NYSID's Judith Gura: To The Manor Baroque

I’ve been thinking about interiors and furniture that make people feel comfortable …. a concept that originated in 18^th century France, and flourished during the reign of Louis XV.  We owe the French designers of that era for supplanting the stiffness of Baroque court style with spaces that encouraged a more relaxed intimacy.  But according to an interesting book called “The Age of Comfort,” we can also credit them for introducing elaborate bathrooms and flush toilets as essential elements of the well-furnished home.  (And we thought that Americans discovered the glamour bath ourselves, back in the 1980s!) We may scoff at Rococo’s tendency towards fussiness, but some of the most attractive and yes, most comfort-minded ideas originated back then.