More Armchairs

We were writing in the last post about the name given to armchairs meant to be placed along a wall and essentially kept there with no other purpose than contributing to the decor of a room. Such armchairs are called fauteuils meublants. You may see in the picture above (taken today in the Duchesse's Golden Cabinet) how such seats may be arranged on either side of a fireplace for instance.

For really seating, two other identical armchairs have been delivered. Those will be used as fauteuils courants, or armchairs positioned in the centre of the room and more freely moved around according to needs. To complete the furniture, two matching bergères will be delivered soon.

An armchair in the Duchess's Golden Cabinet, of the same model as those furnishing the Grand Cabinet, but in gold and off-white tones.

A less formal arrangement of armchairs, set around a table for tea or conversation. 

Three armchairs in the Duchess's Golden Cabinet.

Armchairs

An armchair from a pair delivered for the Duchess's Grand Cabinet.

This type of Louis XVI armchair is said to be à la reine, which means it has a straight back. An armchair with a curved back is said to be en cabriolet. 

Armchairs meant to be moved freely around a room, like this pair, are called fauteuils courants. On the other hand, armchairs placed against a wall and staying pretty much at the same place all the time are called fauteuils meublants (furniture armchairs).

Have A Seat!

It has been months, or even years since we had in mind to build chairs to refurnish the palace. At last, a prototype of a Louis XVI style armchair has been built. This prototype won't be painted, varnished or finished further and will serve as a template from which to build (hopefully), many more such chairs... So, stay tuned, we hope to show you some completed models in the near future!

A Louis XVI style armchair (only the bare frame of it) made today in our workshop. The armchair is made of 20 different elements.

Slideshow

The above video is a first attempt at creating a very basic slideshow using the YouTube Slideshow Creator. The photographs shown here are almost all from the blog; so nothing new if you're familiar with its pictural content already! The original 4:3 photos have been re-framed to a 16:9 screen size (the one used by YouTube), hence some awkward framing... But, once again, this is only a test as they say! (And of course, while all this fancy stuff is being done, the construction and decoration work in the Palace have come to a standstill! Gee!)

Chest Of Tiny Drawers

It seems it is furniture season again! Today, this tiny little Louis XVI style chest of drawers has been added to the collections. It is without any unnecessary ornament and let its style, proportions and craftsmanship speak for themselves. It has been commissioned with a room and a place in mind, but as all furniture in the palace, it might well move around according to whim or necessity! 

If you're interested in high quality furniture, please select our Furniture label underneath this post to have a look at other items in the Palace's collection.

Wood Paneling 2.0

Newly made wood panels have replaced the old ones in the Duchess's Grand Cabinet. These are views of the room without paintings on the walls to let you see the boiseries better. As you can see, we opted for an early installation of the panels even if we have still to fix (and build!) the doors.

The mirror frame above the fireplace is much more elaborate and intricately carved compared to the previous one, but still, it remains the only gilded element of the walls' decor.

The Mirror frame is loosely based on the ones, designed by Antoine Rousseau, visible today in Madame Victoire's bedroom in her apartments on the ground floor of the palace of Versailles.

If you want to know how much better (hopefully!) those new wood panels are compared to the old ones, just browse for the ancient ones on this blog; for now, there are still photos of them around...! 

Teaser Grand Cabinet

As the wood paneling is being upgraded to higher standards in the Duchess's Grand Cabinet, the mirror above the fireplace will receive a more ornate frame, adorned with gilded ornaments. The frame, which will probably be the only element of the wood paneling to be gilded, has been crafted today. Once again, you have the opportunity to compare a preparatory drawing for the frame with the (almost) final product.