Design Post Update

Under heavy renovation and possibly finished by 2016, The Neues Palais (or new palace) in Potsdam is one of the more impressive structures in the area. Parts of Potsdam are basically a suburb of immense palaces, now nearly all museums.  There are many excellent books available on the many palaces and the area itself.
The Neues Palais wasn't meant as a home for the King when it was completed in 1769 but rather as official state apartments for entertaining other royals and ambassadors. Therefore it was built to impress and not necessarily be very homey for the monarch who retained a small apartment in the palace.
Opposite the palace (above) are the Communs (seen below), creating an entry courtyard. The Communs held the kitchens, service spaces, and offices for the palace - a sort of 'downstairs' if you will. The king had underground passages built connect the Palais to the Communs so servants could get between the buildings unseen but also undeterred by weather.
The ornate interiors are astounding. Designed in the Baroque style favored by the king they're beginning to show traces of upcoming Neoclassicism. Frederick the Great didn't like the strict lines of Neoclassicism so you have to look hard though!
The palace was originally designed by Johann Gottfried Buring.  Buring had completed other buildings in Potsdam for the king but was fired from the job after it was started after disagreements on the palace facade. Perhaps Buring wanted to bring in the 'new' Neoclassicm.
 I don't know, I think some of the rooms look pretty Neoclassical to me, wouldn't you agree? They could have been remodeled at a later date.
 The floors in the palace are stunning. The parquet floor above looks absolutely modern to my eyes.
 Carl von Gontard took over construction of the palace after Buring's dismissal.
 The salon above is really interesting -I love how the treatment continues to the ceiling.
Almost a sort of garden room. Also notice the modern light fixtures which are hung holding all of the modern necessities like security.
While these modern fixtures might seem strange to some, I like that they don't damage any of the delicate walls and finishes and stand separate and discreet as their own 'thing'. Europeans do this exceptionally well.
 More gorgeous parquet floors, almost like fine furniture.
 After awhile all of these grand rooms start to look the same; gold, gold, and more gold.
 I think we need to bring back the use of bed niches.
I imagine particularly in the 18th century Germany the alcoves felt really cozy and warm before central heating.
 More gorgeous painted paneling - chinoiserie here. No gold here!
The palace was later used by successive monarchs as a full time residence and it was therefore renovated with modern conveniences. I love the Victorian heat grate above.
But not all of the rooms are gold. A number of rooms are silver gilded like the bedroom below. I suppose the silver would reflect candlelight just as well if not better than the gold gilding.
As always thanks so much to my Australian penpal Neil for supplying us with these gorgeous images from his travels. If you find yourself in Berlin a visit out to Potsdam is really heavily encouraged: read more about visiting Potsdam palaces here.

While in England visiting 40 country houses, my penpal visited one of the most famous houses in the world (seen in my previous posting the Chairs of Chatsworth), Chatsworth House.
More of a palace really, Chatsworth House has been home to the Dukes of Devonshire since 1549. Over the years it has been rebuilt and grown numerous times, encompassing many architectural styles. The most commonly seen view, above, was possibly designed by the 1st Duke, William Cavendish, or by architect Thomas Archer.
The gatehouse was constructed by the 6th duke. The 3 gates serve different purposes. The lefthand gate serves the service areas, the central main gate leads one to the main north entrance of the house, and the gate to the far right is the gate still used by the family privately which leads one to the original west facade entrance.
The iron gates are lavishly gilded.
The large 2 story wing off the main house, seen above and below, was also constructed by the 6th Duke with architect Jeffry Wyatville, doubling the size of the house. It ends at the Belvedere Tower seen above.
As you can see, Neil visited on a typical cloudy day, but it doesn't dampen the beauty of Chatsworth.
One can see the original gilded windows in the original bulk of the house. The view above and below is of the courtyard.
The stylish black and white marble floors were laid by the 5th duke in 1779. The 6th Duke added the ground floor windows. Every Duke added something!
The painted murals were designed by architect William Talman and depict scenes from the life of Julius Caesar.
 This metal stair dates from 1912 and was designed by W. H. Romaine-Walker.
The dining room is in the wing added by the 6th Duke and faces east. The current duke likes to add his mark to the house, as have his fore-bearers, and has artists work modern art exhibits throughout the house (one seen on the dining table above).
 The English certainly know how to do grand!
There are so many treasures that they are displayed on every surface throughout the 126 rooms (sometimes I feel this way about my own apartment!).  The  sunlit corridor leading to the chapel is lined with works of art.

The library was installed by the 6th Duke into a space built as the 'long gallery' by the 1st Duke. It still wasn't large enough for his always-expanding library and they overflow into adjoining rooms.
On the great stair even the metal railing is a work of art. It was made by Jean Tijou, a French ironworker, who worked for William III.
 The baroque ceiling above the great stair was painted by Antonio Verrio.
The upper stairhalls are as beautiful as any of the ground floor public spaces.
 Each guest room is more beautiful than the last. Many of the guest rooms feature the chinoiserie wallpaper installed by the 6th Duke. Chinoiserie was popular in the Regency period just as it is now proving what goes around comes around!
 No detail is overlooked, even in the bedcurtains.
 The tassels on the curtains are works of art in themselves.
 The guest rooms all start to look alike, but all beautiful.
While many of the furnishings date to the Regency period, notice the mix of items that have been added over time.
 This hand-painted wallpaper is really stunningly beautiful.

 The sculpture gallery was also added in the 19th century and is the largest room in the house.
The south sketch gallery, in a very familiar green, is dedicated to the 5th Duke and his famous wife, Georgiana.
 So much care was taken in the details added to the curtains that it seems a shame not to feature them.
 The collections of luxe housewares from the time period are astounding.
The displays in these rooms were recently changed to reflect the tastes of the time in which they were built.
The embossed leather wallpaper in the background is truly stunning and a rich backdrop to the tableau.
The delftware vases above would have been at the height of technology and fashion of the time.
The state music room above features more embossed leather wallpaper.
The private closet seen above, or boudoir, would have been the most private of state apartments -reserved for the King and Queen's personal use.
Did you know you could STAY at Chatsworth? Not in the house itself sadly but in one of many outbuildings, including the amazing Hunting Tower (future birthday trip for myself?)! Thanks to Neil as always for sharing his beautiful pictures with us all!
For more information be sure to check out the 2007 article on Chatsworth at Architectural Digest.