Le Pavillon de Madame, Verailles

As promised here I bring you another small mansion from the book "The smaller houses and gardens of Versailles", this one simply entitled "Le Pavillon de Madame".  While the address is stated, 63 Avenue de Paris, I can't find any information about the house and according to a googlemap search it has either been torn down since 1926 or the address has changed. If anyone has any information I would appreciate learning more!

The house is a delightful arrangement in the French tradition in that there is no front facade and each of the 4 facades is equally attractive.

The exterior is a light grey painted stucco to mimic limestone with a rusticated base and quoins (corner treatment) on the upper floor. The mansard roof is slate while the beautiful dormers are of lead.

As you can see in the site plan above the house is situated in an enormous garden which hides the surrounding houses. It provides a very formal French garden which is in fact a potager or kitchen garden -where flowers mingle with fruits and vegetables. At the end of a path is the orangery where more exotic fruits and plants could grow.

The tall trees surrounding the garden not only hide the neighbors but other agricultural necessities; a chicken run, a rabbitry, and numerous outbuildings.

The plan is unusual in that it is laid out as a town house. The dining room on the main floor opens to the garden and terrace with kitchens and service spaces surrounding it. Only up the staircase are the other rooms you'd expect to find on the ground level. Even in a small house such as this there is a stair for the master and another for the servants.

The house contains only one bedroom going back to what I talked about in the last post HERE that these houses were private retreats from the palace of Versailles and not meant for entertaining or even families.

The rooms are all small and cozy but feature fine detailing such as this painted boiserie in the entry hall which the article states was painted white.

The stair has interesting faux-marble painted boiserie and patterns that I think show the 18th century interest in the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Notice the beautiful chevron patterned floors.

Behind the front hall the dining room continues the chevron floors with pale green painted boiserie covering the walls. Notice the painted scenic overdoors.

This is probably the most charming room in the house, don't you think, with French doors opening out to the terrace?

The eclectic array of furniture is very of the 1920s and today for that matter; a very comfortable arrangement.

This seating group by the fireplace is probably where the owner spent a lot of time before and after meals.

Upstairs the boiserie is left natural and unpainted with the carved details picked out in gold leaf.  The chandelier is of course more in the French taste while the assortment of furniture almost feels English to my eye.

No shortage of light or garden views from up here either. I love how the chandelier reflects the light even without the electricity turned on.

It pains me to think this may have been torn down! What do you think -could you live in a mini mansion such as this? Live stylishly in a smaller space is what this house screams to me!

Maison Baguès

I've always been fascinated by the greats of French design such as Maison Bagues, makers of fine French chandeliers, furniture, and metalwork for over 150 years (depending where you read) - most commonly noted for their products being heavily used by Jansen.  This weekend I stopped into my favorite shop, Artisan, and noticed a few fabulous antique Bagues pieces for sale.

 My favorite was just in so not yet on their website so you'll have to deal with my cellphone shot. The iron body with Greek key design, smokey crystals sharing space with gilded iron, rock crystal, and amethyst took my breath away. I really wish I had a spot (and the budget) for it in my apartment!

 If you have a moment, take a peak at this website here which has a lot of vintage photographs of Bagues work. Also be sure to see the detailed blogpost that The Devoted Classicist wrote on the company earlier this year. And they're not just history as Maison Bagues,  is alive and well; you can visit their showroom your next trip to Paris!

La Lanterne, Versailles

Happy 2014! One of my favorite gifts I received over Christmas was an antique copy of the book "The smaller houses and gardens of Versailles 1680-1815" from 1926 which I have been lusting over for years. The first house mentioned is one of my favorite houses that I have ever studied, La Lanterne.

The house is well known to many as it has become the basis for manydesign ideas in the early 20th century and even more recently. A few years back (2008) I blogged about a project HERE by Bories and Shearron which took this lanterne construct for the design of a new house. My friend THE DOWNEAST DILETTANTE noted a number of lanterne houses HERE.  Above you see a current aerial view; since 1959 the house has served as the country house of the Prime Minister (now President)  of France.

 Blessedly, as you can see, the house hasn't changed much down to the landscaping and gravel forecourt.

These smaller houses of Versailles, as the book explains, were mostly built as getaways from the nearby Palace of Versailles for courtiers.  They would not actually live in these grand but small houses but rather use them as hideaways to relax or keep scandalous intrigues and affairs away from the gossipy court.

This is certainly one of the largest houses featured in the book but certainly less impressive than the estates and chateaux these courtiers called home (and much larger than their apartments at the palace!). La Lanterne was built in 1787 as a hunting lodge for the comte de Noailles who became a leader throughout the Revolution and later the duc de Mouchy.

 The house sums up the best of French design into one perfect little jewel box much like the Petit Trianon.

From the plan you can see the derivation of the name. The main block of the house is narrow and allows for windows on both sides of all rooms; giving the house the appearance of a lantern at night when lit from within.

These vintage 1926 images show many of the interior spaces. Simple but refined detailing is found throughout. Limestone floors match the limestone exterior. Restraint is shown which is key.

Remember this is a simple country palace, er, I mean house. The rooms are small and residential in feel and not palatial. These houses weren't built to impress visitors like a grand country chateaux but to be a private retreat for the owner.

I wonder what the interiors are like now? I suspect as the house is a national treasure they haven't been allowed much alteration other than perhaps some modern furnishings. If anyone knows of the house being published recently please let me know!

I'll be sharing other small houses from the book in the next few weeks. Enjoy!

Grand fete at Cret's Pan American building

Last month I had the pleasure of attending the Fall Design Fete hosted by our local AIA chapter at the Pan American Building. You may remember me talking about this building by Paul Cret before HERE, as it is one of my favorites here in Washington DC.  Oddly enough my other favorite is also by Cret, the Mary Stewart Mansion.

I snapped some photos while at the event with my phone as the building really does come alive at night; ambiance is everything, no?

 The central courtyard was ablaze with light and music thanks to a live jazz band.

The intriguing marble fountain by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney is also more powerful seen at night.

 However it appears the snake eyes of the sculpture no longer light up as originally intended.

It was a fabulous evening in a fabulous space spent with my fabulous coworkers; who can ask for anything more?

I promise to get a real camera to do my images justice someday!

Merry Christmas!

"May Peace and Plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and may happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas" 

From ArchitectDesign to you, may you have a very Merry Christmas! Stefan

Holiday Weekends

This past weekend was busy as most weekends tend to be during the holiday season. I've been unable to decorate for the holiday unfortunately but I was able to do a little something to bring some of the Christmas spirit into my own apartment.

At an estate sale I visited this past weekend one of the many scores was a large box full of vintage glass ornaments from the 1930s and earlier (for $2 no less)! I placed these in clear glass vases throughout my apartment for some color and Christmas cheer!

 Another find was this vintage brass lamp with an interesting paper shade. An antique print of an Italian square was mounted to the shade after the windows in the scene had been cut out and infilled with Mylar paper. When the lamp is lit the windows 'glow'! I love the neoclassical brass shaft which I polished along with the marble base as well as the red stone finial. You see it here in my dining room.

I also visited my favorite shop, Artisan. They have tons of new merchandise you have to check out (online as well as in person) and as the owner was telling me, they make perfect gifts. I love the modern take on a classical empire chandelier seen above. The elegant antique French crystal chandeliers in the background are a perennial favorite as well!

Perfect for the arts and crafts house or bungalow is this unique iron and painted glass fixture. Why buy cheap new fixtures when you can pick details that will shine and make your house a unique home!  What are you doing to your house for the holidays?

Christmas Greetings

Do you send out Christmas cards? I admit my list dwindles each year as I slowly move into the digital age (ironic as I'm an early blogger!). Patricia, that wonderful artist who writes PVEdesign and in fact did my blog banner, was kind enough to send me an image for use on my card this year!  You may remember a few weeks back I posted about adding 'That touch of black' to your fireplace and showed the change to my own fireplace at home.  Patricia magically imagined my mantelpiece at Christmas and I have to say the results are charming.   So please consider this my Christmas Greeting to you and your family with hopes for a very happy new year!
Many thanks to Patricia for this image which I treasure. You might consider contacting her to create your own image!

Belgian ambassador's residence interiors 3: Library & summer room

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!