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Petit Trianon is Selkie's 12th collection, and a celebration of femininity and extravagance. Inspired by Marie Antoinette's gardens at the palace of Versailles.
It spans centuries of the château's storied history.
Petit Trianon is Selkie's 12th collection, and a celebration of femininity and extravagance. Inspired by Marie Antoinette's gardens at the palace of Versailles.
Petit Trianon is Selkie's 12th collection, and a celebration of femininity and extravagance. Inspired by Marie Antoinette's gardens at the palace of Versailles.
Our adventures in France continue with this post on Versailles. We were staying at the Trianon Palace Versailles, a hotel with the very name of the actual palace we planned to visit that day. Marie Antoinette imposed her own taste on a small palace that King Louis XVI gave to her as a gift. He himself was not allowed to visit it without permission from his wife. It was hers to use and stay in to escape the rigors of formal palace living. A place she could have fun with her children and live a more normal life. She created a little world in the Petit Trianon down the road in her hamlet, a village she created of follies (buildings) and structures like gardens and watermills. She changed the gardens to suit the current taste of English country gardens and had them planted with tulips, flowering trees and fragrant varieties such as roses to perfume the air, as she spent much time outside. Originally built by King Louis XV for a gift for his favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, who died before she could ever enjoy it. I was looking forward to exploring this palace, gardens and hamlet to see just what a young queen could dream up for herself. Our own hotel in Versailles was pretty palatial too, and it was situated on the corner of the palace grounds so we were able to walk to the palace for our self guided tour. We were touring with another couple, the Metzgers, and we planned to meet them in the lobby of the hotel in the morning before we set out for our tour. The beautiful lobby had free Wifi so we could check our emails or put up some posts on Facebook before we headed out for the day. All along the foyer hall were little nooks next to windows with big green wingback chair, as you can see Janet and Bill enjoying. And then we were off to our tour. We were advised to start backwards by going to the small country style palace of Marie Antoinette, called the Petit Trianon. The crowds there were likely to be less, and so that is where we headed on our first day of touring. We walked about one block to the entrance to this park that leads to the little palace. There were many tree lined "allees" like this one, and I found them so beautiful and very French! We had printed out tickets in the USA to gain entry to Versailles, but had no map or idea what we were doing! Luckily there was a big diagram of the layout, all in French of course. With so many pathways lined of trees, we weren't sure which one to take. But Mr. Maison Decor and Mr. Secret Agent figured it out... along with the help of an English speaking Frenchman who stopped to point us in the correct direction. This long dirt path has a row of trees, next to the street in the middle, and then another row of trees on the other side. I loved these tree allees (avenues of trees), which are found all around Versailles. Allees of trees are always planted in the same variety. The pathway was flanked by vast parkland, and many people from France come to enjoy the parks with their family, their dogs, children on bicycle, car or foot. It was the perfect day weather wise, this October morning for a walk to the palace. We finally reached the gates of the Petit Trianon, the cobblestone road was behind us now. The gilded green iron gates surrounded the entrance to Marie's private estate, Petit Trianon. It was refurbished and opened to the public in 2008, and I am so glad they did! You can spend an entire day just on this palace. We were early, as this country palace opens at noon, so we enjoyed the park and waited to be the first to enter the grounds. It would be in stark contrast to the mob scene we would find the next day at the large palace. Little French dogs trotted about, so many dogs in fact. Many are off lead, but are polite and well behaved and follow along behind their owners. The view from the palace gates, back from where we had walked was so beautiful. We had the place to ourselves. Janet, on the right, was trying to figure out a way to get in on the side gate, but that turned out to be the exit. This is a little map and the Petit Trianon is very much petite. It sits at about 7 pm on the bottom of the map, if it were laid out like a clock. We would explore the Petit Trianon and the Queen's Hamlet, which was the village and its contents that surrounded the little private palace. The Grand Trianon is the palace where Louis XIV stayed as his respite from the formal living at the Grand Palace of Versailles, and sadly we never made it that far. This is a scene from Sophia Coppola's movie Marie Antoinette, where King Louis XVI hands the key to the Petit Trianon to his beloved wife Marie Antoinette. She looks pretty darn excited! Meanwhile back to the tour.... it was noon! Lets go in, shall we? We walked down this charming pathway in a courtyard... I was falling madly in love already. and then down this very interesting castle like hallway with worn wooden floors. It took us to the first room that seemed to be a display room that showcased this fancy little carriage that must have been one of the prince's. Beautifully handpainted decorations on the leather lined carriage. Anything that was in a glass box, or covered with plastic or protected like this meant it was an original piece. Remember that many items were taken and sold off or stolen and so many rooms are being refurbished as they find original pieces or they have reproductions. The block walls were faux painted to look like stone, they were really plaster walls. The wood cabinetry and wooden shutters were all finished in painted finishes so similar to Chalk Paint. I found myself looking at the painted finishes very closely, as did Janet. We would remark upon the colors used etc. So we started off in the bowels of the palace looking at the kitchen. Loved this kitchen! Its very in style now~ the long harvest table and the colors on the walls. This was used for reheating dishes of food to be served to the monarchs, as the food was made in out buildings. We enjoyed looking at the place by ourselves, hardly anyone was here! Simple but sturdy built in cabinets were along the wall with white washed paint jobs. Old lanterns hung for lighting, and the eyebrow dormers let in modest amounts of light. You can see the big warming stove and the copper pots above it behind glass now. Janet was checking out the oven... I was in a hurry to see more stuff in the palace! Can you imagine a big fire roaring in the huge fireplace? This room had a pair of beautiful french country style china cabinets in three colors. It housed some of the original country dinner ware. The walls were a biscuit color and the cabinetry was painted in greys and seafoamy greens with white accents. Loved the china! The references to a country life were obvious, but still lovely enough to serve royalty. The painted finishes on the china cabinet was inspiring, you could see the brush strokes and it was very similar in feel to my favorite paint, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, with a waxed finish. The wooden carved doors were very ornate, but not gilded in this palace. Look at the hardware! They had the same kind of painted finish the cabinetry had. I really loved the colors and the decorative detail without the gilding. This was a palace that Marie used as an escape from the more formal way of living over at the big palace. It was time to head upstairs to the part of the palace that Marie used, as the lower level was for the help. The grand railings were about the only gilded thing in the entry hall. Marie Antoinette had her monogram installed in the railings after removing the monogram of Louis XV. She knew how to make the place her own, and who cared about the cost? Lets take a look at the rest of the palace. I am sure during her reign there was furniture in this foyer, but it was unfurnished during our visit 300 years later. Up the staircase we went.... The stairs were rounded and worn down from the centuries of use. Lots of stone carvings and pretty soft colors were to be found. Then we went into the first room with the open door. It was a very formal room with a huge portrait of Maire Antoinette to the right. There was a guy standing guard in this room, and he would open the windows when it got too hot in there. I adored the colors of the walls, and the beautiful panelling. It was a beautiful room! At this point other people started coming in to view the palace, and I did not snap a pic of this amazing portrait, as there was a woman who stood in front of it for an eternity with her iPhone trying to get a great shot. So Janet and I waited and I finally moved on....such is life. I headed to the dining room.... I drank in the ambience and tried to imagine life back in the day. This was the chandelier in the grand dining room. But behind it you can see the large mirror. I noticed the large mirrors were usually set in two pieces butted together. I suppose they couldn't make the mirrors large enough back then. You can see the foxing in the antique mirror as well. Another long mirror, with two pieces to create one long one. This was the dining room, but there was no table in place. That is because there was to be a table that was mechanically raised from the floor out of the basement! Marie wanted to have this palace run with as little interaction between the help and herself. So she thought if they just bring up the table all set up with the dishes and the food on it, it would be perfect! That girl could dream! But it was never finished, although the mechanism can be seen below in the cellar level. I wondered if there were any red draperies when Marie ruled, as it was not her favorite color. I could relate to that! We liked the same colors it seemed. The paneled walls were beautiful, the moldings incredible! I adored the color! There was a marble bust of Marie Antointette on the fireplace mantle. And this was just the country palace! Around doorways were gilded cupids heads and grapevines. Chandeliers were stunning! More closeups of detailed wall panels. Crossed torches and ribbons and swags of roses, all so classical and elegant. Little oil portraits here and there...a dark wood lyre back chair. Greek key trim on the draperies. Then we moved into the music room. This was a pretty music room with beautiful light coming from the windows. All the furniture and drapery were done in the same fabric, more red. You can see a mix of Louis XV and Louis XVI style legs on the chairs. The panels on the walls had Louis' monogram of two Ls in myrtle leaves encircled at the bottom of the panels. This room was for games and parties and music, which Marie Antoinette enjoyed. This room would be prettier done in a softer color, as opposed to this heavy red fabric. The two L's in a monogram carved to resemble myrtle leaves, in honor of Louis XV. So beautiful and impressive! A big golden harp as well as a small piano were on the parquet floor. The chairs had baskets of flowers embroidered on the center backs appropriate for this country home. After the music room we went into Marie's bedroom. It was very small. This group of rooms was called the Queen's apartment, and consisted of three rooms. This was Marie's simple bedroom she used at her retreat. Still lovely, but much more simple in decoration than at the grand palace. It was originally a retreat room for King Louis XV, then became bedchambers for Madame Du Barry, the last mistress of Louis XV. Marie did not like her and when the King died and her own husband became reigning King, he had Madame Du Barry banished from Versailles. Finally this bedroom was Marie Antoinette's! They both met the same fate of the guillotine however, so ultimately they shared more than the same bed in common. This bed is a reproduction, but the bedcoverings are original! Passing down a hallway we looked into a closed off room to see the toilet, lit by a candle. This was next to Marie's bedroom. She never had a "commode", this one was refurbished in 1837 for the wife of King Louis Phillip's son. So even after the French Revolution, the monarchy still used this small palace as living quarters. You can see her bedroom to the end of the hallway. At some point this cute little toilet room "commode" with glass windows was added. Its common in France to have the toilets in separate rooms, the sinks are found in the bedrooms, or outside the toilet rooms. No sinks here as there was no plumbing, so I imagine they had wash basins for clean up. This room was her private living room and was beautifully done in soft sea foam green walls with white trim, Marie's favorite color, the original color palette for Petit Trianon. A marble fireplace simply dressed with a gilded mirror and girandoles, and a pair of busts. Views from each window were simply gorgeous, and this day was the perfect day to enjoy them! This view was to the French Pavillion, a folly built on the palace grounds. We exited the palace and started walking towards the small Hamlet that was created for Marie. A series of little homes and buildings were made up to create a village that she could walk about and pretend to live life as a regular gal. She wanted this opportunity for her children, so they could get away from the formality of palace living. The view to the back of the palace as we moved on to the hamlet. Old gnarly trees were on the grounds and you can see one of the little village homes up ahead. Charming stone houses with thatched roofs and cute little potagers with wooden fences and arched coverings made for a pretty scene. The hamlet also had classical structures built so that Marie could enjoy listening to music by a quartet on lovely summer days, or go to a theatre or simply look at a lovely classical temple. This such building was called the Temple of Love and was placed on an island accessed by bridges. This Hamlet and the buildings were all designed by Richard Mique, a neoclassical French born architect who worked for Marie to create this paradise for her enjoyment. He too, was put to death at the hands of the French revolution for conspiring to save the Queen's life. I loved the aged grey wooden fences and bridges leading to the temple. It was a rustic and elegant mix~the old wood with the rich marble. This statue is Cupid cutting his bow from the club of Hercules. It was deemed an exceptional work of art and the original is now in the Louvre. This is a reproduction done in the 18th century by another great sculptor, Mulchy. The structure itself is built entirely out of marble and is considered a marvelous example of the quality of sculpture work done by Deschamps, notably the corinthian capitals. The Queen could look out from her bedroom in the Petit Trianon and gaze upon this Temple of Love, all perfectly designed by her architect Mique. He also designed the Belvedere, another classical style follie. This was an 8 sided bandstand that overlooked a lake that we came upon after walking down a pathway through the hamlet. Inside the bandstand there are artistic pediments showing the pleasures of hunting and gardening. The floor is a marble mosaic in a concentric circular form. This building was locked, but you could peer inside to see just how lovely it was. Sculptures by Deschants guard the Belvedere. And behind the Belvedere were enchanting pathways under covered trees and vines, which led to somewhere....I traveled down the path. The signage was limited, so exploring I went. I decided to head back to the main palace. This was The French Pavillion that stood opposite the Palace. I did not walk down to see it...I was getting hungry and set off to find Mr. Maison Decor, who had left earlier to forage for food himself. We had agreed to meet at the cafe outside the entrance to the palace. He needs his food and rest or he is a disagreeable date on a tour. So I headed back to the palace, as I needed to find my way out of the labyrinth of gardens. You can see it was relatively sparse of travelers, and that made for a delightful walk. But since I have a horrible sense of direction I had to hope for the best. I left the courtyard and exited the palace and hoped to run into Janet and Bill as they had go further on in search of the small private theatre. I found them and Janet and I ducked into a gift shop to bring home a few trinkets from our tour. It was filled with all things Marie Antoinette. We carried our Marie Antoinette monogrammed shopping bags and approached the outdoor cafe where Mr. Maison Decor snapped our pics. I was ready for a glass of wine! It had been an awesome day and we still had several hours left~Janet and I would get dropped off in the center of Versailles, the town, and the guys would go in search of a drug store and get cold medicine and some wine and beer for us to enjoy later. Such was the life in France! We shopped and they met up with us later at the street side cafe where we had the best dinner of the entire trip! That afternoon in Versailles, Janet and I walked along the main street and I found this very cool old bookshop that was run by an old French woman. We went inside and I found more than a few old books to bring home. So many beautiful books in one place! I love decorating with old books. The city of Versailles is quite posh and has lots of nice shops. It is also very beautiful and hubby and I talk about going back to this town to stay longer and explore more of the palaces and the city. Plenty of cobblestone streets leading to gated chateaus. This place was just brimming with charm! We watched a bride standing inside the bridal shop trying on gowns as we passed by. The shops were very pretty and this one with the topiaries and plum exterior caught our eye! Antique shops with antique chair frames beckoned us inside. Topiaries were the designated shop decoration perhaps. I will share some of the special antiques we saw that afternoon on another post. We finally stumbled upon this sidewalk bistro and ordered a glass of wine. They guys would be picking us up in front of a local landmark soon, so we wanted to sneak in time for a classic french moment~drinking wine at a sidewalk bistro. Well we liked it so much we thought we should stay and see if the guys were agreeable to dinner right here! Yes they were! Another thing that was everywhere in France were these chairs at sidewalk cafes and bistros. They were a plastic rattan that made them stand up to the weather. I saw them in many different colors, but the style was more or less the same. Very French! We had escargot and beef bourginon, steak tartar, and creme brulee and washed it down with wine and beer. It was the perfect ending for a perfect day in France. We were having the best time ever! If you stayed til the end of this post you are most likely my mom and dad. I hope you enjoyed this diary of a visit to the small palace called Petit Trianon. It was my most favorite of all, and I highly recommend you spend at least a day discovering this beautiful place!
And when the Petit Trianon became oh so tedious Marie Antoinette retreated to the fake English village she had constructed...
Petit Trianon is Selkie's 12th collection, and a celebration of femininity and extravagance. Inspired by Marie Antoinette's gardens at the palace of Versailles.
This bijou French palace, commissioned by Louis XV and brought to life by Marie Antoinette, is a consummate exercise in balance and restraint
Selkie F/W 2021 "Petit Trianon"
Selkie F/W 2021 "Petit Trianon"
A Versailles, le Domaine de Trianon était le lieu de refuge des souverains. Du Petit Trianon au Hameau de la Reine, explorez ce lieu hors du temps.
Petit Trianon is Selkie's 12th collection, and a celebration of femininity and extravagance. Inspired by Marie Antoinette's gardens at the palace of Versailles.
Are you heading to Paris for the first time? If you're looking for the best photo spots, here are the 30 Most Instagrammable Places in Paris!
Explore Ganymede - Over 5 millions views.Thks!'s 11314 photos on Flickr!
Explore michel.petigny's 374 photos on Flickr!
Petit Trianon is Selkie's 12th collection, and a celebration of femininity and extravagance. Inspired by Marie Antoinette's gardens at the palace of Versailles.
Petit Trianon is Selkie's 12th collection, and a celebration of femininity and extravagance. Inspired by Marie Antoinette's gardens at the palace of Versailles.
Last week I was in Paris for work... first off, let me pause and pinch myself because I can't believe I got to go to Paris for work! I was attending a tradeshow in Paris to find new brands and lines to bring in for the shop, so naturally I also spent a great deal visiting shops in Paris and making a trip out to Versailles to gather inspiration from France's most famous queen, Marie Antoinette. I had always wanted to visit Versailles and when we went to France for our honeymoon a couple of years ago, we didn't have time to visit Versailles, so this time I made a point to make time for it...and well, I STILL haven't been to Versailles because my friends, it is a MASSIVE place and we were heading out to Versailles on our very last day in France. We had been averaging about 8-9 hours of walking a day in Paris. Do you know HOW MUCH walking that is and how painful it can be when you're a gal like me that refuses to wear sneakers whilst in Paris...or anywhere really unless I'm exercising? So, as you can imagine, I was not very keen on walking the massive grounds of Versailles... Travel Tip: Versailles, the main palace and grounds, is VERY crowded and attracts so very many tourists. Opt to go to the smaller palaces, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon and there are moments you can even have a room all to yourself. We arrived at Versailles around 11 AM and had previously purchased our tickets online. There wasn't a big crowd at Grand Trianon so we were able to waltz in rather quickly after a brief Security check. Grand Trianon is very luxurious and features a lot of pink marble. Also, the rooms all featured different colored drapes in luminous silks and the furniture varied in color too. Some of it was a bit too garish for my taste (I have a strong dislike for fuschia, any green that resembles lime, and any yellow that looks like orange-ish brass... three rooms featured some hues and it made my skin crawl a little...) This one room had beautiful off white curtains... oh these curtains were luscious. I wanted so very badly to reach out and touch it, wrap myself in it... but the docent of the palace (is that what they're called?) was eyeing me and so I have one photo of me near the curtains that my husband snapped but my face clearly looks like
Once described as a "dot.com wunderkind," Halsey Minor has had his share of press, good and bad. Present at the births of both CNET and Salesforce.Com, Minor has also taken some very public lumps...
Paris Fine Art Photograph "Door at Le Petit Trainon, Versailles" An elegant grey blue door, illuminated only by window light as it has been for several centuries at Le Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette's hideaway at Versailles, just outside Paris, France. Photographed May 30, 2014. Printed on beautiful, premium quality archival paper with long-lasting inks. See the companion print here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/198391982/versailles-france-photography-staircase This image is available as a gallery-wrapped canvas here: www.etsy.com/listing/949310361 More of my Paris images are available here: http://etsy.me/UBqmba See my entire line of fine art prints, canvases, pendants, notecards and calendars: http://etsy.me/Yvt7Zw All images shown in this shop are copyrighted under US and International copyright law to Georgianna Lane and may not be used without express permission.
An architectural image of Le Petit Trianon in the Great Buildings Online.
The movie was really filmed here. It took 45 minutes to walk in the heat from the palace to here so I really hope you like the picture! We wanted to save 6 Euros by walking.
Paris Fine Art Photograph "Door at Le Petit Trainon, Versailles" An elegant grey blue door, illuminated only by window light as it has been for several centuries at Le Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette's hideaway at Versailles, just outside Paris, France. Photographed May 30, 2014. Printed on beautiful, premium quality archival paper with long-lasting inks. See the companion print here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/198391982/versailles-france-photography-staircase This image is available as a gallery-wrapped canvas here: www.etsy.com/listing/949310361 More of my Paris images are available here: http://etsy.me/UBqmba See my entire line of fine art prints, canvases, pendants, notecards and calendars: http://etsy.me/Yvt7Zw All images shown in this shop are copyrighted under US and International copyright law to Georgianna Lane and may not be used without express permission.
