The last rooms of the Belgian ambassador's residence by the firm of Horace Trumbauer that I will share are the most informal and perhaps the favorites of everyone who visited. The library features Regency-style paneling of mellowed natural oak inspired by a model from the Chateau de Bercy which was on view at the Met in New York.
During our visit as twilight fell, a roaring fire welcomed one into the cozy room. The shelves feature a number of interesting books on Belgium and also photography, a passion of the current ambassador. The wood frames surrounding the shelves open which led me to wonder if they once held metal screens, glass, or perhaps fabric panels.
All of this mellow wood is beautiful but leaves one wishing there was a bit of contrast, no? brown brown brown. The game table below featured a beautiful Jade chess set.
The fire did eventually burn down unfortunately but the marble mantel piece was no less beautiful.
Just off the library is the Summer room or loggia which features a stunning treillage treatment on the walls. This felt like one of the most used rooms we visited with comfortable sofas and a dining table. I loved the chandelier here which fit the garden theme.
The medallions feature paintings of birds such as cockatoos, flamingos, spoonbills, and macaws; perfect for the current ambassador's love of avian life.
I can see this being my favorite space in the house, daytime or evening.
A close up of the walls shows the incredible detail in the wood treillage, the faux painting, and the beautiful medallions.
One last feature to share with you to round out the posts on the residence are the panels featured on every French door; I had never seen anything like this.
Much like a car window, perhaps harking back to the family fortune from Dodge, the 2nd pane up on the left hand side of all of the French doors would open while allowing the doors to remain closed and locked. During the recent renovation when the existing doors were converted to double pane windows in interest of energy savings, this feature was retained.
I hope you all enjoyed this 4 part tour of the Belgian ambassador's residence designed by the firm of Horace Trumbauer. Many thanks to the ambassador for sharing this lovely house with all of us and the
ICAA for hosting another wonderful event!
Thank you so much to you and to the Belgian ambassador for this tour!Just gorgeous! I wished my Belgian company Lefèvre Interiors, specialized in paneling, could have done this work, then it should be a real Belgian house!
ReplyDeleteGreet from Belgium
I have thoroughly enjoyed this tour! Thank you for posting the pictures. I also appreciated the expert commentary!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite remains the salon and dining room.
Holly
It was a treat to tour along with you this beautiful residence. Thanks! To us novices, you have taught us over the years what great architecture is.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Greet, I bet there is a room or two in the house that could benefit from your beautiful paneling!
ReplyDeleteThings that inspire -they are surely the prettiest rooms in the house, I can see why they are your favorites!
ReplyDeletePaisley -you are much to kind. You are also far from being a novice! I've learned so much from your insightful comments!
ReplyDeleteStefan thank you for this wondrous tour. My favorite is the Summer Room. It looks very comfortable and inviting!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Those French doors are very cool, Stefan. Like you, my favorite room is the Summer Room. Perhaps I would feel differently were I to see it in person, but I would prefer to see those brown curtains a light green. Thanks for taking us along on the tour!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for these posts, Stefan. Such a remarkable building. And these are two more wonderful rooms, though I agree, the library could use a little relief from all that brown. For the drapery, I wish they'd used a silk in that wonderful mid-tone, slightly yellowish green you often see in the formal libraries of historical buildings. (Also, comfort is important, but most of the furniture in these two rooms is pretty drab. Like it wasn't really even chosen with these rooms in mind....) The treillage room is exquisite.
ReplyDeleteWow, that paneling is astonishing and the doors brilliant. It's a great idea to have the option of partially open doors but I imagine far too expensive to have today... it's a lot of fine work to do!
ReplyDeleteAlso, love fires in rooms, it makes it feel real instead of like a museum.
Catching up on my reading. Really lovely post, I even had to share it with my husband! That Summer Room is fabulous.
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