Lolo's French Bloguette: enfilade

Showing posts with label enfilade. Show all posts

Thursday, November 20, 2014

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

To market, to market...but not to buy a fat pig! Lolo was looking for buffets, bergerès and bonnetieres.

Period Directoire Buffet

Period Empire Enfilade

Louis XV Buffet

Country French Buffet

Louis XIII Enfilade Buffet

Louis XV Bergère à Oreilles (with Ears)

No bonnetieres at this market, but baskets, benches and bedside tables were plenty.

Boulangerie Baskets

Louis XV Bench

Louis Philippe Chevet

And though he didn't buy a fat pig, it seems he did get the fat hog!

Period Louis Philippe Bibliothèque

So it's home again, home again jiggety-jog!

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

Saturday, February 22, 2014

LOLO TAKES A SIDE TRIP TO MONT SAINT-MICHEL: PART 1

Lolo's morning started out like any other day, searching through warehouses hoping to find a treasure trove of French antiques. He managed to find a few new dealers and drove away with some beautiful pieces.

Louis XV Table with Cabriole Legs Ending in Pied de Biche

Antique French Grandfather Clocks

Hand Carved French Gueridon

Louis XV Wing Back Bergeres

Louis XV Enfilade

Henri II Leather Armchairs

Antique Wooden French Planter

Louis XV Cabinet

Louis XV Chest

As he was off to his final destination, Lolo found himself near Mont Saint-Michel. Known as the Merveille de l’Occident (Wonder of the West), it's one of France's most iconic sights.

Mont Saint-Michel in the distance.

Lolo had always heard of the rocky islet and its tides, but had never been there. He decided to take some time off (something he's learning to do a little more often) and do some sight seeing. And WOW...what a sight to see!

Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel takes you back to the Middle Ages with its amazing architecture set against a backdrop of the area's incredible tides.

Mont Saint-Michel forms a tower in the heart of an immense bay invaded by the highest tides in Europe.

The actual abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is the reason to visit. Surrounded by rock, the abbey provides insight into religious life through 1000 years of architecture. It’s been an important pilgrimage center since 709 A.D.

The Abbey

According to legend, the Archangel Michael told Saint-Aubert, the local Bishop of Avranches, to “build here and build high.” Saint-Aubert built and consecrated a small church on October 16, 709. Archangel Michael reassured the bishop, “If you build it...they will come.” In 966 A.D., a community of Benedictine monks settled on the rock at the request of the Duke of Normandy and the Carolingian church named Chapelle Notre-Dame-sous-Terre (Our Lady underground) was built on the grounds of the oratory erected by Saint-Aubert in the early VIIIth century. Today's abbey is built on the remains of this pre-Romanesque church. Saint-Michel, whose gilded statue decorates the top of the abbey’s spire, was the patron saint of many French kings, making this a favored sight for French royalty through the ages.

The Archangel Michel by sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet sits atop the neo-gothic spire,
rising over 550 feet above sea level, that was added in 1896.

The abbey was closed in 1791 and used as a prison during the French Revolution. Napoleon finally shut down the prison in 1863 after several influential figures, including Victor Hugo, launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. An extensive restoration was required. The abbey was turned over to the Historic Monuments department in 1874 and has been open to the public year round since then. The setting and fine architecture make it one of the major monuments for visitors in France.

'Mont-Saint-Michel: La salle des Chevaliers'

Tomorrow, Lolo takes us through a maze of narrow streets leading through areas of shops, restaurants, and hotels. He'll show us the windlass, installed during the use of the site as a prison, which six workers once powered hamster-style to haul two-ton loads of stones and supplies from the landing below. We'll take a look at the beautiful architecture of Mont Saint-Michel and the little village that flourishes on the rock.

Lolo and the Windlass

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

WEDNESDAY'S WORD OF THE WEEK: ENFILADE

ENFILADE

en·fi·lade [en-fuh-leyd -lahd]

noun [en-fuh-leyd -lahd]

1. Architecture. an interconnected group of rooms arranged usually in a row with each room opening into the next.

2. Military. gunfire directed from a flanking position along the length of an enemy battle line.

verb (used with object), en·fi·lad·ed, en·fi·lad·ing.

1. Military. to attack with an enfilade.

Origin:

1695–1705; < French, from enfiler to thread on a string, pierce from end to end, enfilade, from Old French, to thread, from en- 'in, on' + fil 'thread'.

The French word enfilade in architecture refers to a series of "salons" or rooms, formally aligned with one another, that provide a sweeping view through the entire suite of rooms. The enfilade served to organize space and vision and is a common feature found in many of France's grand palaces from the Baroque period. It is often used in museums and art galleries to help move large numbers of people from one place to another.

Palace of Versaille; The Grand Trianon Interior

An enfilade also refers to a piece of furniture, usually a buffet, in which the cabinet doors reveal connected compartments in a row. It is a long buffet and must have at least three or more cupboard doors. Enfilades add stature to a room with their length and the fact that many are tall.

Louis XV Enfilade. Circa 1900's. Solid Oak. Two Center Drawers and Four Carved Doors
with Carved Apron Over Short Raised Cabriole Legs. Original Hardware.

Interior of Louis XV Enfilade

Antique Spanish Enfilade. Circa 1920. Solid Oak. Four Hand Carved Drawers Over Four Padded Leather Doors
with Nailhead Trim. Original Leather. Raised on Inverted Cup Legs.

Louis Philippe Enfilade. Circa 1890. Solid Walnut.
Three Drawers and Three Doors. Paris, France

The French prefer the higher ones to the lower ones and think nothing of serving off one that is over forty inches high. It's all about the look...not ease of use!

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

Sunday, January 5, 2014

FIND US AT THE FARM JANUARY 7-8

BRRRR...it's COLD outside. But don't let a little cold weather stop you

from shopping Atlanta's newest Antique show,

1st Find At The Farm.

SHOP by Lolo French Antiques et More next Tuesday - Wednesday at Atlanta's newest Antique Show. The TALENTED+TERRIFIC co-founders of the Antique and Design Center of High Point, Karen Luisana and Amanda Lane Kinney, are taking their newest show on the road! 1st Find At The Farm Antique Show will be held January 7-8, 2014, in heated tents (THANK GOODNESS) on the Broder Family farm, located at 1226 Flippen Road in Stockbridge, GA, just minutes from downtown Atlanta and visible from I-75. Gates open at 9 a.m. for early buying. Renowned interior designer and educator Tobi Fairley will present “Finding Inspiration In The Mix – Layering Antiques Into Your Design For a Fresh Look.” There are a few spots left for this event and the Private Wine and Dine with Tobi so reserve your seat now!

Directions - From I-75 South, Take exit #224 for Hudson Bridge Road toward Eagles Landing Parkway. Keep right at the fork to merge onto Hudson Bridge Road, then turn right onto Flippen Road. If you will be in town for Atlanta Mart and need transportation to the Farm, please email Amanda at info@hpantiqueanddesigncenter.com. They plan to do an early morning shuttle pick up on Tuesday the 7th.

New Container Arrivals

Our new container just arrived so we will have a fabulous selection of French antiques...

from Enfilade Buffets to Industrial, Art Deco leather club chairs to Farm Tables,

Copper Pots to Wine Cages, Armoires to Armchairs,

Oyster Baskets to Laundry Baskets....et More!

We will be in TENT B

Booths #3 and #5
with plenty of hot cider to break the ice and keep you warm!

See you at the Farm!

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

LOLO IS ON A MISSION...DAY 2 FLEA FINDS

Brrrr....it's chilly in France, but Lolo is on a mission this trip. Neither wind nor rain, nor a cold blustery day could keep him from the vide-greniers, brocante and marché aux puces!