Sunlit Memories

I awoke Saturday morning to the sound of wrens chirping. And light. So wonderful. The promised rain forecast was a dud! Instead, the sun shone and the birds chirped and I worked in the garden and didn't take one photo.

Instead, I'm showing photos from my trip to Europe with my sister and mother a number of years ago.

I'm happily anticipating our visit to England as a new adventure, and a return to France for more familiar adventures. 

This window latch, found in the King's Grand Salon at Versailles, is one of my favorite images. How many hands touched the latch? Did anyone fling open the window and call to someone in the courtyard below, or was it all pompous duty? What stories this little detail could tell.

Linking to Sunlit Sunday, hosted by Karen of My Little House and Garden. 

Commonality between my home and Versailles

First off, you'll have to look beyond the ornate gates to see the similarities between my home and Versailles. There are no gold plated gates here.
 

This is one of my favorite photos, taken in the Salon d'Hercule. Once again, look past the ornate. See it? There, on the window frame.

Chipped paint? Wear and tear? Dirt? Mold? We've got it all. Just like Versailles.
 

Here's where the similarity ends. Unlike the owners of Versailles who lifted nary a finger, our home is maintained by the Mr. and Mrs. 

Here's my brave and daring husband, up three stories on a very tall ladder, scrubbing the gutters and siding. I stayed nearby, ready to help if needed. You can see the difference. And while I waited and watched and worried, I scrubbed the deck railings. 
 

The mold and dirt are gone, but the shabby chic look is still there. A new deck railing would be nice, but it's not in the cards this year. Hey, if Versailles draws in millions with its weathered look, I think I can live with a little of it here. The clematis doesn't seem to mind.

We'll call it patina. I'll add some pretty flowers, like these pots of pink geraniums and hey, ho, it's summer in Versailles - I mean Victoria.
 

Any similarities between your home and Versailles? Tis the season of home maintenance. Should we send a memo to France?

More French Details

I had such fun with yesterday's post on details in Paris and Versailles Palace that I decided to do another one - details at the Petit Trianon. My family laughs at my interest in Versailles. I told them once that if I lived in France I'd have a season's pass to Versailles. For some reason that caused uproars of laughter. I don't care. So I have a few quirks.
This window is in the gatehouse at the entrance to the Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette's retreat from the formal life of court at Versailles. I think it charming.

Blue and white is my favourite colour combination and this room, painted blue with white details and furnished with blue upholstery is gorgeous. Not everything is white - the parquet floor and wooden furniture pieces provide a nice balance to what could be overwhelmingly matchy matchy.

I think this red ribbon bow accenting the chandelier adds a touch of whimsy to the room. The ribbon matches the red upholstery in this room, the dining room, if I remember correctly. And the colour up towards the ceiling certainly draws the eye up so we noticed the ornate ceiling medallion.

What's not to admire in this photo - a checkerboard floor, not high contrast, but softly grey and creamy white, a stone staircase with that oh, so graceful curving railing, the round oeil de boeuf window, limestone walls - wouldn't you love to sweep down that staircase trailing a long silk gown behind you?

And last, but not least, white roses, full and blowsy with hints of pink deep inside.

Beautiful details are all around. You don't have to go to France to find them. Having a digital camera has made me look at objects in a different way as I try to capture not just memories, but moments and emotions with the lens. What's beautiful in your world today?

Le Petit Trianon

The palace of Versailles is sumptuous and opulent, grand in every scale. It's beautiful, but there's a place on the grounds of Versailles that I enjoy more. Still elegant and ornate, I can envision myself living here at "le petit Trianon" Marie Antoinette's retreat from the stifling etiquette of the formal court. The perfectly proportioned building is surrounded by quiet gardens, both formal and informal.

Walking into the main floor entrance, this staircase sweeps upwards. I was glad that I found a few seconds to snap a photo without people in it. I recently read that the stair railing was installed by Marie Antoinette after the Petit Trianon was gifted to her by her husband, Louis XVI. The building was originally built for Louis XV and Madame Pompadour as a pleasure house.

"You love flowers, Madame; and so I have a bouquet to give you." These are supposedly the words used by Louis XVI upon giving the Petit Trianon to Marie Antoinette. These white roses bloom in the gardens there.

It has been said that the Petit Trianon is "one of the most beautiful buildings in the world" (Cyril Connolly, Pavilions, 1962). I think it's just enchanting. This photo shows the detail of the ceiling in the Cabinet du Roi, where crimson draperies coordinate with the upholstery, and this frivolous confection hangs from the ceiling.

And here I am, in the Petit Trianon, wearing a Marie Antoinette themed necklace created by Joy of Cupid's Charm. Her work is beautifully done and I'd encourage you to click over to her site and take a look!

A Trip to Versailles

Versailles is one of those places that has always fascinated me. The grand schemes of Louis XIV who wanted a palace that would demonstrate his power and centralize his authority are evident in the sheer opulence of the place. And of course, Versailles became the world of Marie Antoinette, one of history's most interesting women, who showed her strength of character in the face of unspeakable horror and tragedy.

There is a lot of work going on at Versailles - here you can see the gilding of the palace roof on the left, contrasted with the plainer roof, not yet gilded, on the right.


Wonderful frescoes decorate the grand apartments. Not just pretty paintings, these frescoes send a message of power and of authority from the king to his courtiers and visitors. Louis XIV used mythology to convey his godlike status to others.

An intricately worked window latch continues the opulence. Everything that can be decorated is, with stunning effect. And here, the window frame shows the wear of years, that this was a place where people lived and loved, schemed and hated.

It's difficult to capture the grandeur of the Hall of Mirrors with amateur photography. For one thing, there are so many people in the palace. Here you can see some of the decor and the sparkling chandeliers through the mirror's reflection.

In Marie Antoinette's state apartment, floral fabrics abound. Elaborate tassels and passementerie form part of the draperies on the windows. It was so hot the day we were there, and I just imagined Marie Antoinette giving birth in front of the court in this room. History reports that she fainted from the heat, and her husband, Louis XVI pushed through the crowds to open a window allowing air to come into the room.

Check back in the next day or two for more about Versailles.