Tsarskoye Selo launches ‘The Blooming Palace’

PHOTO © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

The Tsarskoye Selo State Museum has launched a very innovative new project: “Blooming Palace”, to be held in the Alexander Palace over the next 12 months. Once a month, flower arrangements created by modern designers and florists will be displayed in different interiors of the Alexander Palace, the favourite Imperial residence of Nicholas II and his family.

Arrangements will include hydrangea, chrysanthemum, forsythia, camellia, lilacs and other flowers and plants. The flower marathon will last a year, ending in August 2024. The museum is implementing this project in partnership with representatives of various creative industries in St. Petersburg.

PHOTO © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

“We set ourselves the most important task – to create an atmosphere of family warmth in the private rooms of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, said Olga Taratynova, director of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum.

“At the beginning of the last century, there were fresh flowers all year round, the floral theme was also present in the upholstery of the walls, furniture, stucco reliefs on the walls and ceilings. We supplemented the recreated interiors with freshly cut flowers and decorative plants. In addition, more than a hundred years later, the Empress’s tradition of decorating her rooms with lilacs was revived – their fragrant aroma fills the interiors from late January to March, “she added.

PHOTO © Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

The first compositions were created in September, for the Maple and Rosewood Drawing Rooms, located in Alexandra Feodorovna’s rooms. The main flower was hydrangea – in total, florists used more than 80 luxurious flowers of white, pink, blue and green blooms. The idea was initiated by a colour autochrome of the interior, taken in 1917 by Andrei Zeest. The photographer took this photo with hydrangea in a vase in the Rosewood Drawing Room just a few hours after the Imperial Family were sent into exile to Tobolsk on 1st August 1917. In addition to hydrangea, designers used autumn flowers and plants, including live branches with paradise apples, rose hips and various types of grain plants.

In total, the “Blooming Palace” project involves the creation of 12 compositions under the guidance of designer, florist, designer Maxim Languev. Each of them will be in one way or another be connected with the history of the Alexander Palace as an Imperial residence, and the personal tastes of the family of the last Russian emperor. Sources of inspiration includes – historical facts (i.e., the eastern journey of the heir, engagement, wedding, the stay of the Imperial Family in Livadia); floral motifs in the decoration of interiors (symbolism of lilies in the decoration of the palace); items of the museum collection (vases in the technique of cloisonné enamel, Venetian glass, incense burners); documentary evidence – photographs, autochromes, paintings.

The “Blooming Palace” project is a joint prohect with the Higher School of Economics, the museum will hold a creative competition among students to create souvenirs based on the Blooming Palace. Interest in the project and readiness to support it was expressed by the organizers of the federal competition “Young Design”.

The project “Blooming Palace” is the winner of the “Creative Museum” competition of the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation. The information partner of the project is the magazine “Interior + Design”.

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