louis chair illustration by julia rothman print available at julia’s website!
I love French style! And French style usually means you’ll find a Louis chair somewhere in the mix! But it wasn’t until I really studied the heyday of French style – the 18th century – that I began to get a handle on what was what. Luckily, I had some fantastic teachers. (One of whom double-checked my chair identification! Thanks, Laura!) No longer is there any reason to confuse your Louis XVI with your Louis XV! Here’s my little guide to all the Louis chairs!
clockwise from top left: louis xiii, louis xiv, louis xv and louis xvi
All of our Louis were of the House of Bourbon. The only Bourbon king not on our chair list is Henry IV. With all apologies to the Henry, we’re going to stick with the Louis. Not only is it convenient that all our guys are named Louis, it also makes some practical sense. It was during the reign of Louis XIII that furniture became comfortable for the first time (although that obsession with comfort wouldn’t take off until the 18th century). It’s not surprising that the furniture styles were named for the reigning monarch. For centuries, fashions came from the top, down – unlike now, where you can see street fashion on the runway. Each new king had his own style that differentiated his reign from the others. Of course, there is never a rigid divide from one style to the next and there were a couple of transitional styles as tastes changed, but for our purpose, we’ll leave the transitional styles ’til another time and concentrate on the high points of the Louis styles.
fleur-de-lis design from The New York Public Library
Capetian Dynasty, House of Bourbon (1589-1792)
Henry IV (1589-1610)
Louis XIII (1610-1643)
Louis XIV (1643 -1715)
Louis XV (1715-1774)
Louis XVI (1774 – 1792)
louis xvi-inspired candlestick project: full instructions after the jump!
CLICK HERE for the rest of the post – including facts to know and a short reading list (and a fun Louis XVI DIY candlestick project!) after the jump!
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September 15th, 2009 - 01:00pm
i can’t get enough argyle! here’s a quickie friday afternoon project for your onesie socks (click here for yesterday’s argyle card project). while i was playing with them i found that the band at the top of the sock make a perfect little soft neck at the top of the vase. i might have to buy some more socks to cover some other things in my apartment. have fun!! -kate
CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!
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September 11th, 2009 - 09:00am
These days I’ve been kind of obsessed with making fabric covered hangers inspired by a recent vintage find. You use up small bits of fabric you can’t stand throw away while turning an otherwise depressing closet of wire hangers into something really special. What’s not to love?
CLICK HERE for the full instructions (and more images) after the jump!
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September 9th, 2009 - 01:00pm
there are so many charming things associated with school that it’s hard to narrow it down! argyle socks are way up there on the list though, mainly because i love patterns. argyle is great because its shapes are so universally familiar, so you can isolate and abstract them and they remain recognizable. i played around with that idea for these correspondence cards, which were made form materials i have lying around the house: magazines, newspaper, old books, etc. all you need is a ruler, some glue, and a nice metallic ink pen. have fun!! -kate
CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!
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September 9th, 2009 - 12:00pm
i’m pretty obsessed with wax seals. i think they may any letter seem more special- especially if in miniature form. so when i heard from kimberly and her husband from ragehaus about their wax seal project i was over the moon. this designing duo recently screen printed 5 new prints, each wrapped in parchment paper and sealed with wax bearing their monogram. kimberly explained that, “one of the interesting aspects of this project was the wax seal i made from a wooden dowel. it was an idea that was so crazy, it worked and i just had to share the process.” i’m so glad that she chose to share the steps online because i am totally making one of these this weekend. thanks for sharing!
CLICK HERE for the full instructions.
September 9th, 2009 - 11:00am
maps have always held a special place in my heart- especially vintage maps dealing with bodies of water. so when i heard from d*s reader kimba of a soft place to land, i was excited to see her map-related diy project.
kimba found an affordable large-scale map of the united states and decided to use it to decorate her son’s room (who’s in US geography right now). but, as many of us have found, framing something as large as this can be quite the investment. but thankfully kimba was clever enough to create a DIY frame using door frame molding, corner blocks and paint. i love the way the finished piece looks- especially without the high price tag attached. CLICK HERE for the full project steps. thanks, kimba!
September 9th, 2009 - 10:00am
This project was born out of pure necessity. I’ve been pressing flowers all season long, tucking them into little books on my bookshelf. Honestly, I was pretty proud of myself, as pressing flowers is the kind of thing one loves but never remembers to do. But here’s the catch- I know I stashed dozens of Queen Anne’s lace blooms away, but I’ll be darned if I can’t remember which of my hundreds of books I used to press them. With my new flower press, I’m putting an end to this silliness so I can find my flowers when I want them!
CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!
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September 2nd, 2009 - 01:00pm
