Tag: Marquise de Rambouillet

As The Modern Salonière, I  have spent many an hour delving into the world populated by the ancien régime in France, the salons of that era produced by salonières like the Marquise de Sablé, Madame de Sévigné, Madame de Longueville and the marquise de Rambouillet renowned for a reason. I have a particular respect for Catherine de Vivonne, Madame de Rambouillet, because her point of view was to elevate social behavior to a higher level than it had ever been.

I believe if she and the other notables of that time holding their salons during our modern times, they would be setting trends just as they were then. In fact, I am convinced France’s salonières could be such excellent role models for us in the home décor market today. I’ll use Madame de Rambouillet’s famous salon as an example. The Chambre Bleu was held in her Parisian château, the hôtel de Rambouillet, on rue Saint-Thomas-du-Louvre beginning in 1618. Aesthetics were so important to the marquise that she took it upon herself to act as architect and interior designer so she could create a backdrop for her life and her salon that would uniquely express her essence. It drew rave reviews during a remarkably exacting era when refinement was at an all-time high.What I believe this illustrates is that when trends are viewed through the lens of history, it’s easy to see how the strongest examples of avant-garde ideas survive to become time-honored traditions.

Any post that contains mention of the marquise will carry this tag.