Private Newport - with Bettie Bearden Pardee

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
    • Welcome to Private Newport
    • Meet Bettie
    • Press
    • Lectures & Appearances
  • In the Garden
    • Design
    • Gardening How-Tos
    • The Parterre Bench
  • The Newport Diary
    • Behind the Private Gates
    • Gilded Age
  • Travel Notes
    • Architecture & Interiors
  • Living with Style
    • Design & Décor
    • People, Places & Spaces
    • Personal Style
    • Entertaining
  • Shop
    • Bookstore
    • Parterre Bench

The Newport Diary


Show-Stopping Hydrangeas at Marble House

7 / 18 / 247 / 17 / 24

After a few years of disappointing blooms, this summer of ’24 is a show stopper of what can rightfully be described as a hydrangea heaven, contributing muchly to the pleasures… Read More

Share

Introducing Newport’s Gardiner House Hotel

4 / 11 / 244 / 11 / 24

As one would expect of a destination as high profile as Newport… from yachting regattas to extravagant weddings…our “City by the Sea” boasts many hotels and inns, most of them… Read More

Share

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

Share

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

Share

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

Share

Rhododendrons, the Floral Sirens of our City by the Sea

6 / 8 / 236 / 7 / 23

While we may have had many reasons the past few months to curse the weather, it has proven a boon to some plant groups (though sadly not summer’s hydrangeas…but we… Read More

Share

A Loving Table, Creating Memorable Gatherings

12 / 15 / 2212 / 14 / 22

It was about this time in 2020 that I began work on a chapter in my friends’ book, A Loving Table, by Kimberly Schlegel Whitman and Shelley Johnstone Paschke. Surely… Read More

Share

The Gates of Newport

9 / 29 / 225 / 28 / 24

Inspiration seems truly “around every corner” when you live in a setting as beautiful and historic as Newport. Just the other night, I attended a lecture on Frederick Law Olmsted… Read More

Share

Newport Traditions: the Sleeping Porch

9 / 15 / 229 / 15 / 22

There is one house in Newport that has always held my fancy…and it is not just because we placed a bid on it before making the decision to build. Bellevue… Read More

Share

Memories of Summer ’22

9 / 8 / 229 / 8 / 22

Summer of 2022 has just finished and what a glorious season it was, blessedly free from the strictures of Covid. With the most-delicious weather I can remember in years –… Read More

Share

Posts navigation

Previous Page 1 2 3 4 … 13 14 Next Page

About Bettie

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

Explore the Site

Popular Posts

Insta Happenings

privatenewport

Not every Newport treasure is made of marble…

At Parterre, the cutting garden is putting on its annual June performance, roses, blooms, and enough color to rival the rainbow itself…

The kind of place that makes you slow down, linger a little longer, and wonder why we rush through summer at all…

Save this for your next Newport daydream🌸

Follow for more of the Newport most people never get to see👀

#privatenewport #newportri #newportrhodeisland #gardeninspiration #newenglandsummer

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 17

197 13
Open post by privatenewport with ID 17921305146376228
Not every Newport treasure is made of marble…

At Parterre, the cutting garden is putting on its annual June performance, roses, blooms, and enough color to rival the rainbow itself…

The kind of place that makes you slow down, linger a little longer, and wonder why we rush through summer at all… 

Save this for your next Newport daydream🌸

Follow for more of the Newport most people never get to see👀

#privatenewport #newportri #newportrhodeisland #gardeninspiration #newenglandsummer

privatenewport

Twenty-seven years ago, while Parterre was still being built, Bettie received a surprise Christmas gift from her husband: The Orangery…

Today, it stands at the center of the gardens, surrounded by decades of growth, memories, and beauty💫

As Parterre prepares for the Newport Flower Show, it’s a reminder that the most meaningful spaces aren’t created overnight … they’re cultivated over time⏳

Save this for garden inspiration🌿

Follow @privatenewport for the Newport stories, gardens, and hidden places few ever get to see☁️
#privatenewport #newportflowershow #privateliving #newportestates #privatehomes

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 16

289 12
Open post by privatenewport with ID 17867470290562664
Twenty-seven years ago, while Parterre was still being built, Bettie received a surprise Christmas gift from her husband: The Orangery…

Today, it stands at the center of the gardens, surrounded by decades of growth, memories, and beauty💫

As Parterre prepares for the Newport Flower Show, it’s a reminder that the most meaningful spaces aren’t created overnight … they’re cultivated over time⏳

Save this for garden inspiration🌿

Follow @privatenewport for the Newport stories, gardens, and hidden places few ever get to see☁️
#privatenewport #newportflowershow #privateliving #newportestates #privatehomes

privatenewport

A rare Chinese weeping lilac cascading beside Parterre’s French-inspired “hobbit house” a scene that feels more Loire Valley than Rhode Island🌸

These are the hidden details that make Newport endlessly fascinating💫

✨ Save this for your next Newport daydream
✨ Share with someone who’d book a flight to France for this view

Follow @privatenewport for the Newport most people never get to see👀

#newportri #privatenewport #newenglandgardens #hiddennewport #newportrhodeisland

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 14

519 15
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18101627747122671
A rare Chinese weeping lilac cascading beside Parterre’s French-inspired “hobbit house” a scene that feels more Loire Valley than Rhode Island🌸

These are the hidden details that make Newport endlessly fascinating💫

✨ Save this for your next Newport daydream
✨ Share with someone who’d book a flight to France for this view

Follow @privatenewport for the Newport most people never get to see👀

#newportri #privatenewport #newenglandgardens #hiddennewport #newportrhodeisland

privatenewport

Long before it appeared on the cover of Margot Shaw’s new book, Flowering Outdoors, Parterre was quietly teaching a lesson in timeless design…

“The bones” of a garden - its form, shape, and scale, matter more than any single season of blooms✨

It’s a philosophy Bettie Bearden Pardee has embraced for decades, creating a landscape that feels as beautiful in winter as it does in full flower🌸

Perhaps that’s why Parterre continues to inspire gardeners around the world✈️

Save this for the day you begin dreaming about your own garden🌿
Photo credit: Mick Hales Photography📸
#privatenewport #privateliving #margotshaw #privategardens #newportflowershow

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 11

230 11
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18091970318016492
Long before it appeared on the cover of Margot Shaw’s new book, Flowering Outdoors, Parterre was quietly teaching a lesson in timeless design…

“The bones” of a garden - its form, shape, and scale, matter more than any single season of blooms✨

It’s a philosophy Bettie Bearden Pardee has embraced for decades, creating a landscape that feels as beautiful in winter as it does in full flower🌸

Perhaps that’s why Parterre continues to inspire gardeners around the world✈️

Save this for the day you begin dreaming about your own garden🌿
Photo credit: Mick Hales Photography📸
#privatenewport #privateliving #margotshaw #privategardens #newportflowershow

privatenewport

A stack of books is never clutter, it’s a glimpse into a life well lived☁️

Inside Parterre, every room tells a story, but the books might tell the best ones of all📚

What’s one book you’ve read that you’ll never stop recommending?

Save this for your dream library inspiration and follow for more of the Newport most visitors never get to see🤍
#parterre #privatenewport #homelibrary #booksbooksbooks #designinspo

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 9

88 17
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18426208462135877
A stack of books is never clutter, it’s a glimpse into a life well lived☁️

Inside Parterre, every room tells a story, but the books might tell the best ones of all📚

What’s one book you’ve read that you’ll never stop recommending?

Save this for your dream library inspiration and follow for more of the Newport most visitors never get to see🤍
#parterre #privatenewport #homelibrary #booksbooksbooks #designinspo

privatenewport

The garden is having a moment….and somehow it’s found its way indoors💜

Today’s arrangement celebrates the bounty of June, with blooms that beautifully echo the colors woven into this vintage Clarence House fabric

It’s little details like this that make a house feel alive✨

Save this for your next dose of Newport inspiration🌿

Follow @privatenewport for more of the homes, gardens, and hidden details most visitors never get to see💫
#privatenewport #newportri #gildedage #privateliving #privatehomes

View Instagram post by privatenewport

Jun 7

182 17
Open post by privatenewport with ID 18461156407110449
The garden is having a moment….and somehow it’s found its way indoors💜

Today’s arrangement celebrates the bounty of June, with blooms that beautifully echo the colors woven into this vintage Clarence House fabric

It’s little details like this that make a house feel alive✨

Save this for your next dose of Newport inspiration🌿

Follow @privatenewport for more of the homes, gardens, and hidden details most visitors never get to see💫
#privatenewport #newportri #gildedage #privateliving #privatehomes
Follow Bettie on Instagram

Let’s be Social!

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
Subscribe via email to receive our latest blog post in your inbox»
Lectures & Booking Inquiries  |   Parterre Bench Inquiries  |   General Contact
© Pardee Designs, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are property of Pardee Designs, LLC.
Site Design & Development by WOMA Design
Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes