His Imperial Majesty’s Half
His Imperial Majesty’s half of the palace, intended for the emperor himself and his family, is located on the first floor of the palace. The artists used the decorative elements of the baroque, rococo, and classicism. Each of the seven rooms, the dining room, the living room, the room of the Empress, the boudoir, the bedroom, the office of the Emperor, the reception room, is distinguished by its peculiar style.
The decoration of the dining room uses the decorative principles of classicism: the combination of calm tones of artificial marble, white marble statues of mythological characters. In the living room, boudoir, study and bedroom of the Empress you’ll see soft, quilted furniture: sofas, couches, and chairs. They all have curved shapes. The main decoration of the living room is porcelain ware - vases, floor lamps, chandeliers, reminiscent of a lush bouquet topped with a pineapple. In the office of the Empress the dominant is dark crimson, which was in tune with the spirit of the interior of French palaces of end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. Huge mirrors, which began to be manufactured in Russia at that time, and the chandelier, repeatedly reflected in them increases the sense of pomposity and fabulous luxury. The elegance of the interior is achieved due to the gilded stucco decoration of the walls and arches as well as the doors, beautifully made from precious woods and inlaid with tortoise shell, bronze, and mother of pearl.