‘….What you must do is say is that no decorator can rival her at choosing furniture, picking materials and creating a drawing room...’

Prepare yourselves for a sumptuous journey through the exquisite residences of Empress Eugénie de Montijo! Let's delve into the opulent world where her impeccable taste transformed 19th-century France into a realm of unparalleled elegance. Eugénie's influence on decorative arts was nothing short of revolutionary.

Her "Style Louis XVI Impératrice" became the last word in elegance, characterized by intricate details, graceful lines, and the most sumptuous materials.

She collaborated with the crème de la crème of artisans - Charles Frederick Worth in fashion, Louis Vuitton in luggage design - shaping the very foundations of the luxury industry we know today. Eugénie's influence on contemporary taste extended into the decorative arts.

In the Duc de Morny’s “La corde sensible ou les Dadas favoris”, a revue performed at Compiègne in 1862, one of the characters gives advice on how to flatter the empress. ‘It’s no use telling her she’s beautiful, amusing or good’, he explains.

‘What you must do is say is that no decorator can rival her at choosing furniture, picking materials and creating a drawing room.’ It was one of her passions.She opted for rococo over the popular 'Henri II renaissance' style and developed her own unique aesthetic.

Her style seamlessly combined elements of the past with modern comfort, drawing inspiration from the days before the French Revolution.

Empress Eugenie was greatly influenced by Marie-Antoinette, sparking a renewed interest in eighteenth-century furniture by renowned makers like Weisweiler, Riesner, Oeben, and Carlin, including both original pieces and commissioned replicas.

She combined Louis XV and Louis XVI designs in her interiors, giving rise to the popular trend known as "Style Louis XVI Impératrice". Despite the loss of her Tuileries decoration in a fire in 1871, traces of it can still be found in various artworks and accounts.

Nancy Nichols Barker describes Eugenie's admiration for Marie Antoinette as almost obsessive, with Eugenie even having a miniature model of the Petit Trianon built in her park and frequently discussing the fate of the queen with Hübner.

Her design aesthetic featured a mix of plush nineteenth-century sofas and cozy easy-chairs, alongside elegant Italian chairs from Chiavari, all strategically arranged to foster engaging conversations.

The Salon de Musique exemplified her style, with its blend of eighteenth-century tapestries and ornate furnishings like Sèvres and Chinese porcelain.

The room used to feature a stunning red lacquer cabinet paired with Marie-Antoinette’s signature armchairs in red silk, complemented by a buttoned sofa and comfortable seating in matching red silk.

Enhancing the former bedchamber of Louis XVI, she added more elaborate decor including Louis XV-style tables and chairs, crafted by Selme in 1859 with floral upholstery

with yellow damask curtains from Beauvais. Today, the room is called the Salon de Thé.

The best place to see Eugénie’s ‘Louis XVI-Impératrice’ style is at Compiègne, where some of her interiors have been brilliantly recreated. The Third Republic had tried to banish all traces of the Second Empire, dispersing its furniture, even its carpets, to ministries or embassies.

Since the 1950s, however, some of the empress’s furniture has been reassembled here. At the same time, the fabrics that she used have been reproduced from samples still possessed by the Mobilier National (formerly Mobilier Impérial), the state furnishers.

The style is also seen at Fontainebleau, whose tiny theatre, rebuilt and enlarged in 1857, echoes Marie-Antoinette’s theatre at Versailles. Eugénie covered it entirely in pale gold silk called ‘bouton d’or’ but more on fontainebleu below.

What is even more striking is how she displayed her collection of oriental art. Starting with a wedding gift from the emperor (two Chinese vases of beaten gold), this eventually included the French army’s loot from the Summer Palace at Peking, together with the presents from Siam and Japanese porcelain bought from Morny’s executors.

Tuileries Palace

When the Second Empire was established, Napoleon took up residence in the Tuileries, a historic building that had been used by French rulers since 1789. This was the epicenter of Eugénie's imperial life and a veritable hotbed of social intrigue.

Eugénie transformed this stuffy old pile into a vibrant social hub. Her personal apartments were a testament to her refined taste.

Eugénie, bless her heart, shocked stuffy English visitors by cultivating a relaxed ambiance. She did draw the line at smoking, though - banned in her presence, except for the Emperor. Even empresses have their limits. Between New Year and Lent, there were four extravagant balls held at the Tuileries, including a costume ball for the carnival on Shrove Tuesday with 5,000 guests in attendance. Additionally, the empress hosted Monday evening receptions in the salon bleu, with at least 500 invitees.

At formal dinners at the Tuileries, footmen served behind each chair, and meals were eaten off silver-gilt with old Sèvres dessert plates, with Eugénie paying little attention to the food.

The building, characterized by its elongated and narrow structure with an impressive yet monotonous facade, was located between the Rue de Rivoli and the Louvre. Sadly, the central section of the Tuileries was consumed by a fire in 1871, leaving only the two end pavilions and the gardens preserved today.

She faced an overwhelming task as, after centuries of modifications, the palace had become dim, filled with endless, windowless hallways poorly illuminated even during the day by oil lamps that created an uncomfortably hot and stuffy atmosphere.

There was no running water, and everyone washed from jugs. However, by 1860, new, comfortable apartments had been finished, including Eugénie's, which were on the first floor. She preferred sitting in a low armchair with the light behind her, near the door and by the fireplace, resting her feet on a stool while a green silk screen shielded her complexion from the heat.

At her left, by the fire, was an ebonized worktable of several tiers strewn with papers that served as her desk – although generally, she wrote letters on her knees, very fast, in a large, neat hand – while at her right was a revolving bookcase.

The furnishings featured a buttoned sofa, a crystal Chinese screen, and a Louis XVI cabinet topped with a bust of Marie-Antoinette,

A.I generated image from book description.

While the carpet was a red Savonnerie, the walls were adorned with small landscapes and portraits of figures such as the emperor, Paca, Anna Murat, and the dauphin.

Through an archway bordered by two tall red vases on gilt stands, one could catch a glimpse of what was possibly Marie-Antoinette’s writing table in the study.

The large vases and an enormous jardinière are filled with flowers. Eugénie had a particular fondness for orchids from China, India, and Mexico, cultivated in the hot-houses of the Tuileries, but she also appreciated simple blooms like roses, carnations, and geraniums, alongside her love for ivy.

According to Augustin Filon, “Her writing table was enclosed by a crystal screen, with elegant climbing plants draping over it in green cascades, making it appear as if she were in a tropical forest.”

HIGHLIGHTS

Salon Vert: The first of her drawing-rooms was the salon vert, whose walls had leafy green friezes on a green background, with green parrots and woodpeckers over the doors.The pièce de résistance? A vast mirror reflecting the gardens, creating an illusion of endless verdant splendor.

Giuseppe Castiglione's painting of Eugénie's private salon depicts a drawing-room and study connected by a curtained archway, featuring tall windows that overlook the Tuileries gardens. The walls soar high and are adorned in green silk, while the draped curtains and furnishings are made of red velvet. The mahogany wainscoting, window frames, and doors are accented with gold. In the drawing-room, an elaborate ormolu clock from the eighteenth century sits on the porphyry fireplace, crowned by a white marble sculpture of Cupid and Psyche, accompanied by two bronze lamps from China.

Salon Rose: The waiting room, known as the salon rose, was adorned with rose silk, and its ceiling was painted by Chaplin, depicting a Triumph of Flora, where Flora is represented as a portrait of the empress.

Salon Bleu: In the Salon Bleu, guests were welcomed amidst scallop-shaped blue pelmets that complemented the blue embroidery on the chairs. Dark blue gauze blinds could be pulled down over the windows to diffuse the light. The walls featured plaster medallions that showcased portraits of her ladies.

The three rooms were lit by wax candles in rock-crystal chandeliers, and filled with clocks, bronzes and vases of old Sèvres or lapis-lazuli, while the furniture was mostly from the eighteenth century, much of it marquetried, with gilt armchairs.

Château de Compiègne

Compiègne, was where Eugénie truly let her decorative flag fly.From 1856 to almost the end of the reign, the grand autumn gatherings at the magnificent château of Compiègne, located northeast of Paris, were a significant part of Second Empire court life.

These gatherings were much larger than those at Fontainebleau, with room for up to a hundred guests (though typically around seventy were invited), and featured diverse and unexpected guest lists.

The carefully curated guest lists made the Compiègne house parties truly memorable, following a tradition set by Napoleon III and Eugénie's uncle of socializing with a wide range of French citizens and their spouses. These week-long parties, held three times a year from late October to mid-December, included a serious gathering for statesmen and officials, a fashionable event, and a mixed party for diplomats, soldiers, musicians, writers, and artists.

While the new Prussian king, William I, was hosted at Compiègne in 1861 without the usual mixed gathering, this was a rare occurrence. The château, with over 1,300 rooms, was easily accessible from Paris by a special imperial express train departing from the current Gare du Nord. Upon arrival, each guest was provided with a bedroom and a sitting room.

The visit of William, the king of Prussia, to Napoleon III, the emperor of the French, at Compiegne, France 1861 - Visit of William I of Prussia to Compiegne in presence of Napoleon III - Engraving from 'The Illustrous Universe'

Eugénie hosted week-long soirées that were the talk of Europe. Imagine, if you will, 70 to 100 of the most fabulous people in France, all under one roof! Eugénie would arrive with no less than eight day costumes, seven ball gowns, and five tea gowns.

Tea was always served in the empress's salon at the end of evenings at Compiègne. The salon, which was Eugénie's private drawing-room, was adorned with Italian Renaissance furniture, inlaid tables, and vitrines. It was a large room filled with tables holding small decorative objects, screens made of eighteenth-century engravings, and modern armchairs.

The walls were covered with beautiful old tapestries and displayed cases of fans, while the ceiling was painted in a rococo style. Books were scattered around the room, indicating that they were being read. Each morning at nine, a valet brought a choice of tea, coffee, or chocolate to the guest rooms along with a schedule for the day.

The ‘conversational’ chairs are in a yellow damask that matches the curtains.

Her only totally new room is the Galerie Natoire, built in 1858 as a covered way to the palace theatre. An architectural pastiche in the Louis XVI manner, it is hung with six paintings by Natoire (from the 1740s) of Don Quixote’s adventures, which began as designs for a set of tapestries. Those tapestries hung at Villa Eugenie, Biarritz.

Natoire painting (from the 1740s) of Don Quixote’s adventures

One comes very close to Eugénie in these imaginatively restored rooms at Compiègne. All that is missing is the astonishing profusion of heavy-scented flowers, both hothouse and native, that filled them winter and summer alike.

HIGHLIGHTS

Salon de Réception: The plasterwork here was so elaborate, it would make Versailles look positively austere. Gold leaf for days, my dears!

Galerie Natoire: A pastiche of Louis XVI style that was pure, unadulterated Eugénie. She filled it with 18th-century furniture, much of it marquetried and gilt, alongside modern comforts like plush upholstered sofas. The perfect blend of old and new!

Salon de Musique: Adorned with Gobelins and Beauvais tapestries, this room was a symphony of texture and color. One could almost hear the strains of Chopin wafting through the air!

Villa Eugénie, Biarritz

Biarritz was Eugénie's seaside escape from the pressures of court life. The relaxed atmosphere at the Villa Eugénie allowed for less strict etiquette compared to the Tuileries or Compiègne, often leading to lively and playful interactions. She'd chase the Emperor through the halls with twisted napkins. More palace than villa, this retreat boasted luxurious décor, including seven priceless Gobelin tapestries depicting Don Quixote. A nod to her Spanish roots, perhaps?

She required a special place where she could unwind and be herself. Luckily, Eugénie had already discovered it at Biarritz, a remote fishing village in the southwest on the Bay of Biscay, just north of the Spanish border, back in 1847.

The village's mild weather, despite occasional storms, appealed to her. Upon her return after getting married, Biarritz was still a small village inhabited by Basque-speaking fishermen, with just a church, a lighthouse, and a ruined castle, the château d’Atalaye.

The scenery was described as ‘wildly picturesque’, with a stunning coastline of bays, caves, and the Pyrenean mountains in the backdrop.

In 1854, Napoleon III constructed a grand and opulent mansion to the north of Biarritz for the empress, calling it ‘The Villa Eugénie’, though it was more like a palace.

The property was heavily guarded, and very few were invited to visit. Every year, Eugénie spent several weeks at the villa with her husband, and sometimes her mother and sister too.

She enjoyed strolling or driving along the beach, observing the waves, and making it a habit to swim in the sea each morning, especially during storms.

Under Eugénie's influence, this sleepy fishing village became "Eugénieville," the hottest spot on the Côte Basque.

Hotels, casinos, and fashionable visitors sprouted up like champagne bubbles. This beautiful villa is now the Hotel Du Palais Biarritz.

Château de Saint-Cloud

Saint-Cloud, located just forty minutes from Paris, was the summer and winter retreat for the imperial couple, offering a break from the city's heat. The palace, elegantly rebuilt by Louis XIV, boasted beautiful gardens and had been a beloved residence of Marie-Antoinette and Napoleon I.

At Saint-Cloud, the imperial couple enjoyed a quiet country life, taking strolls and engaging in outdoor activities.

The emperor even brought deer from England to populate the park. The empress, fond of collecting Marie-Antoinette memorabilia, spent her time in her suite at the château.

Fontainebleau

Ah, Fontainebleau! The most romantic of all French palaces, despite its tragic Napoleonic history. Eugénie came to Fontainebleau early in April 1863 to inspect progress on building her Salon Chinois, after discussing furnishings at the Garde-Meuble in Paris, returning in July to supervise the collection’s installation.

The Chinese Salon is approached through an ante-chamber that contains the larger Siamese presents, such as the pagoda. Looking onto the lake, the Salon’s walls are covered with carved panels of Chinese design while three great ironwood cabinets display the smaller pieces of ivory, jade and goldwork.

Huge candelabra and a gigantic incense burner, great Chinese vases and two mighty Dogs of Fo contrast with Cordier’s statue of an Arab woman, a Sèvres jardinière and portraits of Louis XV and his queen.

(Winterhalter’s painting of the empress among her ladies hung here too, but is now at Compiègne.) Six sofas in striped green silk make it habitable – there is a mechanical piano in case the court should wish to dance.

A smaller room, opening off the Salon, displays the bulk of the collection – jade, rock crystal and porcelain, ivories, bronzes and cloisonne enamels. ‘Anyone except Eugénie might so easily have turned the room into a kind of museum’, comments Filon, who had known it well. ‘But she created what you might call a corner of the abode of “The Son of Heaven”.’

Guests entered through an ante-chamber hung with Chinese papers in lacquered frames, her study here (still being restored), was no less oriental, with lacquered panels and Chinese cabinets, lit by a Chinese lantern. Leather armchairs gave the room a masculine appearance, very unlike her study at the Tuileries.

HIGHLIGHTS

Musée Chinois: Eugénie's crowning achievement here was the establishment of this museum in 1863. Housing over 800 objects, it was a treasure trove of Asian art.

The Chinese Salon: With its carved panels and ironwood cabinets displaying ivory, jade, and goldwork, this room was the jewel in Fontainebleau's crown.

Farnborough Hill

In exile, Eugénie created a little piece of France in the English countryside. In September 1881 the empress moved into a new and much larger house in Hampshire, Farnborough Hill, which had been built in the 1860s for Longman the publisher. Eugénie, with all the flair of a true fashionista, swoops into this charming little knoll overlooking the quaint town of Farnborough.

The house, originally built in the 1860s for the Longman publisher She makes it bigger,We're talking a staff of over twenty just to keep the place running. Nikolaus Pevsner, the architectural gossip, called it "an outrageously oversized chalet with an entrance tower and a lot of bargeboarding." Outrageous indeed, and absolutely fabulous!

Eugénie wasn't just looking for a new home; she wanted a proper resting place for her dear departed Napoleon III and their son, the Prince Imperial. Enter Hippolyte Gabriel Destailleur, the architect du jour who had already worked his magic on the château de Mouchy for Anna Murat and created the divine Waddesdon for the Rothschilds.

Legend has it that Eugénie, in true imperial fashion, traced the church's outline on the turf with her walking stick. Talk about hands-on design! Can you imagine the scene? The empress, probably dressed in the latest Parisian mourning couture, directing the future of French architecture on English soil!

Destailleur, created a masterpiece. He extended the main gallery with a 'cloister in the Renaissance style' paved with marble terrazzo (because why settle for ordinary flooring?). He even added a large, glass-roofed courtyard - perfect for those rare sunny English days.

We're talking late French Gothic with a twist - flamboyant tracery, ogee arches, flying buttresses, and gargoyles that would make Notre Dame green with envy. And the pièce de résistance? A small Baroque dome that's a carbon copy of Les Invalides.

Destailleur, clearly on a roll, added turrets, gables, and chimneys so huge they could probably be seen from Paris on a clear day.

What was once a bizarre hybrid of Swiss chalet and Scottish hunting lodge slowly morphed into a vast French château. Lucien Daudet described it as "a fantastic village." it was considered tasteful eccentricity on an imperial scale

The kitchen wing was expanded to house the small army of staff, and a brand new three-story annex was added. Because why stop at just one extension when you can have multiple?

Now, let's dish about the interiors, We're talking salons galore - d'Honneur, des Princesses, des Dames, des Greuzes - each one a treasure trove of paintings and memories.

Can you imagine the soirées? The crème de la crème of exiled royalty, sipping champagne and reminiscing about the good old days at the Tuileries.And let's not forget the pièce de résistance - the Prince Imperial's study, preserved like a shrine.

Every detail of his room at Chislehurst recreated with painstaking accuracy - his clothes, his swords, his guns, his books. It was part museum, part mausoleum, and entirely heartbreaking.

Today, the house is a girls' school. But don't let that fool you. The spirit of Eugénie still lingers in every turret and gable. It's as if she's still there, rearranging the Greuze paintings, planning her next tête-à-tête with Queen Victoria, and ensuring that even in exile, imperial glamour never fades.

The Villa Cyrnos

In 1892 Eugénie built a villa at Cap Martin between Monte Carlo and Menton, where she was to spend many winters. This Belle Époque masterpiece, nestled in the chic enclave of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, is the epitome of seaside glamour.

Not content with crashing at her bestie Empress Elisabeth's pad, she commissions the crème de la crème of architects, Hans-Georg Tersling, to create her dream villa

Now, Tersling wasn't just any architect - he was the Michelangelo of the Côte d'Azur, darling! His designs were more in demand than a front-row seat at Paris Fashion Week. And for Eugénie? He pulled out all the stops.

The villa's name, Cyrnos, is a nod to Corsica in Ancient Greek and the guest list was divine.

Empress Elisabeth, aka "Sisi," was a regular, gossiping about Habsburg drama over champagne on the terrace. And Queen Victoria herself made it an annual pilgrimage. Can you imagine the royal tête-à-têtes?

Villa Cyrnos wasn't just a home; it was the hottest salon on the Riviera, where crowns met couture and gossip flowed like fine wine.

Between this Villa & Farnborough hill Eugénie truly knew how to be exiled in style.

As we sip our Champagne and nibble on our petits fours, let's raise a glass to Empress Eugénie - the woman who turned interior design into high art, who made palaces feel like home, and who proved that true style is, indeed, eternal. She may have lost an empire, but darlings, she gained immortality in the world of decorative arts.

*This article is not an endorsement of empire, monarchy, imperialism or Bonapartism

Art & Wine Advisory

HIGH SOCIETEA: THE EMPRESS | THE RESIDENCES | THE DECORATIVE ARTS

Tuileries Palace

Château de Compiègne

Villa Eugénie, Biarritz

Château de Saint-Cloud

Fontainebleau

Farnborough Hill

The Villa Cyrnos