Private Newport - with Bettie Bearden Pardee

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Design


Welcoming the Tulips!

5 / 14 / 208 / 14 / 20

There’s a wonderful overlap in my garden that happens about this point in the spring…as the four flowering cherries finish their magical bloom time, glorious tulips start popping up in… Read More

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The Centerpiece of Parterre Garden

4 / 30 / 208 / 11 / 20

If there can be a silver lining to having had some glorious trips cancelled this spring it is that I am here, in Newport, to see my two beloved matched… Read More

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Faux and Behold: The Dovecote at Parterre

4 / 23 / 208 / 14 / 20

A dear reader left a lovely comment on last week’s post asking about “the charming cylindrical shaped structure with the conical roof at the corner of the hedge.” She could… Read More

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Through the Garden Gate

4 / 16 / 207 / 28 / 20

Humor is such an important antidote to this “journey” we all find ourselves on. And I had to look no further than my own garden and the pair of frogs… Read More

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Topiaries, Whimsy in the Making

3 / 26 / 207 / 28 / 20

Last week I posted about a very favorite topic for this gardener, hedges. And what’s the natural follow-on? Topiaries, the next step in a hedges artistic evolution.The art of training,… Read More

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English Hedges

3 / 19 / 208 / 14 / 20

While one might think of England as all about herbaceous flower borders, there is actually an entire design discipline that has made an art form of hedges. They seem to… Read More

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Yellow, Spring’s Signature Color

3 / 12 / 207 / 28 / 20

Doesn’t yellow just signal spring to you? Perhaps because it is the first color that dots the bare landscape, from daffodils (above) to forsythia (below). And this year, (fingers crossed!),… Read More

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Inspiring Garden Design: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

2 / 27 / 207 / 28 / 20

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is unique to me among house museums today for its continuing focus on its namesake’s passion for horticulture and garden design. Sited, appropriately,… Read More

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Inspiring Garden Design: Spring at Hidcote

2 / 20 / 204 / 22 / 23

Looking back on these images has me thinking “how lucky was I?!” Early last May, I was in the Cotswolds happy beyond words to be experiencing such gardens as Hidcote… Read More

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Inspiring Garden Design: 12 Tropical Details to Borrow

2 / 13 / 207 / 28 / 20

Every trip, every new destination offers a welcome opportunity to look at design from another perspective…one of the many reasons to justify travel. Oftentimes, a reminder is enough to freshen… 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

Most visitors walk through Rosecliff @newport.mansions admiring the grand rooms. The ones who look up discover the real masterpiece✨

Hand-painted skies. Intricate plasterwork. A chandelier that has watched over more than a century of Newport history☁️

It’s details like these that make Newport’s Gilded Age estates feel less like museums and more like works of art🎭

✨ Save this for your next Newport visit, and follow @privatenewport for the details most visitors never notice.
#privatenewport #newportri #gildedage #newportmansions #rosecliffmansion

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jul 1

112 8
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18107910049995446
Most visitors walk through Rosecliff @newport.mansions admiring the grand rooms. The ones who look up discover the real masterpiece✨

Hand-painted skies. Intricate plasterwork. A chandelier that has watched over more than a century of Newport history☁️

It’s details like these that make Newport’s Gilded Age estates feel less like museums and more like works of art🎭

✨ Save this for your next Newport visit, and follow @privatenewport for the details most visitors never notice.
#privatenewport #newportri #gildedage #newportmansions #rosecliffmansion

privatenewport

The grand rooms of Rosecliff @newport.mansions weren’t built to be silent…

During the Newport Flower Show, one of the mansion’s most captivating details quietly came to life, a self-playing piano filling the halls as guests wandered through rooms once designed for America’s wealthiest families.

It’s the kind of moment that reminds you these homes were never museums… they were meant to be lived in..

✨ Save this for your next Newport visit, and follow @privatenewport for more hidden details inside the city’s most extraordinary historic estates.
#privatenewport #newportri #gildedage #newportmansions #privateliving

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 29

158 11
Open post by privatenewport with ID 17933663904090998
The grand rooms of Rosecliff @newport.mansions weren’t built to be silent…

During the Newport Flower Show, one of the mansion’s most captivating details quietly came to life, a self-playing piano filling the halls as guests wandered through rooms once designed for America’s wealthiest families.

It’s the kind of moment that reminds you these homes were never museums… they were meant to be lived in..

✨ Save this for your next Newport visit, and follow @privatenewport for more hidden details inside the city’s most extraordinary historic estates.
#privatenewport #newportri #gildedage #newportmansions #privateliving

privatenewport

Some rooms don’t demand attention, they quietly earn it..

Beyond Rosecliff’s @newport.mansions grand staircase is a space wrapped in rich wood paneling, hand-carved ceilings, and stories that have unfolded over generations. It’s easy to miss if you’re only looking for the ballroom.

These are the details that make Newport unforgettable.

🤍 Save this for your next mansion visit.
Follow @privatenewport for the Newport most people never get to experience✨
#privatenewport #newportri #newportmansions #rosecliff #privateliving

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 28

626 13
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18101117891267002
Some rooms don’t demand attention, they quietly earn it..

Beyond Rosecliff’s @newport.mansions grand staircase is a space wrapped in rich wood paneling, hand-carved ceilings, and stories that have unfolded over generations. It’s easy to miss if you’re only looking for the ballroom.

These are the details that make Newport unforgettable.

🤍 Save this for your next mansion visit.
Follow @privatenewport for the Newport most people never get to experience✨
#privatenewport #newportri #newportmansions #rosecliff #privateliving

privatenewport

There are grand staircases… and then there’s Rosecliff..

For more than a century, these sweeping steps have welcomed society’s elite, dazzling gowns, celebrated guests, and evenings that became part of Newport’s legendary Gilded Age story. Every carved detail, every graceful curve, and every soaring ceiling was designed to leave a lasting impression, and it still does today💫

It’s impossible to stand here without imagining the music drifting through the halls, the anticipation before a ballroom filled with laughter, and the grandeur of an era when Newport was the center of America’s most extravagant summers✨

Some places preserve history….

Others make you feel like you’ve stepped inside it☁️

✨ Save this for your next Newport visit, and follow Private Newport for more timeless moments from the City by the Sea🌊
@newport.mansions
#privatenewport #rosecliff #newportmansions #gildedage #newportsummer

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 25

419 13
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18186966058376120
There are grand staircases… and then there’s Rosecliff..

For more than a century, these sweeping steps have welcomed society’s elite, dazzling gowns, celebrated guests, and evenings that became part of Newport’s legendary Gilded Age story. Every carved detail, every graceful curve, and every soaring ceiling was designed to leave a lasting impression, and it still does today💫

It’s impossible to stand here without imagining the music drifting through the halls, the anticipation before a ballroom filled with laughter, and the grandeur of an era when Newport was the center of America’s most extravagant summers✨

Some places preserve history….

Others make you feel like you’ve stepped inside it☁️

✨ Save this for your next Newport visit, and follow Private Newport for more timeless moments from the City by the Sea🌊
@newport.mansions 
#privatenewport #rosecliff #newportmansions #gildedage #newportsummer

privatenewport

Part 2: The Newport Flower Show 🌿

For one weekend, Rosecliff @newport.mansions became Newport’s most beautiful address✨

Thousands of blooms, sweeping ocean views, and the grandeur of a Gilded Age estate set the stage for the Newport Flower Show, one of the city’s most beloved traditions🌸

It’s easy to see why people fall in love with Newport..

Save this for your next visit, and follow for more of the Newport most people never get to experience🤍

#newportflowershow #newportri #rosecliff #privatenewport #gildedage

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 23

176 17
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18114627154895104
Part 2: The Newport Flower Show 🌿

For one weekend, Rosecliff @newport.mansions became Newport’s most beautiful address✨

Thousands of blooms, sweeping ocean views, and the grandeur of a Gilded Age estate set the stage for the Newport Flower Show, one of the city’s most beloved traditions🌸

It’s easy to see why people fall in love with Newport..

Save this for your next visit, and follow for more of the Newport most people never get to experience🤍

#newportflowershow #newportri #rosecliff #privatenewport #gildedage

privatenewport

Behind the doors of Newport’s most celebrated summer event… 🌸

The 2026 Newport Flower Show transformed Rosecliff’s @newport.mansions historic interiors into living works of art, where flowers, design, and Newport elegance met in the most extraordinary way✨

These are just a few of the details from inside this year’s “Pearls of Newport” exhibition🌊

Part 2 is coming tomorrow. Trust us, you’ll want to see what’s waiting outside👀🥀

✨ Save this for your Newport summer bucket list
🌿 Follow @privatenewport for more of the Newport most visitors never get to see
#privatenewport #newportmansions #gildedage #newportflowershow #rosecliffmansion

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 22

216 32
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18447092419189526
Behind the doors of Newport’s most celebrated summer event… 🌸

The 2026 Newport Flower Show transformed Rosecliff’s @newport.mansions historic interiors into living works of art, where flowers, design, and Newport elegance met in the most extraordinary way✨

These are just a few of the details from inside this year’s “Pearls of Newport” exhibition🌊

Part 2 is coming tomorrow. Trust us, you’ll want to see what’s waiting outside👀🥀

✨ Save this for your Newport summer bucket list
🌿 Follow @privatenewport for more of the Newport most visitors never get to see
#privatenewport #newportmansions #gildedage #newportflowershow #rosecliffmansion
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Bettie's Faves

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