Versailles: Le Grand Trianon

The famous Versailles architect Jules Mansart built Le Grand Trianon in the late 1860s as an escape of sorts from the formality of the grand palace. French pink marble, sweet gardens, and geometric courtyards blend in wonderful, cozy proportions against the heavily Italian-influenced architecture that defines this group of buildings.

Of course by “cozy” I mean palatial…and yet still manageable. OK, so maybe if you have a full-time staff of 20 it is manageable. And after all, the definition of cozy is relative when you have the likes of Louis XIV and Napoleon Bonaparte occupying the space.

If you’re the type of person who’s always walked into any house, office, restaurant–you name it–and silently redecorated the place in your head, you would be me. So imagine what was going through my head when I walked from room….

to room…

to room…

But yeah, except for maybe a few furniture or painting placements, I think everything is in its rightful place now.

It may not be my favorite interior design style, but Versailles is definitely a treasure trove for inspiration.

But we’re not done yet. Where there’s a grand there’s usually a petit. See you there.

December 21, 2014