The new Hôtel de la Marine on the Place de la Concorde in Paris was never a hotel, though it was originally a hot spot for the in-the-know among French aristocrats and elites. Now, it’s still not well known, but even country bumpkins from Vermont can — and should — experience the luxe lifestyle of Paris A-listers in the 1770s and 1780s, before “A” stood for “axe” and many a chapeau went missing a head.
The Marine isn’t a house museum, though people lived there in splendor from 1774 to around 1792. Rather, it housed the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, or the king’s furniture depository. The French kings had lots of palaces. Unlike American presidents, thank God, the French royals were seen as makers and arbiters of the best taste in home décor at a time when the rich considered themselves on display 24/7. Not every Pépé de Bière en Pac de Six could visit.
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