5. Meet the French Royal Style: Madame de Pompadour
Muse. Power broker. Style icon. Chicken whisperer.
Long before influencer was a title, Madame de Pompadour turned Versailles into her personal runway and ruled the French court with a powdered fist. The official mistress of Louis XV (yes, that was a job title), she didn’t just win his heart—she rebranded it. The King awarded her the title Marquise de Pompadour, which, naturally, she adored. Why? Because Pompadour rhymes with amour—and nothing rhymed harder with luxury than this woman.
She was a social alchemist: turning salons into think tanks, philosophers into dinner guests, and truffle diets into strategic tools of seduction. (When the King’s gaze wandered, she starved herself on celery, vanilla, and truffles until he came crawling back. Respect.)
At age eight, a fortune teller told her she'd one day win the heart of a king. She did—and then proceeded to win over half of Enlightenment-era France. Voltaire adored her. Artists courted her. Even the chickens followed her—yes, she famously kept a small flock in the Versailles gardens. Because why not be eccentric when you're untouchable?
Madame de Pompadour didn’t just influence style—she defined it. She ushered in a lighter, more natural look, waving goodbye to stiff grandeur and embracing pastels, playfulness, and powdered poise. Her style was effortless, feminine, and oh-so French, with just enough cheek to keep the courtiers whispering.
Furniture Style: Rococo Gets Cozy
Enter Rococo Loco—where comfort got flirty. Under Madame de Pompadour’s patronage, interiors ditched the formality of the Sun King's Versailles and went full boudoir chic.
Out: grand gilded thrones and sharp corners.
In: plush armchairs, coquettish sofas, and sensuous marquetry that begged to be admired with a glass of champagne in hand.
She was all about the salon, the place to be seen, to philosophize, flirt, and flex one’s artistic taste. Her influence brought us the kind of furniture designed not for protocol, but for conversation, comfort, and—let’s be honest—amour.
Expect curvy cabriole legs, a pastel palette of powdered blue, blush pink, and minty green, and lush upholstery you’d never want to leave. Even her personal aesthetic made its mark: her signature hairstyle—the pompadour—made a comeback centuries later atop Elvis Presley’s head. Talk about legacy.
