Sister Parish: The Life of the Legendary American Interior Designer

by Apple Parish Bartlett, Susan Bartlett Crater, Albert Hadley (Foreword)

Sister—as she was always called by family and friends—was born Dorothy May Kinnicutt into a patrician New York family in 1910 and spent her privileged early life at the right schools, yacht clubs, and coming-out parties. Compelled to work during the lean years of the Depression, Sister combined her innate design ability with her upper-echelon social connections to create an extraordinarily successful interior decorating business. The Parish-Hadley firm’s list of clients reads like an American Who’s Who, starting with Astors, Kennedys, Paleys, Rockefellers, and Whitneys. She helped Jacqueline Kennedy transform the White House from a fusty hodge-podge into a historically authentic symbol of American elegance. For her clients, she was an indispensable presence, both in their salons and designing them. Sister’s style, marked by cozy, airy, colorful, but understated elegance, came to be known as "American country," and its influence continues to this day.

Compiled by Apple Parish Bartlett (one of Sister’s daughters) and Susan Bartlett Crater (a granddaughter) from Sister’s own unpublished memoirs, as well as from hundreds of interviews with family members, friends, staff, world-renowned interior designers (Mark Hampton, Mario Buatta, Keith Irvine, Bunny Williams, and her long-time partner Albert Hadley, among many others), and clients (Annette de la Renta, Glenn Bernbaum, Mrs. Thomas Watson, et al.), Sister Parish takes the reader right into the houses—and the lives—of some of the most fascinating and famous people of this inimitable woman’s time.

Long out of print, this acclaimed biography—a New York Times Notable Book—of the doyenne of American interior design is once again available to acquaint a whole new generation of designers and design lovers with the charismatic woman who redefined interior design in America. Fully updated, the revised edition features a new Foreword by Albert Hadley and an Appreciation by Bunny Williams, who began her career at Parish-Hadley.

A New York Times Notable Book
Praise for Sister

"Sister Parish’s reminiscences, along with those of her friends and admirers, bear a remarkable resemblance to what one remembers about her interior decorating—warm, personable, cozy, thoughtful, harmonious, satisfying, impeccable. An enchanting compilation."—George Plimpton
"In my novel People Like Us , I based the character of the famous society decorator Cora Mandell on Sister Parish. Apple Parish Bartlett and Susan Bartlett Crater have presented a loving portrait of her, as well as a superb social history of her era."—Dominick Dunne
"If you love design, history and a good biography, you are sure to enjoy this book!"— Annechovie blog

"What makes this biography so enjoyable is that it compiles Sister's own unpublished memoirs with stories from family members, friends, staff, clients and world-renowned interior designers. . . . All generations of decorators and designers will appreciate this look at the life of this American icon." — From the Right Bank blog

"Compiled from Sister's unpublished memoirs and augmented by many interviews with friends, family, staff and fellow design icons, it is a wonderful insider look at an era and a life." — Quintessence blog

"This book is a MUST HAVE for any design library of substance or design student." — Architect Design blog

Genres: Interior Design

357 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Hayley Hosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because we all need chintz, color and class, I recommend this book about an influential and inspirational designer. Sister’s story weaves in and out of high society including Jackie O. And the Getty’s, but lingers longer on her human elements that only a daughter and grandchild can capture. Appreciate the tales about her cantankerous dog, Yummy.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of the designer who popularized the "American country" look, comprised of excerpts from her memoirs and reminiscences of her family, friends, and colleagues. The reminiscences provided colorful characterization of a lady who was (to put it simply) quite a character, but it was Sister's own words that brought back, in vivid detail, a vanished way of life.

[Laurabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating book on one of America's most iconic interior decorators.

Sister was one spicy cookie who had a falling out with Jackie Kennedy after allegedly kicking little Caroline. She went on to create a highly successful firm with Albert Hadley.

I should have highlighted the word "chintz" in this book.

[jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different sort of memoir, Sister's reflections and the memories of people who knew her. If you like interior decor it is very interesting.

[Liz Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written based on recollections of friends and family. Very entertaining and inspiring.

[Stacie Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. The book was well written and provided perspectives from Sister, her family and friends. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biographical book was chosen for discussion by a member of my book club for two reasons: 1) she personally is very stylish, and loves decorating; 2) our group has read a number of books about the late 19th/early 20th century, and this book offered another look into that era. While I loved the presentation of the book, by our club member, and the lively discussion which it elicited, I was not so enamored of reading the book. Having said that, I'd like to add that this book is worthy of a thorough skimming, a quick read through the contributors' memories of Sister Parish, and a more concentrated read of the words of Sister Parish herself. The material gives a good feel for how one woman, born into the aristocratic (wealthy) New York society of the early 1900s, overcame her family's fall from wealth when the financial markets crashed. Sister Parish was a creative, inventive, bold, adventurous spirit.

[Eliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up at a Little Free Library in the neighborhood. It worked perfectly as a bedtime book, where I would read a few pages and fall asleep.

In this time of focus on privilege....a pretty amazing life.