I’ll start this post not with my own words, but with kind observations from a visitor to Parterre over this past weekend during the garden tour….”The lovely French inspired design… Read More

Last December while in Paris, I revisited one of the most captivating, fanciful spots in a city of many elegant shops…Ladurée on rue Royale. Could I have imagined then that… Read More

As a gardener, imagine that you lived in the Victorian era when men and women were in the enviable position of having a wealth of new and totally unknown plant… Read More

Writing this as I sit in the perfectly named “morning room” at our comfy country house hotel, Fischer’s Baslow Hall, in Derbyshire. With its well-tended gardens to be enjoyed through… Read More

As one who has written two coffee table books on the subject of Newport’s homes, I often find myself reflecting back on the many private residences that I’ve visited and… Read More

I’m kicking off this first New Year post with a subject that hints at how exciting my hopes are for 2025…think big; don’t hold back; out with the old, in… Read More

What an unusual December treat for 2024…spending a week in Paris, captivated by the decorations, bright lights, and historic architecture…and returning to Newport to enjoy, with houseguests, one of our town’s historic… Read More

What’s not to love about captivating, romantic, scintillating Paris? But when you add the sparkle of Christmas…well, that begets a whole other list of superlatives. I’m fresh off the plane, checked… Read More

Once a rocky island, home only to fishermen, two small churches, and a few vegetable gardens, Isola Belle (beautiful island) began its transformation in the 17th century. The gardens that… Read More