Private Newport - with Bettie Bearden Pardee

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Design


At Home with Flowers

7 / 30 / 267 / 29 / 26

As I write this post, I’m in my sun room looking out the deep bay window that provides a panoramic view of the Fountain Garden and its signature details that make… Read More

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Bois Doré: Inspiring Architectural Design

7 / 23 / 267 / 22 / 26

With credit to its magnificent beauty (and Covid), the Newport community has turned into a beehive of real estate activity​; to express it very simply, “buy or build”. I’m now finding… Read More

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Containers, A Valuable Garden Detail

6 / 18 / 266 / 22 / 26

In honor of my dear friend, Margot Shaw, founder of Flower magazine and one of the headliners for the 2026 Newport Flower Show, I’m taking a page from her new… Read More

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A Notable Newport Estate, The Orchard Part 2

5 / 28 / 266 / 9 / 26

In a town of many old mansions, most have become house museums or condominiums or have been turned into dormitories and classrooms for a local university. Only a special few,… Read More

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A Notable Newport Estate, The Orchard. Part 1

5 / 21 / 265 / 26 / 26

Memorial Day reminds us that summer is just around the corner, when friends return from all parts of the country and houses are “opened for the season.” One of those… Read More

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Hansel and Gretel in Richmond

5 / 14 / 265 / 13 / 26

Historic Garden Week in Richmond provided such warm memories of both horticultural and architectural inspiration. One setting lingers in my mind, which I cannot resist calling the “Hansel and Gretel… Read More

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Gardens and Houses of Richmond, VA Part 2

5 / 7 / 265 / 7 / 26

My affection and appreciation for Richmond’s architecture began during college, and has lingered since then. Fortunately, I’ve had many occasions to travel down to this exceptional Virginia city. Driving through… Read More

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Gardens and Houses of Richmond,VA

4 / 30 / 266 / 9 / 26

Often called America’s largest open house​, “Historic Garden Week”​ in Virginia is a much-anticipated annual event for many garden lovers!​For one elegant week​, both homes and ​their gardens throughout the… Read More

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Spring Scenes Remembered

4 / 8 / 264 / 7 / 26

Little hints of spring are starting to show in Newport…the snowdrops nestled into the roots of the grand beech in the front courtyard, petit heads of daffodils poking up in… Read More

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Garden Visits in New Zealand

3 / 26 / 263 / 25 / 26

Dear friends, just home from New Zealand with lots of tempting garden images, especially these from Omaio (“a place of Peace, Quiet, and Tranquility”). Enjoy these teasers of next week’s post…I’m treating myself… 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

368 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

863 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

131 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

363 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

271 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

504 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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