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One of the more special things I did in Paris in April was stay at Le Grand Contrôle Airelles Château de Versailles hotel which included private after hour tours of Versailles. There are two different tours that are possible for the first evening of your stay, the King’s Apartments or the Queen’s Apartments, and depend […]

It feels like everyone is in Paris right now or just returned like my friend interior designer Andrew Brown. He and his partner Kip took a last minute trip to celebrate Andrew’s birthday. While they were in the City of Light, they took a day trip to Versailles where they quickly toured of the chateau […]

Have you always wondered what it would be like to live at Versailles? Well, now you can get your chance at the newly opened five-star Le Grand Contrôle Hotel from the Airelles hotel group which sits within the gates of Versailles. Le Grand Contrôle was built in 1681 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Louis XIV’s favourite architect […]

This has been the longest week ever and I am very much looking forward to the weekend. There is so much great stuff happening that I know there will be something for everyone. In addition to the Halsbrook Friends and Family Sale, lots of other retailers are having Friends and Family discounts and other sales […]

I’ve been to Versailles twice but didn’t make it to Le Hameau on either trip. The recently renovated and reopened Maison de la Reine will make it a first priority on my next visit. Marie-Antoinette had Le Hameau built by Richard Mique from 1783-86 as a place to escape court life and host small gatherings. […]

A Little Chaos

06 . 15 . 15

As a devout Francophile, I will see any film set in France so I’m looking forward to A Little Chaos which will be released June 26, 2015. It’s a fictionalized account of a female garden designer hired by landscape architect André le Nôtre to work on a water feature in the garden of Versailles for […]

The Musée Nissim de Camondo has a graceful and elegant entry and staircase that seemed to deserve its own post. It would have certainly impressed guests to the house and you can certainly see the influence of the Petit Trianon on the staircase and black and white marble floor. If you can’t make the trip out to […]

Farewell, My Queen

07 . 12 . 12

This weekend is going to be French filled for me.  Opening Friday is the new film Farewell, My Queen (Les Adieux à la Reine) by by Benoît Jacquot and based on the novel Farewell, My Queen by Chantal Thomas. It gives a fictional account of the last days of Marie Antoinette through the eyes a young servant who read to the queen and […]

Revisiting Versailles

05 . 16 . 12

All the talk about the Chanel Resort 2013 show at Versailles had me thinking back to my last visit to the palace. While I posted photos of Le Petit Trianon and the grounds, I never posted any photos from the interior of Versailles itself.  These images are from The King’s Interior Apartments and The Royal […]

What surprised me about visiting the Château de Versailles was the openness.  Windows and doors welcomed in the warm September air and it wasn’t at all as closed off as many American monuments would be. This is even more amazing after you realize how much restoration all of the buildings have seen over the years.  Robert […]

Vacancy at Versailles

12 . 16 . 10

Visiting Château de Versailles is a magical yet exhausting experience.  You can’t possibly see it all in one day, as much as you may try.  While there are lovely hotels in the town to extend your visit, there is none that will be as conveniently located as the proposed Hôtel du Grand Contrôle which is […]

Le Petit Trianon Park

07 . 16 . 10

Visiting Versailles is exhausting. We managed to see the Belvedere and the Temple of Love which are part of the park of Le Petit Trianon but did not have the energy for the Hamlet. That just means we have to plan a return trip to see the places we missed. I absolutely loved the Belvedere […]

Le Petit Trianon

07 . 15 . 10

After visiting Le Petit Trianon on the grounds of Versailles, it’s easy to see why Marie Antoinette would have wanted to escape the formality of court life at this small chateau. While the interiors are as gorgeous as you would expect, it’s the surrounding park and gardens that really steal the show. Enjoy! Photos by […]

Joyeux Bastille Day!

07 . 14 . 10

One of the main reasons that Stefan and I visited Paris last year was to make a pilgrimage to Versailles. It is one of the most gorgeous places on earth and definitely worth the trip. Although I posted many photos of Paris, I never actually posted any of my photos from Versailles. It was so […]

The Gold Standard

01 . 18 . 10

In honor of the Golden Globes, I’ve put together a collection of some of my favorite uses of gold. I am like a magpie when it comes to anything shiny and gold especially shoes but I am also using it more and more in my design work. I’m not tiling entire palazzos in Italy like […]

Merci beaucoup!

07 . 21 . 09

It’s starting to feel a little like Christmas in July around here. Charlotte Moss really did inspire Stefan of Architect Design and me to book our trip to Versailles. Since she is traveling she hasn’t heard yet that we are actually going so before she left she sent out a little package to further inspire […]

Versailles à vélo

07 . 21 . 09

One of my readers recently emailed me about her bicycle trip through Versailles. It sounded fun but definitely not for this city mouse. All I could picture was falling and breaking my arm and ruining my trip. (Although, I could experience the supposedly superior French care system first hand.) But a few days later, as […]