French Oak Celebration!!!

25% discount on all French oak antiques from July 14th - July 20th!!!

Bonjour and welcome to today's visit to L'Ecole du Bon Gout. How can French oak, which was loved by the kings of France, who could have had any wood they wanted, be so automatically disliked by many Americans?? This paradox is made even stranger when you realize the many virtuous qualities of oak (i.e. its strength, hardness, ability to be well carved and to take a polish, etc). 

I think this knee-jerk dislike for oak is because of its false association with the early 20th century American "golden oak" furniture which is so plentiful in second hand shops today and is of uninspired design as well as generally poor construction. 

Louis XIV chose oak for the splendid doors to his personal bedroom at his prized Chateau of Marly, These doors are today on view at the Metropolitan Museum  of Art in New York (see photograph below). The only known surviving original furniture from the grand Chateau of Vaux-le-Viconte is a splendid pair of large marble top center tables of carved oak. 

To make our French oak antiques even more lovable, their prices will be discounted 25% for one week July 14 till 20th.

You may view below a selection from the current stock. 


Please feel free to contact us with any questions or requests you might have by telephone (337) 332-2852, email robertesmith@centurytel.net, or visit our website at Au Vieux Paris Antiques 

For those with astrological interests: The full Oak moon on July 19th will be intensely powerful! 
Click here to see more!



Mes Amities, 
Robert E. Smith 

1040 Henri Penne Rd 
Breaux Bridge, LA 70517

Carved oak doors from Louis XIV's bedroom at Marly.

To see more of Marly: click here

Classic Louis XV armoire from Burgundy

Henri IV c. 1615 table, all original including two drawers 

Petite commode, great for silverware or jewelry 

Regence tall case clock with excellent carved decor

Petite cabinet, a great fit for many places

Multi-purpose storage and display

Parquet de Versailles: fabulous but not part of this discount sale

Bow front chateau armoire 

 Small armoire from the Isle de France region

Display and storage combined

Transitional Louis XV - XVI commode with original hardware

French Walnut Celebration!!

25% Discount on walnut antiques July 5th - July 12th ONLY!

Bonjour and welcome to today's visit to L'Ecole du Bon Gout.

Today's subject is walnut wood. This wood, which can vary from light to dark, from yellow-brown to red-brown, comes from the Juglans Regia tree in Europe and the Juglans Migra tree in America. 

Walnut has been prized in France by cabinet makers at least as early as the Renaissance for its ability to be carved and lathe turned.This wood continues today to enjoy great popularity, largely because of the rich yet mellow patina achieved from a couple of centuries of waxing and polishing. 

To make the many walnut antiques here at Au Vieux Paris Antiques even more lovable:    ALL WALNUT ANTIQUES WILL BE ON SALE ONE WEEK ONLY JULY 5TH TO JULY 12TH, AT A 25% DISCOUNT!!!

You may view below a selection from the current stock. 

Please contact us with any questions or requests you might have by telephone: (337) 332-2852, Email: robertesmith@centurytel.net, or visit us at our website: Au Vieux Paris Antiques 

Mes Amities,
Robert E. Smith
1040 Henri Penne Rd
Breaux Bridge, LA 70517

 Louis XIII 17th c. armiore from Languedoc region. 

 Thirteen foot long Directiore extension table 

Set of six large chaise au chassis

Louis XIV chateaux armoire from south western France 

A lectern maybe for your cook book?

Directiore bed the size to fit a standard American double bed mattress. 

Classic Louis Philippe commode with Gres de St. Anne marble top 

One of a faux pair of Louis XV wall cupboard facades 

Eating table from the "Communite de St Charles" convent in Lyon

 Pair of Directiore "fauteuils officiers" armchairs 

Eating table with Louis XIV turnings

Unusually large demilune table, seats six when opened. 

Unusually large and comfortable Louis XIII sofa

Côte de Texas

Chers Amis de Bon Gout, Bonjour!

Mme. Joni Web writes a very tasty blog called "Côte de Texas" which I believe you will find interesting.   Joni asked me to do a blog on my Pavillon home at Lake Martin and I agreed.  Well, her blog is just spectacular!! Read her post here.
 
See below how Joni describes herself and also a link to her blog .
 
Merci Cordialement,
Robert E Smith
337 332 2852.           

Côte de Texas
Au Vieux Paris Antiques
Ecole de Bon Gout

Joni wrote the following about herself:

I'm a blogger, interior designer, and a wife and mother.

I've been blogging this month - 9 years.

I write about design, concentrating on Southern interior design using French, Swedish and English antique furniture mixed with casual and textural decor like sea grass, wicker, linen, and slipcovers mixed with gilt mirrors, crystal sconces & chandeliers, lanterns, velvet & silk.
Beside interior design, I write about historical properties, royalty, Hollywood and whatever piques my attention that day.

I love to read and am addicted to social media such as twitter, tumblr, and bloggers.

Pavillon Home at Lake Martin

 

Cassolettes

Chers Amis de Bon Gout! Bonjour! 

Today's subject of interest is cassolettes. These always highly decorative objects have evolved through the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, but had their start as vase form metal containers for burning perfume pastilles. 

They were usually of cast metal however, the solid silver 3ft tall models which Louis XIV had in the hall of mirrors at Versailles take the all-time top prize for voluptuousness in this category! 

Those made of more fragile materials such as lacquer, porcelain or faience were usually provided with a metal lining. 

Items unearthed at the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which had been buried in 79AD, provided models and detailing for the interpretation of cassolettes for use in the designs of andirons, wall sconces, clock sets, and even furniture. After some models had evolved past actually being used as perfume burners, they often had a flame finial harkening back to their original function. 

Following you can see a selection of cassolette inspired items available here at Au Vieux Paris Antiques. Please plan a visit soon to see these in person as well as the ample stock of furniture, building materials, and decorative items. 

Merci cordialement, 

Robert E. Smith 

Au Vieux Paris Antiques 

337.332.2852 

P.S. If you have not discovered the considerable, yet easy to achieve health benefits of grounding, consider clicking on the EARTHING banner at the top of this blog (only viewable via laptop or desktop computer, not on Iphones). 

One of Louis XIV’s solid silver and gold plated cassolettes, probably around three feet tall. S.v.p! 

Louis XIV in front of his silver throne, surrounded by large solid silver ornaments; including a cassolette in the foreground. 

One of a pair of cassolette inspired andirons at the Musée Louvre.

 - The Following items are selected from the current stock at Au Vieux Paris Antiques - 

A pair of nineteenth century bronze doré andirons 

Bronze doré cheminée ornaments to the rear and a pair of cast pewter cassolettes in the foreground.

Nineteenth century bronze doré andirons 

Bronze doré sconces with cassolette finials 

Bronze doré elements from a cheminée garniture 

One of a pair of wall sconces in bronze doré with cassolette finials 

Above are mid-nineteenth century cassolettes of marble. Filling them with potpourri would relate to their ancestral beginnings as perfume vaporizers.

An andiron at Musée Carnavalet

Pavillon Coté Sud Now Open!

Chers Amis de Bon Gout! Bonjour!

Today I am thrilled to announce the Pavillon Coté Sud sample show room of building materials is complete and ready for visitors here at Au Vieux Paris Antiques!

You will be able to see different flooring materials ranging from handmade, 18th century terra cotta floor tiles in two colors, along with a selection of several hand aged re-edition quarried stone dalle or bar flooring in various colors, textures and formats.

A spectacular handmade and aged re-edition of parquet de Versailles flooring is available for your reception rooms as well as pavé (cobblestone) for your driveway and parking areas. 

There is a selection of 18th century fireplace mantles in wood, stone or marble, as well as 18th century interior doors to enhance your rooms with tasty Provençal bon gout.

To top off your home, you will see 19th century handmade Roman barrel terra cotta roof tiles for that signature Provençal look.

Please plan a visit here soon to see, touch and appreciate in person these very special materials.

Mes Amitiés,

Robert E. Smith

Au Vieux Paris Antiques

337.332.2852

The September 2015

Blog was devoted to flooring!!

Classic 18th C. handmade "red" terra cotta floor tiles

Somewhat rare "yellow" terra cotta floor tiles

Re-edition aged stone with marble cabochons

Re-edition quarried stone, each piece aged by hand for one hour

The upper right quadrant is a newly made panel of parquet de Versailles which matches the mid-18^th century panels in the other three quadrants.

Note newly made panel on top of a mid-18th century parquet de Versailles floor

One of a faux pair of wall cupboard units from the large selection of interior doors available

Split granite pavé or cobblestone for driveways and parking

Handmade 19^th century “Roman barrel” roofing tiles

A cast iron fireback with the blazon of the royal house of Bourbon;

fourteen firebacks in stock to choose from.

Please visit soon!