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Winter


Parterre, Wrapped in Winter

1 / 8 / 261 / 8 / 26
winter at Parterre

December posts, with their focus on holiday festivity and decorations, preempt any other topic. So I’m thrilled for the first blog of the New Year to capture the three to… Read More

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Christmas 2025 at Parterre

12 / 18 / 2512 / 18 / 25

There’s nothing like “Decking the Halls” for the holidays to get one in the mood…unless it’s following through with that creative spirit and pulling together a blog…the final step. Which gives me… Read More

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Christmas Splendor at The Breakers

12 / 11 / 2512 / 11 / 25

As a witty friend recently opined, “The Breakers is a Master Class in opulence…whispering of candlelit soirees, sweeping gowns, and a Gilded Age that knew no limits!” But as you… Read More

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A Brief Encounter with Snow

2 / 22 / 242 / 21 / 24

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

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Heartfelt Visions

2 / 8 / 242 / 7 / 24

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

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Saluting the New Year 2024

12 / 28 / 2312 / 27 / 23

From our home to yours… Wishing you a New Year Wrapped in Love, Touched with Wonder, and Filled with fresh occasions for Delight.

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Christmas 2023 at Parterre

12 / 21 / 2312 / 26 / 23

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

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8 Creative Ways to Enhance your Decor with a Christmas Tree

12 / 14 / 2312 / 14 / 23

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

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A Gilded Age Christmas, Part 2

12 / 7 / 235 / 28 / 24

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

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A Gilded Age Christmas , Part 1

11 / 30 / 235 / 28 / 24

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

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About Bettie

Author of Private Newport and Living Newport, designer of the Parterre Bench, national lecturer, and entertaining expert.
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privatenewport

There are beautiful coastlines… and then there is Newport☁️

Its beauty isn’t defined by one mansion, one garden, or one stretch of shoreline. It’s the way the salt marshes glow at sunset, the ledge-lined coast meets an endless blue horizon, and every bend in the road offers an entirely different perspective.

Perhaps that’s Newport’s greatest luxury, not just the architecture, but the landscape that has quietly framed it for centuries🤍

It’s a place where the light changes by the hour, the tides reshape the shoreline, and yet the feeling remains exactly the same.

Timeless🌊

Save this as a reminder that some of Newport’s most extraordinary views exist beyond the front gates✨
📸: David Thalmann

#newportcoast #skyline #newportsummer #privatenewport #timelesselegance

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 6

374 13
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18104855060129050
There are beautiful coastlines… and then there is Newport☁️

Its beauty isn’t defined by one mansion, one garden, or one stretch of shoreline. It’s the way the salt marshes glow at sunset, the ledge-lined coast meets an endless blue horizon, and every bend in the road offers an entirely different perspective.

Perhaps that’s Newport’s greatest luxury, not just the architecture, but the landscape that has quietly framed it for centuries🤍

It’s a place where the light changes by the hour, the tides reshape the shoreline, and yet the feeling remains exactly the same.

Timeless🌊

Save this as a reminder that some of Newport’s most extraordinary views exist beyond the front gates✨
📸: David Thalmann

#newportcoast #skyline #newportsummer #privatenewport #timelesselegance

privatenewport

Some homes make an impression before you ever reach the front door..

A long, winding driveway unfolds through a park-like landscape filled with remarkable specimen trees, setting the stage for an estate that quietly reflects Newport’s architectural legacy. Built with traditional three-coat stucco construction and crowned by an original slate roof, every detail speaks to craftsmanship designed to stand the test of time.

It’s the kind of approach that reminds you why Newport’s historic estates continue to captivate generations.

🌿 Follow @privatenewport for more of Newport’s hidden beauty and timeless estates✨
#privatenewport #newportestates #privateliving #newportri #parterre

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 2

881 24
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18099479645580417
Some homes make an impression before you ever reach the front door..

A long, winding driveway unfolds through a park-like landscape filled with remarkable specimen trees, setting the stage for an estate that quietly reflects Newport’s architectural legacy. Built with traditional three-coat stucco construction and crowned by an original slate roof, every detail speaks to craftsmanship designed to stand the test of time.

It’s the kind of approach that reminds you why Newport’s historic estates continue to captivate generations.

🌿 Follow @privatenewport for more of Newport’s hidden beauty and timeless estates✨
#privatenewport #newportestates #privateliving #newportri #parterre

privatenewport

The garden’s final act may be its most beautiful🧡

At Parterre, July and August are a celebration of flowers in every form, not only in the garden, but gathered indoors where each arrangement becomes part of the home’s story. Sunlight, heirloom vessels, weathered books, and blooms cut at their peak remind us that beauty isn’t only found outside the window.

Save this for your next floral inspiration, and follow @privatenewport for more timeless corners of Newport and beyond🌿
#privatenewport #flowerarrangements #floraldesigns #privateliving #newportestates

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jul 30

132 7
Open post by privatenewport with ID 17985999039035208
The garden’s final act may be its most beautiful🧡

At Parterre, July and August are a celebration of flowers in every form, not only in the garden, but gathered indoors where each arrangement becomes part of the home’s story. Sunlight, heirloom vessels, weathered books, and blooms cut at their peak remind us that beauty isn’t only found outside the window.

Save this for your next floral inspiration, and follow @privatenewport for more timeless corners of Newport and beyond🌿
#privatenewport #flowerarrangements #floraldesigns #privateliving #newportestates

privatenewport

One of the last great mansions built in Newport, Bois Doré has quietly watched generations come and go. Its name translates to ‘gilded wood,’ a fitting tribute to the golden avenue of pollarded lindens that transforms the entrance each autumn. Beyond the pink stucco walls lies a house where every room tells a story, of art, gardens, entertaining, and a distinctly European elegance that still feels timeless today.

Some homes are admired. Others are remembered. Bois Doré has always been both.

Which detail would you linger over first?✨
#privatenewport #boisdoré #gildedwood #privateliving #privatehomes

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jul 23

365 9
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18006654782756454
One of the last great mansions built in Newport, Bois Doré has quietly watched generations come and go. Its name translates to ‘gilded wood,’ a fitting tribute to the golden avenue of pollarded lindens that transforms the entrance each autumn. Beyond the pink stucco walls lies a house where every room tells a story, of art, gardens, entertaining, and a distinctly European elegance that still feels timeless today.

Some homes are admired. Others are remembered. Bois Doré has always been both.

Which detail would you linger over first?✨
#privatenewport #boisdoré #gildedwood #privateliving #privatehomes

privatenewport

The rains have come and gone. The heat has broken. A languid, sublime afternoon awaits arriving houseguests, the kind of afternoon Newport seems to reserve for late July alone☀️

There is a quiet magic here after a summer rain. The gravel settles, the gardens glow, and every stone, shutter, and tree feels as though it has been waiting for the light to return✨

Aaah, late July in Newport🌊

Follow @privatenewport for the Newport most visitors never get to see..
#privatenewport #newportri #privateliving #newportsummer #privatehomes

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jul 20

272 9
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18080317892654126
The rains have come and gone. The heat has broken. A languid, sublime afternoon awaits arriving houseguests, the kind of afternoon Newport seems to reserve for late July alone☀️

There is a quiet magic here after a summer rain. The gravel settles, the gardens glow, and every stone, shutter, and tree feels as though it has been waiting for the light to return✨

Aaah, late July in Newport🌊

Follow @privatenewport for the Newport most visitors never get to see..
#privatenewport #newportri #privateliving #newportsummer #privatehomes

privatenewport

The color of a Newport summer? Hydrangea blue💙

From quiet garden paths to historic estates, these blooms have become as iconic as the mansions themselves. Some traditions don’t need reinventing, they simply return more beautiful every year.

Save for your Newport bucket list, and follow @privatenewport for more timeless Rhode Island beauty
💙🩵💜💙🩵💜
#hydrangeaseason #privateliving #hydrangealove #newportsummer #newportri

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jul 19

507 14
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18019412594894970
The color of a Newport summer? Hydrangea blue💙

From quiet garden paths to historic estates, these blooms have become as iconic as the mansions themselves. Some traditions don’t need reinventing, they simply return more beautiful every year.

Save for your Newport bucket list, and follow @privatenewport for more timeless Rhode Island beauty
💙🩵💜💙🩵💜
#hydrangeaseason #privateliving #hydrangealove #newportsummer #newportri
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Bettie's Faves

  • Charlotte Moss
  • La Dolce Vita
  • My Beautiful Paris
  • The Enchanted Home
  • The Glam Pad
  • The Lush List
  • The Potted Boxwood
  • Vicki Archer
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