Sunday, July 26, 2009

Paris Atelier: Let's Dance!

Paris Atelier: Let's Dance

I swear that I swooned while looking at this wonderful new post by Judith of Paris Atelier.

After the faintness passed, I ran over here to share it with you. If you would like to partake of some delicious eye candy & learn more about this little piece of dance heaven see: Paris Atelier: Let's Dance!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Queen's Hamlet: The Queen's House

The Queen's House Rental
Construction began right away. Procrastination was not part of the
agenda. Excitement was. Nevertheless, and not counting some
formidable obstacles, the Anglo-Chinese Garden, started in 1774, would be
completed by 1782.
From Marie-Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles by François Halard

I love to imagine Marie Antoinette and her "Trianon team", Richard Mique, Antoine Richard and Hubert Robert working together to create the botanical wonders of her domaine. I have certainly been thinking of them as I am constantly "adjusting" my own version of The Queen's Hamlet.

Recently I have begun a bit of an update to the residential area. You will see that the Queen's House is now located on its own private isle, surrounded by navigatable water & accented by beautiful flora.

The Queen's House Rental

The Queen's House was designed to have a rustic exterior, actually being faux painted and distressed to give it the look of a Norman peasant home. The interior was lavish and beautiful as only a home built for the Queen and her closest friends could be. Its intimate rooms provided for much more comfort than the grand Queen's quarters of Versailles could.

This SL version uses boiserie details from le château de Voré and le château de Compiègne to achieve it's elegant atmosphere, while the kitchen wallpaper is from la maison Bonaparte. All of the casement windows are fully functional and the smoking chimney can be controlled by a simple touch. A full security system and discrete teleport system are also included.

Being "fit for a queen", The Queen's House makes the perfect private residence.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Madame Victoire

Madame Victoire

One of the best things about recreating historical objects is discovering the rl people and personalities associated with them.

When I stumbled across a wonderful table, decorated in Sèvres porcelain by Martin Carlin, I was curious indeed about its owner Mme Victoire.

Marie Louise Thérèse Victoire de France or Madame Victoire as she was known was the daughter of Louis XV and the aunt of Louis XVI. Born at the Palace of Versailles, she had a front row seat to the splendor of the monarchy and the turmoil of the revolution.

I had read about the "Mesdames Tantes", that group of royal aunts to whom Louis XVI was so devoted, mostly in the context of the cool reception they gave to Marie Antoinette on her arrival in France but now, thanks to a piece of furniture, Mme Victoire stands out as an individual in my mind. As a Daughter of France, I’m sure her life was filled with both luxury and intrigue!

Madame Victoire's Table
This unique table comes from Madame Victoire's apartments in Versailles. It is adorned with wonderful birds, flowers and landscape scenes on an gilt, ebony background. In this SL version, the addition of a coordinated chair turns it into a writing desk. The chair contains 3 poses (write & 2 relax) and 4 different fabric options that are controlled by a HUD. Touch the chair seat to select the pose, touch the chair back to select the fabric.

Madame Victoire's Table

You can find both of these pieces at my main store or on XStreet: Madame Victoire's Table and Madame Victoire's Desk Chair .