Now THAT'S Living in Luxury: The Influence of Gold
Gold—the upcoming feature for our Living in Color column in July’s issue of Window Fashions—is definitely not a newcomer on the fashion scene. Throughout the centuries, gold has symbolized wealth, riches and status. This fact was widely apparent on my recent adventure traveling throughout Germany’s countryside.
After visiting the hometown of my great-great grandfather, my family and I embarked down the Rhine River to begin our 11-day tour of historic Germany. As we continued down the river, we passed palace after palace, lining the banks of the river high above. It was quite an incredible sight!
Later in our tour, we had the chance to actually step inside a few of these palaces, including Linderhof Palace (or Linderhof Schloss, as they say). Built by King Ludvig II of Bavaria in the style of the second rococo-period, it’s hard to put into words the feelings that come over you as you enter into this masterpiece—wonder, awe, shock, amazement. In short, I have never seen so much gold in my life!
Linderhof was built as Ludvig’s getaway, the smallest of the three palaces he had built. This was the palace to which Ludvig would escape to be alone, but this was no rustic cabin in the woods. As you can see from the accompanying photos, it seems everything Ludvig touched turned to gold. Talk about designing for high-end clients … I can only imagine what the palaces’ designers were thinking!
In fact, many have questioned Ludvig’s sanity at the time of building these structures … was he a creative soul, or was he insane? While his decorating taste may not match my design preferences, his attention to detail is quite apparent … but at what cost?
Between 1863 and 1886, a total of 8,460,937 Marks were spent constructing this work of art … equating to 97,470 ounces of gold … and worth over 63 million U.S. dollars. It’s no wonder he was overthrown by his ministers who feared he would bankrupt the kingdom’s treasury.
But Ludvig’s fascination didn’t stop there. Probably one of the most interesting aspects of the palace lies not in the palace itself, but just outside behind the castle and gardens. Here you will find his "Venus Grotto," built as an illustration of the First Act of Wagner’s Tannhäuser opera. This man-made cave—complete with stalactites, an artificial lake and even mood lighting—served as Ludvig’s marina, where he would be rowed about the lake in his golden shell-boat … now THAT’S something I could get used to!
There’s no doubt Ludvig’s design sense was extravagant … but while his creations may have been a little "over the top," shall we say, we could all use a little "gold" in our life. Check out Bruce Knott’s Living in Color feature in July’s issue of WF for ways that you can incorporate gold into your designs … even if you’re not designing for royalty!
After visiting the hometown of my great-great grandfather, my family and I embarked down the Rhine River to begin our 11-day tour of historic Germany. As we continued down the river, we passed palace after palace, lining the banks of the river high above. It was quite an incredible sight!
Later in our tour, we had the chance to actually step inside a few of these palaces, including Linderhof Palace (or Linderhof Schloss, as they say). Built by King Ludvig II of Bavaria in the style of the second rococo-period, it’s hard to put into words the feelings that come over you as you enter into this masterpiece—wonder, awe, shock, amazement. In short, I have never seen so much gold in my life!
Linderhof was built as Ludvig’s getaway, the smallest of the three palaces he had built. This was the palace to which Ludvig would escape to be alone, but this was no rustic cabin in the woods. As you can see from the accompanying photos, it seems everything Ludvig touched turned to gold. Talk about designing for high-end clients … I can only imagine what the palaces’ designers were thinking!
In fact, many have questioned Ludvig’s sanity at the time of building these structures … was he a creative soul, or was he insane? While his decorating taste may not match my design preferences, his attention to detail is quite apparent … but at what cost?
Between 1863 and 1886, a total of 8,460,937 Marks were spent constructing this work of art … equating to 97,470 ounces of gold … and worth over 63 million U.S. dollars. It’s no wonder he was overthrown by his ministers who feared he would bankrupt the kingdom’s treasury.
But Ludvig’s fascination didn’t stop there. Probably one of the most interesting aspects of the palace lies not in the palace itself, but just outside behind the castle and gardens. Here you will find his "Venus Grotto," built as an illustration of the First Act of Wagner’s Tannhäuser opera. This man-made cave—complete with stalactites, an artificial lake and even mood lighting—served as Ludvig’s marina, where he would be rowed about the lake in his golden shell-boat … now THAT’S something I could get used to!
There’s no doubt Ludvig’s design sense was extravagant … but while his creations may have been a little "over the top," shall we say, we could all use a little "gold" in our life. Check out Bruce Knott’s Living in Color feature in July’s issue of WF for ways that you can incorporate gold into your designs … even if you’re not designing for royalty!
A historic castle high above the banks of the Rhine River.
Linderhof Schloss in Bavaria.
The dining room of Linderhof Palace.
Linderhof's "Venus Grotto."