This lavender room is in Marble House in Newport, RI. It was the summer "cottage" of one of the Vanderbilts, built between 1888 and 1892. Most of the house is lined in marble or gold leaf, and there didn't appear to be even one comfortable piece of furniture in the entire building. Built in a mile-long stretch of mansions, they basically built this cottage to outdo the neighbors. They divorced just 3 years after it was built, so it was only used 3 summers. Now, most of the mansions in this area are museums. This room was the wife Alva's room. Oddly enough, her husband's room is only about 1/3 the size of this one.
@lynnz I didn't think so either! @juliedduncan@lynnilou This was one of the less ornate rooms in the house! LOL! @joansmor Sadly, she divorced her husband to prove that she could, because only movie stars divorced back then. She was a big women's rights activist. Even more sad, she forced her daughter to marry the Duke of Marlboro (Winston Churchill's cousin) instead of the man she loved.
@amandal Ha! That was the least fancy room in the place. The sitting room was completely covered in gold leaf! @ceilidh Sure didn't seem to make them happy.
@digitalrn I couldn't find the square footage, but I'm guessing this house was easily 10,000 sq ft or more. We only saw the two main floors of family living space and the kitchen. There was another floor of servants quarters. I know the gold room is listed as 1200 sq feet.
@skippysue I think this was the prettiest room in the house. @swilde Maybe. I hadn't thought about that. LOL! Although, it was an arranged marriage and they didn't like each other that much, divorced 3 years after the house was built. That may not have been an issue here! LOL!
It's certainly not my taste but there is some artistry in the decoration. I always think of The Great Gatsby when I think of the Newport mansions. Not only was it shot there, but it also exposed the sad and depressing lives of the ultra rich. Not surprising that the marriage didn't last but perhaps surprising that she turned around and did the same thing to her daughter. I guess all that activism only applied to her! We have a FAR smaller version of a summer home/mansion near here called Grey Towers. It was built by the Pinchots. He was governor of the state and a member of Teddy Roosevelt's cabinet (something to do with conservation I believe). Mrs. Pinchot's bedroom is also larger than Mister's. We may not have separate bedrooms nowadays, but I'd be willing to bet that most women have a larger closet or dresser than their male counterparts!
@olivetreeann I believe I read something about the Great Gatsby miniseries being filmed at Marble House, as well as many other movies. I prefer comfort over extreme luxury. However, my husband has far more clothes than I do. Probably because he has uniforms, business casual work clothes and normal everyday clothes....and I just have everyday clothes (plus a few formal and business casual). We had a small closet in our house in IN and here in NH. But, our house in NC has two big walk-in closets in the master bedroom. I think I'll even put my dresser in there! LOL!
@juliedduncan @lynnilou This was one of the less ornate rooms in the house! LOL!
@joansmor Sadly, she divorced her husband to prove that she could, because only movie stars divorced back then. She was a big women's rights activist. Even more sad, she forced her daughter to marry the Duke of Marlboro (Winston Churchill's cousin) instead of the man she loved.
@ceilidh Sure didn't seem to make them happy.
@swilde Maybe. I hadn't thought about that. LOL! Although, it was an arranged marriage and they didn't like each other that much, divorced 3 years after the house was built. That may not have been an issue here! LOL!