State Dining Room

The impressive State Dining Room is furnished with an Antique English, solid mahogany, breakfront bookcase. This fine Georgian design, circa 1850, was purchased by the Foundation from Royal Street Antiques in New Orleans. It houses the state china and crystal that were purchased by the Foundation through Mr. Lee Berg of Lee Michael’s Fine Jewelry. The state china is manufactured by Haviland in the Symphonie Bordeaux pattern and the elegant crystal, by Baccarat, is in the Messena pattern.

The walls of this stately dining room are covered in Scalamandre’s Georgian Damask in golden tones. Not only is it aesthetically appealing, it also serves to improve the acoustics in the large, spacious room.

The magnificent George, III Marquetry, inlaid, Serpentine sideboard (circa 1780) and the two cobalt blue Meissen porcelain vases (circa 1885) were donated to the Foundation by Mr. Dan Heard. These items, which were acquired by Mr. Heard from Dixon & Dixon, were featured in Architectural Digest.

The two identical silver chests located on either side of the fireplace are reminiscent of the French Empire style. They are circa 1800-1825 and were made popular by two of Napoleon Bonaparte’s own personal architects. Covered with African Pommele Sapele (Mahogany) veneers, each cabinet, complete with lids, consists of ten drawers made of ebony wood and lined with pacific silver cloth. The black granite top is supported by two ebonized columns and adorned with carvings covered in 24k gold. These elaborate pieces were designed by Mr. Glen Armand with the help of the design team. Paying particular attention to style and detail, Mr. Armand crafted the incredible pieces in only twelve weeks. He then very generously donated the chests to the Foundation. Tucked away in these chests is the state silverware, purchased by the Foundation through Mr. Lee Berg of Lee Michael’s Fine Jewelry. The silver is by Christofle in the Marly pattern.

Poised atop the mantle in the dining room is a French clock of the late 1800’s vintage and is known as a “Barrel Top” because of its rounded shape. It is black and green variegated, Belgian marble and was donated to the Foundation by Mr. and Mrs. Jim Fowler of J.D. Fowler clocks in Lafayette.

Over the mantle hangs a French Gold Gilt Louis XVI style mirror, circa 1880, purchased by the Foundation from Fireside Antiques in Baton Rouge.

The breathtaking rug which lays unobtrusively under the massive dining room table, was designed by the Design Advisory Council and created by Edward Fields of Edward Fields Incorporated out of New York. This specially commissioned rug is 100% wool woven in Savon and Caprice quality. Again, in keeping with the state’s history, the field of the state dining room rug features a grid intersected by 64 fleur de lis representing the unique 64 parishes of the state. The Adams inspired fan detail at each end is a repetition of a design found on hardware throughout the Mansion and includes the brown pelican, Louisiana’s state bird. The perimeter of the rug incorporates the 18 stars symbolizing Louisiana’s status in entering the Union.