Friday, August 19, 2016

Hillwood

I visited Hillwood when I was young and loved it. From Victoria:
In 1955, the heiress purchased the 25-acre property known as Arbremont (renamed Hillwood, after the palatial Long Island estate she had shared with former husband E.F. Hutton) with the express intent of utilizing the neo-Georgian mansion as both a home and a gracious milieu in which to showcase her vast collections. “She felt that her way of life was one that was ‘fast disappearing’ and that there was value in sharing it with the next generations,” says Lynn Rossotti, director of marketing for Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens.

From the moment visitors cross the threshold into the grand entry hall, they are greeted by the regal gazes of Russian royalty peering from portraits and the sparkling visage of a rare French rock-crystal chandelier—the first glimpses of the opulence that fills each elegant room. The dining room holds special allure, with walls of carved-oak paneling serving as a backdrop to four large Dutch paintings depicting hunting scenes. An antique Aubusson carpet lies beneath an enormous mosaic-topped table commissioned from Opificio delle Pietre Dure—the celebrated artistic workshop in Florence, Italy. (Read more.)
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