Private Newport - with Bettie Bearden Pardee

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Initial Thoughts


Calling Seafair “Home”

3 / 27 / 253 / 26 / 25

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

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Louis Vuitton: the Trunk Building

1 / 9 / 251 / 8 / 25

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

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Christmas at the Breakers

12 / 19 / 2412 / 19 / 24

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

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Merry Christmas From Paris

12 / 5 / 2412 / 5 / 24

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

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The Borromeo Gardens on Isola Bella

6 / 27 / 246 / 27 / 24

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

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Autumn In Paris

11 / 9 / 2311 / 9 / 23

I have been very fortunate to have visited Paris in almost every month of the year…and she never disappoints!! But this trip was charmed in ways that I could not… Read More

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Entertaining in the Orangerie

10 / 5 / 2310 / 5 / 23

Well, by the enthusiastic response to last week’s post on our Orangerie, I bet you’ll love seeing this whimsical “folly” in her main role –party central. For, once finished with… Read More

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The Orangerie at Parterre

9 / 28 / 239 / 28 / 23

The Parterre Bench and the Orangerie are the two most important non-floral entities in the garden. But at times I realize the Orangerie can be more of an unsung hero,… Read More

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The Daily Joys of my Garden

9 / 21 / 239 / 21 / 23

It’s about this time of year when I have a sec to catch my breath and pen my “oops in the garden.” But 2023 has been a very different year,… Read More

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Saluting Rosecliff!

9 / 14 / 239 / 14 / 23

Rosecliff to me is like a BFF with whom you’ve shared 24 years of incredibale memories. I’ve danced in her ballroom more times than I can count, dedicated a chapter… 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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Insta Happenings

privatenewport

Breathtaking! Paris in October, photographed by Private Newport in 2023. #parismoments #parisviews🇫🇷 #loveparis #travelmemories #parisbridges

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Oct 8

139 2
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18151329112542909
Breathtaking! Paris in October, photographed by Private Newport in 2023.  #parismoments #parisviews🇫🇷 #loveparis #travelmemories #parisbridges

privatenewport

I love this time of early evening, when the warm lantern light draws us to the back courtyard… where the rooflines and architectural details recall a small French village. #privatenewport #classichome #grandmellennialstyle #timelessstyle #arcitecturelovers luxurylifestyle

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Sep 30

338 9
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18492143782100391
I love this time of early evening, when the warm lantern light draws us to the back courtyard… where the rooflines and architectural details recall a small French village.  #privatenewport #classichome #grandmellennialstyle #timelessstyle #arcitecturelovers luxurylifestyle

privatenewport

Some Newport invitations are simply too good to decline...

A spontaneous Sunday morning brought us back to one of our favorite places, The Elms, where Gilded Age grandeur gives way to one of Newport’s most enchanting garden moments✨

Beyond the sweeping lawn lies the sunken garden, its formal parterres remarkably preserved from the original 1914 design. Nearly 125 years later, the symmetry, architecture and romance of it all feel as timeless as ever.

For a gardener, this is the part of The Elms that always calls us back🌿

Save this for your next Newport garden day💚
#theelmsmansion #theelms #newportrhodeisland #newportmansions #privateliving

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 26

261 11
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18030356249846368
Some Newport invitations are simply too good to decline...

A spontaneous Sunday morning brought us back to one of our favorite places, The Elms, where Gilded Age grandeur gives way to one of Newport’s most enchanting garden moments✨

Beyond the sweeping lawn lies the sunken garden, its formal parterres remarkably preserved from the original 1914 design. Nearly 125 years later, the symmetry, architecture and romance of it all feel as timeless as ever.

For a gardener, this is the part of The Elms that always calls us back🌿

Save this for your next Newport garden day💚
#theelmsmansion #theelms #newportrhodeisland #newportmansions #privateliving

privatenewport

Another Newport summer is beginning to slip away… and we’re not quite ready to let it go🤍

Long afternoons on sweeping lawns, doors thrown open to grand rooms, garden cocktails and evenings that call for getting dressed up - A Newport Summer captures that unmistakable rhythm of life in our City by the Sea🌊

As Bettie wrote when the book was released, “Newport has an understated elegance that truly sets it apart from other resort towns”. These photographs by Nick Mele @nickmelephotography feel like a love letter to exactly that, the houses, the people, the parties, and those fleeting summer moments we wish could last just a little longer☀️

Consider this our reminder to savor what’s left of the season. ✨

📖 A Newport Summer by Nick Mele and Ruthie Sommers
@nlmele @sommersruthie
#anewportsummer #nickmelephotography #privatenewport #newportri #vacationdestination

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Aug 20

543 11
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18132202138725202
Another Newport summer is beginning to slip away… and we’re not quite ready to let it go🤍

Long afternoons on sweeping lawns, doors thrown open to grand rooms, garden cocktails and evenings that call for getting dressed up - A Newport Summer captures that unmistakable rhythm of life in our City by the Sea🌊

As Bettie wrote when the book was released, “Newport has an understated elegance that truly sets it apart from other resort towns”. These photographs by Nick Mele @nickmelephotography feel like a love letter to exactly that, the houses, the people, the parties, and those fleeting summer moments we wish could last just a little longer☀️

Consider this our reminder to savor what’s left of the season. ✨

📖 A Newport Summer by Nick Mele and Ruthie Sommers
@nlmele @sommersruthie 
#anewportsummer #nickmelephotography #privatenewport #newportri #vacationdestination

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

394 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

895 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
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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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