Desserte

A newly acquired Louis XVI style desserte or side table, in the Duchess's apartments.

After the French Revolution, almost all of Versailles' furniture had been plundered and auctioned off. This is why, as well as recreating now vanished places in the grounds or in the palace, I am always glad when we can welcome a valuable piece of furniture to refurbish, even modestly, a newly restored room. Once again, Madame la Duchesse is lucky, as this newly acquired desserte (a type of side table generally belonging to a dining room) will be on display in her apartments. The room or precise place it will be shown in may of course vary, but for now, you can admire this desserte in the great cabinet, or office of Madame la Duchesse (if you are invited in, this goes without saying).

Fireplace, portraits and the newly acquired side table in the Duchess's office.

Have you ever wondered how the type of drawers we see here on each side of the desserte, with a curved front, do open? Well, there are in fact several solutions. The first one is quite simple, and consist in having (somewhat dishonestly!) fake drawers! Would you have thought of that? The second solution, is to have real drawers with a slide mechanism underneath them (as you can't have normal slides because of the triangular shape of the drawers). The third solution, the most elegant and unexpected in my opinion, is to have swing-out drawers which pivot on a hinge outside your table. So, which solution has been used in making this desserte do you think? This will remain for now, very frustratingly, a well guarded secret!