ground floor. The billiard's room is adjacent to the grand stairhall and in the time when the trianon was first built, was intended for the male guests of Madame de Pompadour. King Louis XV himself supplied an ornate billiards table for the use of his guests:...

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Petit Trianon: the grand stairhall

I'm about to start a comprehensive series of posts on the Petit Trianon utilizing drawings and my photographs; not all at once, mind you! What better place to start than the stairhall where any tour begins. Like many grand houses, the Petit Trianon is designed on a Piano Nobile layout. The ground floor is relegated to servants quarters (with...

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What goes around comes around.

Just think of this as the Eames chair of the eighteenth century!From the book by fashion illustrator Jean-Philippe Delhomme, The Cultivated Life, published by Rizz...

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All in the family

Recognize these easy chairs? No, they're not from your local thrift store! These are the chairs of Archie & Edith Bunker (Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton) from the long running tv series, All in the Family (1971-1979). These items join the list of hundreds of important artifacts of American Culture at the Smithsonian's American History...

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Mary E. Stewart mansion

Directly across the street from The Lindens is my favorite house in DC still in private hands, the Mary E. Stewart mansion, designed by Paul Cret. Cret started work on the house for Stewart, the daughter of a lumber baron, in 1938 and it was completed the next year in 1939. Stewart's sister, Devore Chase, lived next door in a (slightly smaller)...

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The Lindens

The oldest house in DC is not the White House, and interestingly enough, did not start life out in 'the district' but rather north of Boston! The Lindens (also known as the King Hooper House) was originally built in 1754 as a Georgian styled country retreat in Danvers, Massachusetts. The house was dismantled and moved to Kalorama in 1934...

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Congratulations EEE!

The inestimatable Emily Evans Eerdmans of the eponymous blog, has recently been married and the bloggers on her blog roll have decided to throw her a wedding shower! As she is an Art Historian, I thought she would appreciate the history (as well as craftsmanship) of commissioning fine works of art from jewelers, a royal tradition. Cartier...

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A cozy retreat

We have a long holiday weekend (in reverence of Martin Luther King) and the weather here in DC is decidely cozy: Cold and rainy. One of my favorite past-times is taking an evening walk. Everything looks so beautiful in the dark and you catch private glimpses into houses (nothing voyeuristic, I just want to see the house!). While in Paris...

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Interior gardens

Long stretches of cold weather like we're having help me realize why people have decorated the interiors of their homes with flower images for centuries: reminders of warmer weather! This exuberant wallpaper panel is all you need: I feel warmer already! It is paired with 18th century painted furniture which bears more of the same fruit. Hopefully...

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A very Vervoordt stair

In the heart of Antwerp lies a 16th century warehouse which now bears the Vervoordt stamp. Not Axel, but his son Boris. The former coffee warehouse, from 1577, was one of many in Antwerp owned by the family. In 1995 Boris moved in and slowly took over, floor by floor, turning it into his private home. A feature which most caught my eye, the...

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storage with style

I'm loving this image from the kitchen of Safia Bendali, as captured by Marie-Pierre Morel for the Oct. 2009 issue of Elle Decoration. Her collection of beautiful china (i spy wedgwood jasperware!) is elegantly housed alongside of cookbooks in a practical but beautiful storage application. If I could only have shelves like that! The table...

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Learn your Louis.....

Do you know your Louis? If not, this wall at the Louvre's Musee des Arts Decoratifs might help. Talk about reference library! The colors against the dark backdrop take my breath away. Click the photo to get a closer vi...

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Beachhouse blues

This frigid weather has me thinking of warmer climates and the beach: What about you? In the October 2009 edition of Elle Decoration is a beautiful house on the water in Normandy. Look at that view from the terrace! Would love to have a glass of iced tea on this terrace and soak up the sun. The interiors focus on the magnificent views as...

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