The thought of it doesn't erk me as much as I expected it to. Well, maybe the bed does! But think of it, the room has just enough to live comfortably. Nothing extra and nothing imposing. For a very basic and comfortable stay, the room has it all. I guess if it were to be made for modern living, a couple of power outlets would have to be there.
This room is just part of a huge collection of relics from the past. The Luxembourg Museum is nothing short of a maze of intriguing collections. From fully furnished rooms from centuries in the past to even the smallest things like cupsets, they have it all. I call it a maze because it is pretty easy to get lost in the massive building. There are arrows pointing to different directions and sections, but trust me it is very easy to get lost because the building does not conform to the normal routes you and I are used to inside a building.
This room is from the 18th century and was completed by two generations who lived in it. The main reason behind this design was the limited real estate. The kicker? The room was used both as a bedroom and an entertainment room for guests.
In the 18th century, current innovations were only a fantasy. So they did their best and came up with their own innovative ideas to make the most of what they had. The first thing that struck me was the immense use of wood for...everything. Well, it was clearly the most abundant and hence the most affordable material they could get their hands on. Another crucial thing to look at is the use of as much space as possible for storage. The cabinet certainly, but also drawers were built into the bed frame for more storage.
One of the best parts was unfortunately not brought into this display. The heating system. A pipe was fitted that went from next to the bed and into the cabinet. The cabinet is hence called a heating cabinet. The heating was from a stove and the pipe would radiate the heat. The bed is also built-in. It has access from two sides only because it is kept in place against the walls on either side. The clock cabinet was a later addition to this room, made by the son-in-law of the carpenter who made the bed.
The museum goes deeper into history. There was one room which had a third of its wall covered with what you see above. Intriguing, no? The last time I remember seeing something like this was in a kitchen. An expendable layer of oil resistant tiles to keep the muck and grease away from the nice wall. But this is very different.
A wallpaper made with gilded leather. Until now I only thought it was used in furniture like chairs and whatnot. Turns out, I only thought that because I wasn't born into a royal family. A lot of palaces and castles used these sort of gilded leather wallpapers. The design certainly exudes the stature. It also makes sense because gilded leather and leather artists were mostly for the noble to afford in the 1700s.
The items you see above were once the greatest show of wealth, nobility, and a taste above that of common people by the aristocrats and the rich. The aristocrats of the time, circa 1700, found furniture and home decor a very effective way of showing off their wealth. They like to collect and show it off. Much like today. Wow. Who would have guessed that humans don't really change much?
The chair is titled invalid chair. I am not sure what is invalid about it. It certainly looks mundane now and there are many like it on the streets and hidden away in basements. But back then, it was super attractive and hard to get your hands on. And certainly not cheap. The ceiling stucco and the fireplace are pretty expensive to make today also. What made me smile was the table and the cabinet. The use of gold and gold leaf to show off wealth as well as getting a foreign design done on them may seem over the top for me, but so much passion is involved in it and it looks pretty nice. It is clearly out of fashion but I wouldn't mind one just because it looks nice.
What you see above is a vaulted kitchen from the 17th century and components from it. What is special about it you ask? Well, first of all, the chimney takes up most of the space in the room. The low ceiling, the pillars, and the vaults that go into either side. The fireplace was used for heating and cooking. But the best use of it was as a shelter against cannon shelling. How crazy is that?
Fast forward a couple of centuries and you have this. This is a living room from the 1900s, mostly mid and late 1900s. Look at the massive difference between the rooms and kitchens of the past. It is almost as if comfort became more important than space and security as times got easier. This is however a very modern style even for the time since most people didn't have living rooms like this. The sofas and cabinets are of "international style" and made by artists. Not something for the common man.
There weren't any rooms of the common man from the late 1900s, but there was a painting of what a bedroom and living room would have looked like. Much simpler and more optimized. That is also what the common man needed, no?
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