Reuniting with Downton Abbey

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mele Photography Our beloved Downton Abbey television series ended in March of 2016 and since then millions of Americans (including this writer) have been patiently anticipating some…

Entertaining at Home: Inspirations from Celebrated Hosts

One never knows where life’s chance meetings might lead. Five years ago, Ronda Carman and I were signing our respective books at the Theta Antique Show in Houston. Two weeks…

Boston Townhouses in their Summer Finery Part 2

Aaah, the happy memories that these posts have brought back. We lived at 61 Commonwealth Avenue, in the heart of Back Bay, and I treasured every moment. My childhood dream…

Boston Townhouses in their Summer Finery Part 1

Having lived in Boston for a few years, I’m very partial to the term “Boston Proper” as describing the old in-town neighborhoods that included Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South End,…

Romancing our Summer Garden

The Orangerie in Parterre’s garden was a most special surprise Christmas gift in 1997, given to me by my husband, Jonathan, as we began our house building project. While originally…

Seafair, a Hurricane’s Tale

There’s always a story in Newport and as we head into hurricane season, this gripping tale from my book, Private Newport, deserves to be retold. Few in Newport recognize Seafair…

Hidcote: of Hedges and Vistas

While I have been very enthusiastic about visiting many gardens, both here and in Europe as time permits, my list of “to see” seems to be getting longer and longer.…

Private Newport’s Most Singular Oceanside Rooms

The cover of my first coffee table book, Private Newport: At Home and in the Garden, conveys in so many ways the sensibilities and design spirit of this post…shining a…

Harold Peto’s Iford Garden

Surprisingly, the unanticipated highlight of my May week in the Cotswolds was the visit to Iford Manor, outside of Bath. Clearly, this property was created by one who marched to…

My Newport Diary: The Week That Was

Along with this week’s heatwave came a bevy of trunk shows, fundraisers, Tennis Hall of Fame tournament, houseguests, suppers… and the list goes on. One might say July is “heating…