Screens

The meuble of a room, is the similar fabric shared between all objects that can receive fabric or are made of fabric such as chairs, armchairs, settees, curtains, portières (curtains hung over doors), but also screens or fire screens. Oftentimes, in the grand houses of the upper aristocracy of the Ancien Régime, you had to have a summer meuble and a winter meuble. That is to say, you would have the fabric on all your matching furniture changed generally twice a year according to the season. The fabric covering your bed, chairs, etc. would usually be of lighter colours in summer (white with a flower pattern for example) and a little bit darker and richer in winter (such as a rich red velvet). 

If possessing two entirely different set of furniture was beyond your means or too cumbersome, you could maybe have your chairs reupholstered (which doesn't sound very practical), or, more conveniently, you could own a set of what are called fauteuils à châssis (frame chairs), that is to say armchairs the upholstery of which was conceived to be removable in an instant to be cleaned or changed.

On the new screens I just ordered to complete the furniture of my office, the panels are removable according to the the above mentioned principle, which means I could easily replace them to match the fabric of another set of chairs, and keep the gilded frames. Not that I intend to do so!

A red and gold screen matching the furniture recently delivered for my personal office.

The frame of the same screen before gilding was applied.

Though those screens are relatively short to be usable in rooms with low ceiling such as the entresol room where my curent office is, I sent both of them to the storage room because my office is really too small and full already.

At last, you have to know that during the Ancien Régime and the following regimes abiding by the same etiquette rules, not any idiot could use gilded furniture, certainly not in the King's Palace. You had to belong to the royal family or at least be a very important prince. Please, note that the same principle will apply today, and that gilded furniture will be exclusively reserved to a select few (very few), and in general delivered only to apartments by special permission of His Grace the Duke.

The set of furniture with matching fabric delivered to my office so far.

Causeuse

A causeuse is an armchair which has been stretched sideways to accommodate two persons. It can also resemble a bergère in its construction (with a second loose cushion on top of the first one, lower legs and closed sides), but the model above is only based on a standard armchair. I've ordered this new seat to complete the series of chairs furnishing my office. 

The frame of a newly made causeuse chair, as large as two standard armchairs.

Two armchairs and a causeuse along the walls of the small office I currently occupy in the palace.

The furniture composing the series made for my office so far. The room is so small all those chairs barely fit in there, but this furniture would follow me if I am to move back to a bigger office in the future. This is why I'm not afraid of ordering too much chairs, even if I have to store some of them elsewhere for now...!

Theme And Variations

This is a new variation in colour for the armchair model introduced this year. (See the model's bare frame in details here.) I ordered a series of four armchairs in gold and red fabric for my personal office. (When seated at my desk however, I still prefer to use a modern and very comfortable armchair.) 

My personal office at night in the King's Pavilion of  the Palace of Versailles

A panorama of the different colours in which our model of armchair has been made so far. From left to right : in gold and off-white fabric for the Duchess's Golden Cabinet, in white and orange for the Duchess's Grand Cabinet, and in gold and red for my personal office. At last, a bare frame kept as a template in our workshops.

One More

The last piece of furniture to enter the palace's collection is this Louis XVI style chest of drawers. It has been ordered by a very prestigious occupant to replace an older and damaged one. This new one is made of ebony, a marble top and gilded bronze. Set in a private apartments, it is currently not visible to the public.

Happy Fourth Of July

A year-round display of American Patriotism in one of the Palace's private apartments.

Happy Birthday

That's a year to the day since this blog started, I've showed you many things from here in the palace, much has been done in a year, but a lot has also been done which I didn't share here! That's as many projects still to see on the blog in the future...

If You're Happy Then Have A Laugh

This small Louis XVI style guéridon, or small circular table, is now part of the furniture of the Duchess's Grand Cabinet. It has been ordered specially to stand in front of the newly acquired fire screen, between the two matching armchairs. In fact, this combination of objects (screen and guéridon), serves the same function (shielding you from the fire and offering you a small surface to write on or to display some small item) performed by a single object in the case of the small screen-table displayed in the Golden Cabinet.