A Brief Encounter with Snow
I shouldn’t say “surprise surprise,” for it is, after all, February… but with all the unseasonably warm temps I had begun to believe we might miss a snow this year.… Read More
Winter
Heartfelt Visions
Being the optimist and romantic that I am, I like to think that everday is Valentine’s (as I cheekily tell my husband). But February 14th is also such a happy… 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
Christmas at Marble House
One of the reasons I chose to go to England in early December was to visit Blenheim Palace, home at the turn of the twentieth century to Consuelo Vanderbilt of… Read More
A Vanderbilt-Inspired Holiday Mantel
It was a dream invitation, especially at this time of the year — come in and pick out your favorite new ornaments that have just arrived and create a holiday… Read More
Newport’s Holiday Doorways
Our “City by the Sea” was founded in 1639, so the Colonial influence looms large in our history. Known as Newport’s “Golden Age” (as opposed to the “Gilded Age” of… Read More