National Geographic has snagged terrific photos of Maison Mantin, the 1896 mansion in Moulins, France, that was closed in 1905 until being reopened this October. (It was always the hope of batty ol' owner Louis Mantin that his home, designed to resemble a seaside villa, be opened to the public 100 years after his death.) And what a sight the public can now see! Mantina's bedroom is clad in leather treated with gold and silver leaf, giving the whole space a shimmery quality. Equally louche, Lantin stashed his illicit lover of 20 years—who was married to someone else—in the Pink, or "Four Seasons," bedroom, whose original silk wallcovering was painstakingly replicated to give the full effect. The pattern? It's called "Les Amours." And let's not forget the two taxidermy frogs or the stuffed blowfish. Mantin, it seems, was quite a guy. Have a look above.
· "Strange" Palace [National Geographic via Boing Boing]