Chateau de Chantilly
There was heavy rain the day we ventured out to Malmaison and Chantilly (not unusual for Paris in late October), but by way of serendipity the weather turned to a… Read More
Author: Bettie Bearden Pardee
Malmaison, Josephine and Napoleon’s Hideaway
A mere seven miles from the center of Paris (and yet seemingly a hundred), is a petit “chateau” associated with a romantic period in French history. Malmaison was the home… Read More
Join Me in A Left Bank Parisian Apartment
I have been very fortunate to have visited Paris in almost every month of the year. She never disappoints! But this last trip in the fall was charmed in ways… Read More
Saluting the New Year 2024
From our home to yours… Wishing you a New Year Wrapped in Love, Touched with Wonder, and Filled with fresh occasions for Delight.
Christmas 2023 at Parterre
Well, I’m betting you are all set and decorated for the holidays! But at Parterre I love to put up the tree, hang the garlands, dress the mantels and create… Read More
8 Creative Ways to Enhance your Decor with a Christmas Tree
The Preservation Society’s Newport mansions provide a gracious plenty of thought-provoking ideas for decorating this Holiday season. With trees in almost every room, there is inspiration galore. And while the… Read More
A Gilded Age Christmas, Part 2
As I begin this post, I realize that there’s a fact about Christmas in the Gilded Age of which many are probably not aware…the Vanderbilts, and others in their “set,”… Read More
A Gilded Age Christmas , Part 1
It is glorious in Newport any time of the year, but especially at Christmas! And with all the attention “The Gilded Age” series has garnered I thought I’d begin my… Read More
Thanksgiving ’23
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, my heart is full…not only is my only sibling making her annual “turkey trot” to Newport, but a lifelong friend will also be… Read More
Out and About in Paris
It had been five years since I’d last been in Paris…so you can imagine my exuberant state of mind. Even despite the on and off rain, I strolled and took… Read More