French Style Interiors: Petit Trianon

French Style- Petit Trianon

The château of the Petit Trianon is a celebrated example of the transition from the Rococo style of the earlier part of the 18th century, to the more sober and refined, Neoclassical style of the 1760s and onward.

In 2008, the The Petit Trianon and the Pavillon Français reopened to the public after two years of restoration work. The idea was to recreate the place as it existed on the 6th of October 1789, when the royal family was forced by a mob of starving women to leave Versailles, never to return, and resettle into the Palace of the Tuileries in Paris. The overall restoration cost five million euros.

The Petit Trianon was built (1768) for the marquise de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV. But she died before the end of the works and was replaced by, Madame Du Barry,
However today the Petit Trianon is closely associated with the person of queen Marie-Antoinette. She received the property from her husband king Louis XVI.

She used the house as her get away from the publics eye. Only she would know what it would be like with such high expectations and the constant quest to be perfect. She made it her intimate refuge from the pageantry of the court of Versailles. She had the Petit Trianon refurnished, redecorated and she refitted the gardens. The whole at a high cost. Little did Marie-Antoinette know that her retirement and the committed expenses were going to crystallize all criticisms against her palace. While isolating herself from the French nobility the Queen would find herself without her natural supports when the revolution burst out.

The Parisian mob did finally come to Versailles. On October 6th 1789, a mob marched on the palace and forced Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to travel to Paris to hear the grievances of a population suffering widespread economic distress and harboring a growing belief in their own right to wield power. It was one of the opening acts of the French Revolution. Eventually the Royal couple would lose their heads to the guillotine and France would become a Republic, with no need for royal residences.

A monarchy-with limited power-was restored in 1830, and Louis-Philippe, who reigned from 1830 to 1848, prevented the destruction of Versailles by donating his own money to convert it into a museum dedicated to the glory of France.

In the mid 20^th century, John D. Rockefeller was an important contributor to the restoration of Versailles. It remains today as a symbol of the wealth, extravagance and refinement of the monarchy.

The recent movie 'Marie Antoinette' by Sofia Coppola gives an idea of the very formal and extravagant life styles at Versailles just prior to the revolution.

The improvement started in 07 and finished in 2008 which encompassed several aspects, including restoring the original decorative elements, creating additional museum areas, refurbishing the entire set of technical facilities and repairing the
outer woodwork, steps as well as the East and West wings of the Petit Trianon.

At the request of the Établissement pubic de Versailles, Montres Breguet agreed to fund an additional phase of work. The latter has just been completed in June 2010, thereby setting the final touch to this operation. It involved cleaning the South façade, restoring the sentry boxes framing the gate of the entrance court, consolidating the forecourt walls, as well as mending the cobble-stoned or paved areas. With the new renovations, the servants quarters are now open to the public.

The Petit Trianon is a small château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. In this video they show the restauration of the Petit Trianon. You can see first hand some of the rooms being refinished and furniture being crated in order to work on the interior. It is interesting to see first hand what happens when the palace gets a facelift.

Private Apartment of Queen Marie Antoinette

French Style Decorating Ideas -Le Petit Trianon

On the first floor the Living room called "Salon de Compagnie", decorated with splendid woodworks carved by Guibert, is one of the most beautiful rooms of the castle. The first floor is the dining room which features finely carved boiseries (ornate and intricately carved wood paneling) that are without gilding (gold leaf) to complement the bleu Turquin (blue Italian marble) mantle The pieces of furniture are contemporary of Marie-Antoinette. Picture Credit Metis Linens Blog