This weekend I had a friend in town and we went to visit the estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, Hillwood. If you aren't familiar with her, she was an heiress born in 1887 who at the young age of 27 inherited the Postum creal company which through her 2nd husband, E.F. Hutton she transformed into General Foods: So - big bucks. She had a fascinating life and became a hugely important collector of Russian, French and English decorative arts from the 17-19th centuries. 
sterling silver light fixtures at the entry
sterling silver light fixtures at the entryMarjorie started to seriously collect French decorative arts in 1919 for her New York apartment after her first divorce. Later, while living in Russia with her 3rd husband (1937-1939) she became interested in Russian decorative arts and amassed a huge collection of imperial and religious objects. Always obsessed with royalty, she collected faberge works of art and portraits of many people of Russian nobility. 
gilded fountain off the breakfast room
gilded fountain off the breakfast roomAlso a major collector of porcelain, her different sets of china are displayed around her house in beautiful lit cabinets ( you know I love that! ). These sets mostly have historical significance though as well as being pretty.
rear of the house
rear of the houseIn 1955 Marjorie bought Hillwood (a 1920's 25 acre estate )here in Washington to showcase her collections with the intention of turning it into a museum. In 1973 upon her death, the estate opened up as a museum.
rear of the house behind lit statue
formal french garden alongside the living room
rear of the house behind lit statueformal french garden alongside the living roomAfter buying the estate she hired the architect Alexander Mcilvaine (the name of my kindergarden teacher!) to remodel and expand the house and gardens and the famous interiors firms French & Co. and McMillen & Co to help revamp the interiors. For 2 years they worked tirelessly to transform the estate into a majestic setting for her royal collections. The exteriors are quiet but trust me the interiors are sumptuous (unfortunately photography was not allowed indoors but i've included interior photographs from the website at the bottom of this post). 
terrace fountain off the living room
closeup of lantern
closeup of statuary
other end of the fountain in the formal french garden
the rose garden
The elegant foyer; the large portrait is of Catherine the great that she had gifted to a Belgian banker who lent money to Russia to fund a war.
The library is directly off the foyer. The beautiful portrait to the right of the door is of Marjorie in 1934 .
another view of the library
the enormous dining room. The table was originally in her Florida home, Mar-a-Lago and extends to seat more than 30 people. The tabletop is a marble mosaic of intricate design featuring 11 different stones (luckily the lace tablecloth shown here wasn't on the table this weekend and I got to see the actual table).
terrace fountain off the living roomcloseup of lanterncloseup of statuaryother end of the fountain in the formal french gardenthe rose gardenThe elegant foyer; the large portrait is of Catherine the great that she had gifted to a Belgian banker who lent money to Russia to fund a war.The library is directly off the foyer. The beautiful portrait to the right of the door is of Marjorie in 1934 .another view of the librarythe enormous dining room. The table was originally in her Florida home, Mar-a-Lago and extends to seat more than 30 people. The tabletop is a marble mosaic of intricate design featuring 11 different stones (luckily the lace tablecloth shown here wasn't on the table this weekend and I got to see the actual table).the cozy breakfast room off the dining room. The room is modeled on her breakfast room in her 1920's nyc apartment: the bronze grillwork is actually from the apartment. The green glass and gilt bronze chandelier comes from one of Catherine the great's palaces - the Catherine Palace outside of St. Petersburg.
The icon room located between the living room and library. The case in the center of the room is by Faberge and features different Faberge items including 2 royal easter eggs.
The icon room located between the living room and library. The case in the center of the room is by Faberge and features different Faberge items including 2 royal easter eggs. Join me tomorrow for a tour of the beautiful Japanese garden!
All photographs are my own except the interiors, to learn more about the estate visit their website HERE.
