Louvre staircases: It's a factor of scale

The Louvre is totally overwhelming; Not just the collections which are astounding but the sheer scale of the building.

The entry under the I.M.Pei pyramid is probably the most stressful place in all of Paris. Not just because of the crowds but the pickpocket warning signs posted EVERYWHERE are rather disconcerting.

Once you enter the museum itself you can find pockets of calm, such as in the Marly Courtyard above.

The most amazing thing in the building to my eye are the numerous staircases.  Even the smallest of these, such as the Lafuel staircase, are on an enormous scale.

Here you can take a deep breath away from the crowds and just enjoy the beautiful building.

Because you step out of the stairways and even on a weekday this is what you encounter; hoards of people RUSHING towards you!

The Daru staircase is also of an immense public scale. It reminds me of a drawing by M.C. Escher.

And of course the tourists with their cameras (who cannot look at an artwork EXCEPT through the eye of their camera lens for whatever reason) are continually falling down the stair or else stepping on you.

The vantage points through these spaces are amazing.

I think much of this architectural detailing is overlooked in favor of the amazing collection of artwork. Save a day for art and a day for architectural looking perhaps?

The LaFuel courtyard is unfortunately not open to the public although visible from the galleries inside. Wouldn't this make a great cafe?

Loved the columns on the porte cochere above.

Speaking of cafes this staircase had a lovely cafe ringing its upper level.

Wouldn't you love to have a meal here? It must be one of the prettiest cafes in all of Paris (and thats saying something).

The ceiling decorations throughout are amazing.

And all of the abundance of natural light keeps the museum from feeling too cold.

What have your impressions of the Louvre been on your visits? Are there certains days to go which are better than others?

Additions to my apartment or estate sale treasures

Summertime is always slow for blogging; lower readership, less to read, and so much going on that there just isn't time in the day. However it's a great time for fun little posts sharing whats going on in one's life!

 I was thrilled last weekend to find an interesting antique cabinet at a Georgetown estate sale for only $60.  Yes, you read that correctly.  The previous owners had taken an antique sideboard (mid 19th century) and gutted it to hold their stereo and record player. It was looking a little worn but the lines were great as was the price.

The cabinet measures in at a hefty 6' long, 2' deep and 36" high. Originally I thought it would make a great vanity for a project I'm working on.  As it had already been altered I didn't mind further mutilating it but it proved to be 6" too long for that task.  However it fits nicely in this corner of my living room and holds all sorts of entertainment glassware, board games, etc, with room to spare!

As you can see it was a little rough when I got it home (the top still hinges up but no more record player inside!). Some wood glue to re-affix the broken veneer (seen in the center), a light cleaning and then a heavy polishing was all it took to shine! You never know what you'll find at an estate sale. Have you found any treasures lately?

Louvre: Apartments of Napoleon III

One thing not to miss at the Louvre, out of many items not to miss, are the state apartments of Napoleon III. I've visited a lot of opulent places in my travels but never seen something on this scale and so completely over the top.

Built between 1854 and 1861 by the architect Hector Lefuel, the set of rooms was basically built for partying and entertaining. How could you fail to impress guests of the State when this is the setting?

Long hallways lead you past anterooms designed for large scale gatherings through a stately enfilade until you reach the Grand Salon.

 Every square inch is ornate; designed to within an inch of its life. And it's totally magnificent.

The ceiling of the Grand Salon is a painting by Charles-Raphael Marechal depicting the building of the wing itself:  The Reuniting of the Louvre and the Tuileries by Napoleon III.

I love the filtered light through the many windows. The low light from the now electrified chandliers almost appears as candlelight at this time of day.

 The view out the windows isn't so bad either.

I loved this little side table nestled between pilasters; a perfect spot to place your drink at a party or more likely for a candelabra.

 Small rooms dot the enfilade, such as this card playing chamber.

 The small dining room features magnificent wall murals.

The apartments have been faithfully restored and the upholstery and gilding looks brand new; probably the same as in the 1860s (minus the smog).

The grand dining room features an immense table and a ceiling painted by Eugene Appert depicting exotic birds in flight.

 The paneled opening at the end of the dining room sets the symmetry of the space as the entry is off center.

The large sideboard of course would have been loaded with cut glass, silver, and exotic fruits to impress guests.

This service hall of sorts runs the length of the apartments and dining room. Even the underside of the circular stair is decorated; no detail overlooked.

 At the end of the apartments is a gilded bed and balustrade from the throne room of Napoleon I. Not your standard 1 bedroom apartment.

Before visiting the Louvre, make sure the apartments of Napoleon III are open on the day of your visit as they close periodically.

A Grand Stair: Escalier du Ministre, Louvre

While in Paris everyone will say to visit the apartments of Napoleon III at the Louvre. They're right, it's amazing! On the way to his private apartments you will pass through the Escalier du Ministre which is worth a blog post in its own right before moving onto the apartments themselves.

Originally the staircase was part of the ceremonial apartments of the minister of state. These were built to impress those who came for parties and on affairs of state and impress they do!

Napoleon III hired the architect Hector Martin Lefuel to design the "New Louvre" wing, now known in part as the Richelieu wing. Construction of the wing was at the height of the 2nd Empire period, 1854-1857.

Afterwards the staircase was decorated by a number of artists until 1861. I can see what took them so long! I love the chandelier and huge sconces built by Christofle and designed by the sculptor Morand.

The 2 stunning paintings at the top of the stair are by Charles-Francois d'Aubigny and depict the gardens of the Tuileries and the palace.

 I love these interior doors found throughout Paris, I say we bring them back into current fashion!

Next up the apartments of Napoleon III.
Click the photos to see larger in detail.

The power of blogging

Or maybe this post should be entitled "the power of oxi clean".  A few weeks ago my friend Meg of the blog PigtownDesign had written a post about some antique china she had won at auction which was heavily yellowed and using oxiclean to get out the stains.

Two weeks later, in fact this past weekend, I was at an estate sale and found a charming little antique plate which was heavily discolored for only $2 (see picture at top of the post). I remembered Meg's recommendation and decided to give it a try. It took about 10 hours soaking in the oxi-clean but look at the results; nearly perfect!

I'll be trying oxi-clean now on a number of other items; Thanks Meg! By chance, does anyone recognize the maker's mark on the back?

I received no compensation from oxi-clean (in fact I had to pay a premium in order to buy at my local drugstore!)

Going, going, GONE!

As many of you have been reading and are probably already aware, Google Reader will be ceasing operation on July 1st ( blog lists on blogs showing updated posts). This is how I personally read blogs and I know a number of other people do as well so we all have to find another way to keep up to date!

I've signed up for Bloglovin after having issues with some of the other recommendations I've seen. Every day I get an easy to navigate email with the new postings for the blogs I had entered into the website.  It seems to work well although I'll still miss my blog list here on my blog!

I won't bore you with a lot of redundant information but a great writeup of options can be found at Pigtown Design HERE. As always you can sign up for an easy email of ArchitectDesign sent to you on the upper right hand sidebar "FOLLOW BY EMAIL" on this page by simply adding your email and hitting 'submit'.  You can also sign up for this blog via amazon which will upload directly to your kindle for a small fee (see information here).  Otherwise please consider adding ArchitectDesign to whatever blog reader service you choose to use as I'm happy to have YOU as a reader! Happy Blogging!

Images from our ICAA tour of hunt country taken earlier this spring: future blogpost in the works!