The Mauve Room at the Alexander Palace (2024). You can check this tag to learn more about it - and see how it looked back in the 1900's.
The Mauve "Boudoir" was Empress Alexandra of Russia's favorite room and for 20 years it was the center of her family's life in the Alexander Palace. At the time it was the most celebrated room in Russia and the subject of much gossip as to the events that were supposed to have taken place there. Even today it remains a room of mystery and it is the room of the palace which interests the public the most. The room was also much derided for its' style and family atmosphere by elite society of the time. Elegant Petersburg thought proper Romanov Empresses should live semi-publically in splendid rooms graciously decorated in the latest style with fine art and sophisticated furnishings.
For 21 years - though changes in style and decorating came and went, Alexandra resisted any suggestions to remodel this room. It held too many memories for her and she was determined to keep it just as it had been when she was married. This meant the Mauve Room, which was considered lovely, modern and very chic in 1896, was hopelessly outdated, quaintly old-fashioned and something of an inside family joke by 1917. The opal tones, art glass and delicate furniture had long since gone out of style in favor of bolder effects.
The interior was designed by Roman Feodorovich Meltser (1860-1943). According to legend, the empress gave him a lilac branch, her favourite flower, so that the architect could choose the colour scheme for the decoration of the room.
As a result, the walls were upholstered in mauve silk and crowned with a frieze decorated with an iris styled pattern. An ornamental Louis XV style painting decorated the ceiling of the room.
Some of the furniture items were included in the composition of the walls and fastened to the wall panels. On the shelves, cabinets and fireplace were glass vases, mainly produced by the workshop of Emile Gallé, porcelain figurines and handmade souvenirs presented as gifts to the Empress, as well as family photographs. The room was decorated year-round with fresh flowers from the gardens or hothouses at Tsarskoye Selo.
The most famous spot in the room was Alexandra's renowned mauve-colored chaise-longue which stood behind a wood and glass screen near a large planter filled year-round with sweet-smelling plants. The couch was built on a wood core with springs and many layers of soft padding. It was double covered in silk and decorated with rich tassels and thick fringe. The Empress, a semi-invalid, was apt to spend much of her day here surrounded by her family and her most precious things. She lay upon the couch propped up by hand-embroidered pillows and would by draped by a crocheted, silk-lined coverlet made by her own hand.
The Empress was an expert needlewoman and she taught her daughters the art of embroidery. She was definitely of the school that "idle hands were the devil's workshop" and she never liked to see her children's hands unoccupied. In the evenings, when Nicholas read to the family, the Empress and her children would quietly work at handicrafts. She also taught her children, including the Tsarevich, knitting, while the girls also learned crocheting and lace making.
There were puzzles and games in baskets for the children to play with. Current copies of most of the major English language and Russian magazines were stacked in stands along with the family's favorite music. There were even some American magazines - including National Geographic. Installed into the walls were bookcases crammed full with the Empress's favorite editions. There were many serious books on religion and philosophy, as well as light romantic novels, art books and travel guides. Almost all of these were in English, the Empress's day-to-day language with her husband, staff, friends and children. Large photo albums with neatly pasted snapshots taken by the family were stacked on tabletops and placed on shelves. All of the Imperial family were avid phographers and each kept albums of favorite snapshots.
Thus, at the beginning of the 20th century, the room personified the comfort of a home.
Like many other rooms in the Alexander Palace, the Mauve Boudoir suffered a sad fate – the decoration and the interior were lost during the Great Patriotic War (1941-45).
Fortunately, the room has been restored with great accuracy and been open to visitors for a few years now. {x}
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