Legends of Design: Sister Parish

When we talk about legendary designers as I do in this (semi)regular series of "Legends of Design," one name always ranks among the top: Sister Parish. With an approach that helped define American interior design as we know it, Parish was a true original--combining tradition with personality, elegance with comfort, and history with charm.

Image via Sister Parish Design

Born Dorothy May Kinnicutt in 1910, she was nicknamed "Sister" as a child, a name that would stick with her throughout her life and career. Raised in a prominent New York family, Parish was surrounded by refinement from an early age (the family had homes in Maine, and Paris as well as Manhattan!). In fact, her father collected antiques and her mother's cousin was the celebrated designer Dorothy Draper, previously here. Yet, it wasn’t high society that shaped her unique aesthetic--it was her deep love for home, storytelling, and the lived-in feel of beautiful, well-loved rooms.

Image via Sister Parish Design

A Sister Parish room.
photo credits: Bartlett, Apple Parish, and Susan Bartlett Crater.
From Sister: The Life of Legendary American Interior Decorator Mrs. Henry Parish II.
St. Martin's Press, 2000. via Sister Parish Design

Another Sister Parish room.
Photo credits: Bartlett, Apple Parish, and Susan Bartlett Crater.
From Sister: The Life of Legendary American Interior Decorator Mrs. Henry Parish II.
St. Martin's Press, 2000. via Sister Parish Design

She officially began decorating professionally in the 1930s, launching her firm during the Great Depression, a bold move that showed her determination and resilience especially considering that she was completely untrained and had never read a book about interior design or worked in the field in any capacity. Her big break came in the 1960s when she was chosen to redecorate the Kennedy White House, although legend has it that the working relationship between client and designer was anything but smooth with Parish saying that Mrs. Kennedy felt she did not have to pay all the design fees owed. However, her signature mix of American country charm and classical European elements brought warmth and authenticity to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The yellow Oval Room in the Sister Parish-decorated White House

In 1962, she partnered with the young and equally talented Albert Hadley, to work on the Kennedy White House--"I only did the drapes" he famously quipped. Two years later, they cemented their partnership, forming the legendary firm Parish-Hadley. Their partnership lasted over 30 years and set the gold standard in American design. Together, they created interiors that were timeless, eclectic, and deeply personal.

Image via Sister Parish Design

Image via Sister Parish Design

Parish-Hadley interior, photographed by Peter Frank Edwards/Redux

Their client list reads like a who’s who of American society at the time: the Gettys, Babe and Bill Paley, Brooke Astor, Betsey and Jock Whitney, Jacqueline and John Kennedy, and Sarah, Duchess of York. But it wasn't just the rich and famous who adored her work, it was anyone who loved the Parish-Hadley style that combined high and low.

Sister Parish was a master of juxtaposition. She wasn’t afraid to mix chintz with needlepoint, antiques with slipcovers, or high-end pieces with humble ones. She believed rooms should evolve over time and reflect the soul of their inhabitants. This philosophy—anti-minimalist, rich in texture, and deeply layered—continues to influence designers today.

She also helped shape a distinctly American approach to decorating: less about perfection, more about personality. Her rooms often included hand-painted floors, soft lighting, embroidered fabrics, and a sense of cozy grandeur that felt both elevated and inviting.

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."

Sister stayed on as a partner at Parish-Hadley into her 80s. She passed away September 8, 1994 in Maine. Albert stayed on, running the firm until 1999. After closing Parish-Hadley, he opened his own design firm, Albert Hadley, Inc.

As you can see, Sister Parish’s legacy is more than just her iconic rooms. It’s her approach to creating homes that feel lived-in, loved, and full of life that added to the evolution of interior design

Today, the Sister Parish brand lives on. Her granddaughter Susan Crater opened Sister Parish Design in 2000, and the company sells archive and Parish-inspired designs in fabric and wallcoverings!

Happy designing!