Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Design Trends in Royal Russia circa 1755

It seems if you add enough gold decoration one can almost have any palace interior hang together.
The Russian royality loved to experiment with different design trends of the day although
a standard general style was adhered to, painted ceilings, mirrors and heavy gilt flourishes
linked each room to the other. Created by architect Rastrelli the Chinese Drawing Room
was part of the private apartments in Catherine's palace. After a serious fire in 1820 Alexander I
had the decor recreated by Vasily Stasov, the room is now known as The Chinese Drawing Room of Alexander I. (this to differentiate it from the absolutely fabulous Chinese Blue Drawing Room by Charles Cameron. Miles Redd would be inspired, check the link...sadly,we didn't see it)

Below is a little taste of Alexander's Chinese drawing room, the newly recreated painted silk panels
manage to charm and just about hold their own amongst all the gold.











































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