The Metropolitan Museum and Wrightsman Galleries

The Wrightsman Galleries are worth your donation to the Met, and oh so much more! You do not have to book a trip to Paris to see the beautiful French interiors of the 18th century. The Met has done a fine job of recreating these spaces, from furniture placement to lighting by golden candle glow.

As lit for museum visitors. Photo +Lauren Marie 
Your eyes may take a minute to adjust when you enter the wing, because as I and Heather mentioned, the main light sources come from candelabras, wall sconces and chandeliers that drip from the ceilings. Authentic? You bet.

Standard lighting. Photo +Lauren Marie 

I know you would just love to be hanging out in that room!! They own a wonderful fire screen that was in one of the rooms at Antoinette's Chateau de Saint-Cloud. So imagine that, you are in NYC but have the opportunity to stand in front of that little faithful screen where Antoinette may have stood several times. As Heather said, "Oh if fire screens could talk!" honestly!

Marie Antoinette's firescreen. Photo +Lauren Marie 
Of Marie Antoinette's, they also own her secretaire and a companion commode.


Detail shot of the top design.
The rooms are furnished with pieces in the Louis XVI style, such as this chair. The Met worked with London's Chelsea Textiles to have the original fabric recreated to the greatest degree. They chose to have it the fabric recreated in its original pure white color, rather than a faux aged look, because, the white will age in it's own time.


So you are getting the best of both worlds, the real deal, as it was when our favorite tarts and femmes were entertaining at the party and searching for places to rest their feet!

More info on the rooms at the Met and in the May edition of Architectural Digest.

4 comments:

  1. It looks like Chelsea Textiles is having a sale in New Jersey until the end of December, for those fellow fabric-a-holics!

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  2. Anonymous11:25 AM

    When I lived in NYC I used to love to visit these rooms on a weekday afternoon when I could be there completely alone. It was always amazing to me that in a city as bustling as NYC one could find these pockets of the 18th century where you could be alone with your imagination. The Fragonard room at the Frick was another of these places. Thanks for rekindling those memories!
    Catherine

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  3. Simply beautiful. I could stay all day and dream.

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  4. So beautiful, like a mini Versailles! I'm booking a flight right now! (I wish)! What a great find
    Judith~

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