The Marquis de Custine wrote of the impression of Nicolas I's court that no other in Europe could compare with it "for the wealth of jewels and costumes, the varierty and opulence of the uniforms, the grandeur and harmony..." But in the cosy rooms of the Cottage, the imperial family lived by contrast a very modest existence. The interiors are adorned by fine furniture made of precious varieties of wood and tableware from the Imperial Porcelain Factory and Glassworks (the Coral and Etruscan Services, Gothic plates and so on).