Blog - SAXON HENRY

An antique gilded French chair in the atelier of Feau & Cie in Paris.

Art Books Historical Design

Ateliers of Europe

Marble muscles ripple—the stone carver’s feat charismatic in its unselfconsciousness. Crystals dangle, their effervescence gleaming for centuries as blown baubles from the past. Mother-of-pearl inlay…

Architecture Books Historical Design

Parisian Flourishes

Saxon Henry December 14, 2022 architectural storytelling France Medieval Times Paris

With watercolors, brushes, ink pens, and paper in hand, Dominique Mathez walked the boulevards of her home town, documenting the architectural details that make the…

Books Historical Design

On the Menu at La Fortezza

Saxon Henry October 31, 2022 architectural storytelling Atlanta Italy Medieval Times

In the recently released book At the Table of La Fortezza: The Enchantment of Tuscan Cooking from the Lunigiana Region, published by Rizzoli, author and Atlanta-based…

The Château de Fléchères in the Dombes Region

Architecture Books Historical Design Interior Design

French Chateau Style

Saxon Henry August 26, 2022 architectural storytelling classical antiquity France grand residences historic castles

Catherine Scotto’s journey to discover the owners of French châteaux listed as heritage sites in locales throughout the country can be described as nothing less…

Architecture Books Furniture Design Historical Design Interior Design

Presidential Residences in France

Saxon Henry May 25, 2022 architectural storytelling French aristocracy grand residence House of Bourbon Louis XV monarchs Napoleon Royal Courtiers royal palaces Versailles

Anyone who follows me here knows that an addiction to large, gorgeous coffee table books is alive and well, and I have a new favorite…

Cultural Explorations Literature Travel

The Utopia of Sir Thomas More

Saxon Henry April 21, 2022 Anne Boleyn Cardinal Woolsey England Hans Holbein the Younger Henry VIII House of Tudor Medieval Times Royal Courtiers Tudor Era

This essay exploring the physical utopia of Sir Thomas More is included in my most recent book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in…

Architecture Books Historical Design

The Hotel de la Marine Restored

Saxon Henry February 25, 2022 architectural storytelling decorating history design narratives France French aristocracy House of Bourbon Louis XIV Louis XV Louis XVI Marie Antoinette monarchs Paris

In his foreword to The French Royal Wardrobe: The Hotel de la Marine Restored, Philippe Bélaval, the President of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, illustrates how painstaking…

Creative Writing Literature Travel

Percy Bysshe Shelley in Milan

Saxon Henry February 10, 2022 books of letters cathedrals to explore Dante Alighieri famous writers Italy poetry Rome

This essay channeling Percy Bysshe Shelley in Milan is included in my book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary…

Books Films Historical Design Television Series

Seasons at Highclere

Saxon Henry January 7, 2022 England grand residences Great Britain historic castles nobility

Movie sets that have inflamed the imagination with fairy-tale encounters taking place during the great eras in which luxury ruled are plentiful. But most of…

Architecture Art Books Cultural Explorations Garden Design Historical Design Mythology

An Invitation to Vaux-le-Vicomte

Saxon Henry October 21, 2021 architectural storytelling Baroque Era France French aristocracy grand residences Greek deities House of Bourbon Louis XIV Madame de Sevigne monarchs nobility Royal Courtiers

In 1641, the 26-year old parliamentarian Nicolas Fouquet, who was then the Master of Requests at the Parlement of Paris, acquired the viscounty of Vaux…