Sister Parish (born Dorothy May Kinnicutt; July 15, 1910 – September 8, 1994) was an American

interior decorator Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

and

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

. She was the first practitioner brought in to decorate the

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, a position soon entrusted to French interior decorator

Stéphane Boudin Stéphane Boudin (28 October 1888 – 18 October 1967) was a French interior designer and a president of Maison Jansen, the influential Paris-based interior decorating firm. Boudin is best known for being asked by U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kenn ...

. Despite Boudin's growing influence, Parish's influence can still be seen at the White House, particularly in the

Yellow Oval Room The Yellow Oval Room is an oval room located on the south side of the second floor in the White House, the official residence of the president of the United States. First used as a drawing room in the John Adams administration, it has been used ...

Early life

Sister Parish was born Dorothy May Kinnicutt on July 15, 1910, in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

. Her parents were

G. Hermann Kinnicutt Gustav Hermann Kinnicutt (January 23, 1877 – December 6, 1943) was a prominent American investment banker. Early life Kinnicutt was born on January 23, 1877, in New York City. He was the eldest of two sons born to Susanna Eleonora ( née Kissel) ...

and May Appleton Tuckerman. Sister was born at home in a four poster bed. Her paternal grandfather was Francis Kinnicutt,

Edith Wharton Edith Wharton (; born Edith Newbold Jones; January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937) was an American novelist, short story writer, and interior designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray ...

's doctor and close friend. In addition to their New Jersey house, the family had homes in Manhattan, Maine, and Paris. She was given the nickname Sister by her three-year-old brother Frankie. As a child, Parish attended

The Peck School The Peck School is an independent, co-educational day school with grades kindergarten through eighth grade. Peck School is located in Morristown, in Morris County, New Jersey. There are approximately 330 students. The Peck curriculum includes com ...

in New Jersey, in the fall and spring. During the winter, she attended

Chapin School Chapin School is an all-girls independent day school in New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood in Manhattan. History Maria Bowen Chapin opened "Miss Chapin's School for Girls and Kindergarten for Boys and Girls" in 1901. The school origin ...

in New York. Later, she boarded at

Foxcroft School Foxcroft School, founded in 1914 by Charlotte Haxall Noland, is a college-preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12, located near Middleburg, Virginia, United States. In its century of existence, Foxcroft has educated the daug ...

in Virginia. Parish was a debutante in 1927. Once she had completed high school, her parents expected her to marry, and on

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

1930, Kinnicutt married banker Henry Parish II at St. George's Episcopal Church in Manhattan. After the wedding, the couple lived on

East End Avenue Avenue B is a north–south avenue located in the Alphabet City area of the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, east of Avenue A and west of Avenue C. It runs from Houston Street to 14th Street, where it continues into a ...

in Manhattan (in an apartment done by a decorator), followed by a farmhouse on Long Lane in Far Hills, NJ which Parish decorated herself. In decorating the Long Lane house, Parish found her own sense of style. She painted wood furniture white and used cotton fabrics such as ticking stripe. She experimented with brightly painted floors. Parish's new home was lighter and more casual than other high society homes of the 1930s. Parish spent most of her summers in her house in

Islesboro, Maine Islesboro is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States, comprising Islesboro Island and several smaller islands. The population was 583 at the 2020 census. It has a summer colony accessible by state ferry service from Lincolnville Beach thr ...

Early career

The Great Depression tightened the family's finances and in 1933 the 23 year old opened a decorating business. Her

Far Hills, New Jersey Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 919, At the time she opened her business, Parish was completely untrained. She had never read a book on decorating or served any kind of apprenticeship. Parish's family helped influence her style. May's first cousin was acclaimed interior decorator

Dorothy Draper Dorothy Draper (November 22, 1889 – March 11, 1969) was an American interior decorator. Stylistically very minimalism, anti-minimalist, she would use bright, exuberant colors and large prints that would encompass whole walls. She incorporated b ...

. May's father collected antiques. Parish's earliest work was decorating the houses of friends.

Jacqueline Kennedy and the White House

Parish met

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

socially in the late 1950s and helped her decorate the Georgetown house the family lived in while

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

was a Senator. After Kennedy was elected President in 1960, Jackie hired Parish to help with the redecorating of the

. Parish's name led to some confusion, with one newspaper proclaiming: ''Kennedys Pick Nun to Decorate White House.'' Prior to moving into the White House, the Kennedys leased a country house in Virginia called Glen Ora. Parish spent $10,000 redecorating the home; the cost enraged Jack Kennedy. The Kennedys had to restore the house to its previous look before vacating. In a letter to Sister Parish, Jackie Kennedy explained her plans for the White House, ""I want our private quarters to be heaven for us naturally--but use as much of (the Eisenhowers') stuff as possible & buy as little new--as I want to spend lots of my budget below in the public rooms--which people see & will do you & I proud!" Parish used the Georgetown living room she had previously designed as a blueprint for the West Sitting Hall, painting everything off-white, installing bookcases for Jackie's collection of art books and paintings. Parish and Jackie spent the entire budget of $50,000 allocated for the redecoration of the White House on the private quarters in the first two weeks.

Winterthur Museum Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Pronounced “winter-tour," Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana (culture), Americana in the United States. The museum and es ...

Director Charles Montgomery suggested the formation of a committee to acquire antique furnishings for the White House. The goal was to help furnish the White House with authentic pieces from a century and a half earlier. Noted collector Henry du Pont was made chair of the committee and Sister Parish was among the committee members. Parish and DuPont concentrated on including American

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

furniture in the Sheraton and

Hepplewhite George Hepplewhite (1727? – 21 June 1786) was a cabinetmaker. He is regarded as having been one of the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale. There are no pieces of furnit ...

styles. Much of Parish's work updating the White House was simple, like rehanging curtains inside rather than outside moldings. But some of the redesign was more complicated. As part of her redesign, Parish added a kitchen, pantry and dining room to the family unit on the second floor. Prior to this remodel, the First family had to go downstairs to the kitchen that serviced the State Dining Room whenever they wanted something to eat. Through Parish,

Steuben Glass Works Steuben Glass is an American art glass manufacturer, founded in the summer of 1903 by Frederick Carder and Thomas G. Hawkes in Corning, New York, which is in Steuben County, from which the company name was derived. Hawkes was the owner of the la ...

offered a donation of crystal that Jackie refused in favor of

Morgantown Glassware Guild Morgantown is the name of several places in the United States of America: Places * Morgantown, Indiana, a town * Morgantown, Kentucky, a city * Morgantown, Maryland, an unincorporated community * Morgantown, Adams County, Mississippi, a census-desi ...

in West Virginia. Toward the end of the project, a rift occurred. According to Parish's granddaughter, ''it was primarily a problem over money and Jackie's belief that not everything had to be paid for. Sister wrote that it was because someone had told Jackie that she had kicked Caroline. I wouldn't have put it past her, but that was not the root of the falling-out. Later, Sister would shrug off the questions with one of her glib remarks, like 'Jackie got along much better with men than with women.' '' Although Parish initially decorated the family's private quarters, Stephane Boudin of Paris was hired to decorate the State Rooms. Boudin decorated the Red Room, the

Treaty Room The Treaty Room is located on the second floor of the White House, the official residence of the president of the United States. The room is a part of the first family's private apartments and is used as a study by the president. History Befor ...

, the

Lincoln Sitting Room The Lincoln Sitting Room is a small sitting room located next to the Lincoln Bedroom on the second floor of the White House. It was used as the White House telegraph room from 1865 to 1902 (until the West Wing was built). It is furnished in Vi ...

and the Blue Room of the Kennedy White House. After Parish and Kennedy fell out, Boudin returned to the White House to add his French style to the private rooms. However, the

, the Kennedys' semi-formal drawing room, remained primarily Parish's design.

Work with Albert Hadley

In 1962, a young designer named Albert Hadley introduced himself to Parish. His first assignment with Parish was the breakfast room of the Kennedy White House. “I only did the curtains,” he said in 1999. Hadley became a full partner two years later. Parish and

adley Adley is a first and last name of English people, English origin. Notable people with the surname Adley include: * Robert Adley (1935–1993), British politician, MP for Bristol NE and later Christchurch * Big Daddy Carlos (born 1968), American res ...

would continue to work together until Parish's death in 1994. The firm was a training ground for dozens of designers now acclaimed in their own right including Bunny Williams and

Thom Filicia The surname Thom is of Scottish origin, from the city of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Angus, and is a sept of the Clan MacThomas. Thom is also a first name variant of the abbreviation " Tom" of "Thomas" that holds the "h". People with the surn ...

. According to Harold Simmons, "Parish-Hadley influenced a whole generation of decorators and many of the top New York decorators went through the firm at some point in their careers." In 1967, '' House & Garden'' magazine ran spreads of Parish's summer house, bursting with wicker and

needlepoint Needlepoint is a type of canvas work, a form of embroidery in which yarn is stitched through a stiff open weave canvas. Traditionally needlepoint designs completely cover the canvas. Although needlepoint may be worked in a variety of stitches, m ...

and other crafts. According to the ''New York Times'', this departure from traditional decorating was on par with fashion's introduction to Dior's New Look. Parish and Hadley worked with quilters from

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...

in the late 1960s to develop patchwork quilted yard goods. The Freedom Quilting Bee was born in the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

as a way for poor black craftswomen to earn money for their families. Many of the group's members participated in Civil Rights demonstrations. Parish-Hadley collaborated with the Freedom Quilting Bee from 1967 to 1969, bringing old-fashioned quilts to high style publications. The partnership ended naturally with the Freedom Quilting Bee moving on to other contracts and Parish-Hadley moving on to other looks. Parish and Hadley stocked handwoven Irish rugs and baskets and other crafts in a small invitation-only shop on New York's Upper East Side. As the items were photographed in magazines, they spread into the mainstream. In 1988

Sarah, Duchess of York Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a member of the British royal family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles III ...

, hired Parish to decorate a new country house near

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

. The cost of Parish's work was estimated at $1 million. Queen Elizabeth II later rescinded the assignment in favor of an English designer, but just getting in the door was considered a triumph.

Style

Parish is widely considered to have originated what became known as American country style. She avoided matching, filling homes with contrasting prints and sometimes intentionally placed items off center. A 1999 ''Architectural Digest'' article described Parish's style: "Her interiors as a rule were refreshingly unstudied, unself-conscious, and unstrained...A Sister Parish room overflowed, to be sure—but buoyantly. It was romantic and whimsical but not sentimental; and, always, it was light—the rug might be Aubusson, the mirror Chippendale and the chandelier Waterford, but she undercut these "brand names" with all manner of charming distractions. Her living rooms ''lived'': They were friendly to the world..." In 1994, ''House Beautiful'' editor Lou Gropp said, "There is no question that Sister Parish was one of the biggest influences on decorating in the United States. She dominated the decorating of the 1970s and '80s, and many of her ideas that were fresh and new in the 1970s are now in the mainstream of American decorating." Signature elements of the Parish look included painted floors, Anglo-Franco furniture, painted furniture,

chintz Chintz () is a woodblock printed, painted, stained or glazed calico textile that originated in Golconda (present day Hyderabad, India) in the 16th century. The cloth is printed with designs featuring flowers and other patterns in different colou ...

pillows, mattress ticking, hooked rugs, rag rugs, starched

organdy Organdy or Organdie is a kind of sheer fabric. It is a lightweight balanced plain weave cotton with features of sheerness and crispness. Characteristics Organdy is a stiffened material; sheerest among its peers, such as lawn cloth and Bati ...

, botanical prints, painted lampshades, white wicker, quilts, and baskets. According to a 2000 New York Times article, "If you have a quilt, you probably owe it to Mrs. Parish." Her work influenced

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...

and

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

Notable clients

* Jacqueline and John Kennedy *

Brooke Astor Roberta Brooke Astor (née Russell; March 30, 1902 – August 13, 2007) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and writer who was the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, established by her third husband, Vincent Astor, son of John Ja ...

William S. Paley William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was an American businessman, primarily involved in the media, and best known as the chief executive who built the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from a small radio network into o ...

* Jane and

Charles Engelhard Charles W. Engelhard Jr. (February 15, 1917 – March 2, 1971) was an American businessman, a major owner in Thoroughbred horse racing, and a candidate in the 1955 New Jersey State Senate Elections. He controlled an international mining and meta ...

Babe Babe or babes may refer to: * Babe, a term of endearment * A newborn baby * An attractive (especially female) person People Nickname * Babe Adams (1882–1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Babe Barna (1917–1972), American Major L ...

and

Bill Paley William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was an American businessman, primarily involved in the media, and best known as the chief executive who built the Columbia Broadcasting System ( CBS) from a small radio network into ...

* Betsey and

Jock Whitney John Hay Whitney (August 17, 1904 – February 8, 1982) was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the ''New York Herald Tribune'', and president of the Museum of Modern Art. He was a member of the Whitney family. Early life Whit ...

* Ann and

Gordon Getty Gordon Peter Getty (born December 20, 1933) is an American businessman and classical music composer, the fourth child of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. His mother, Ann Rork, was his father's fourth wife. When his father died in 1976, Gordon assumed ...

Later life

Parish stayed on as a partner in the firm into her 80s. She died September 8, 1994 in Maine.

References

* Abbott James A., and Elaine M. Rice. ''Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration.'' Van Nostrand Reinhold: 1998. . * Monkman, Betty C. ''The White House: The Historic Furnishing & First Families.'' Abbeville Press: 2000. . * ''The White House: An Historic Guide.'' White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. . * West, J.B. with Mary Lynn Kotz. ''Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies.'' Coward, McCann & Geoghegan: 1973. SBN 698-10546-X. * "Sister Parish." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 21 May. 2008 * Bartlett, Apple., "Sister: the life of legendary American interior decorator Mrs. Henry Parish II." 2000. St. martin's press. New York. pages 114–133, 134-158

External links

''Architectural Digest'', (2000

''New York Times'' (2000
Slide show of the life and works of Sister Parish
retrieved December 17, 2006, ''New York Times'' (200

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parish, Sister 1910 births 1994 deaths American interior designers American socialites Artists from New York City People from Morristown, New Jersey American women interior designers People from Islesboro, Maine 20th-century American women