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Christmas Touches at the Biltmore

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With Thanksgiving now behind us and the
Christmas season upon us
Today we are heading back to visit the
Biltmore  for Christmas…


This cozy dining table is set with the Vanderbilt’s personally monogrammed china.

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Biltmore House is lovely any time of year and
when I visited in early October most of its rooms
were decorated just as they normally would have been when
George W. Vanderbilt and later his
family lived there.

Mildly disappointed that I wouldn’t be seeing
the house during the holiday season
in all its Christmas finery,
while on the self-guided tour I came upon several women
who were busy putting up greenery and ornaments on a fireplace mantel.
My heart leaped and I oooohed outloud,
“You’re decorating for Christmas!”

One of the staff members said that yes, they started early
as there are 250 rooms within Biltmore’s walls
and it takes a lot of manpower to finish the work ~ 
a plus for all of us who were
now visiting!
My trip would be complete.
🙂


This table setting is situated on the left side of the great Banquet Hall.  Fabulous handwoven tapestries hang within
many of Biltmore’s main rooms.  Here three fireplaces on this end of the room would have kept guests and family members quite comfortable during festive winter parties.

Today’s post is timely too if you haven’t seen and read
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out on news stands now.
The Biltmore is shown in all of its Christmas beauty
within the magazine’s pages and was
most likely photographed during last holiday season
once all of its decorations were on-display.
{Please click on the wording above to order your copy.}


Sorry, a bit blurry!

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Another dining room is set here for more intimate gatherings…
Setting a beautiful table is something I really enjoy so with
great pleasure I tried to photograph took all of the dining areas featured at Biltmore Estate for you.

I love how the color red was carried
throughout the home
don’t you?
🙂


Here the flocked burgundy velvet dining chairs and the
matching velvet curtains continue the hue as it also done
in most of the home’s other rooms.

Check out all the gilding on this lovely writing desk and the pen and ink set!
This particular sitting room with views of the valley below
had no deep red in it that I recall but was decorated
in lovely shades of periwinkle and navy found here
in the settee, armchairs and in the rug underfoot.

A gentlemen’s room above left and top right, and in a ladies’ parlor share more of the deep reds turning to wine.
I love the depictions of the stag and boar running away from the hunting party along the fireplace soffit in the
gentlemen’s smoking room.
The small table set for tea was in one of the ladies’
bedrooms.


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In this stairway the swirling black ironwork
winding up the staircase and echoed in the triple chandelier carry on the hunting lodge theme of the whole estate.


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Moving along  into the upstairs and into a family room
symmetrically decorated with four ten-foot Christmas trees
set with matching gold orbs and twinkling white lights
a mannequin is dressed in character Rose DeWitt Bukater’s purple full-length Edwardian gown
from the movie Titanic.
Over at The Inn at Biltmore more of the Titanic film’s
dresses are on display.

This Christmas tree and armoire are situated in an upstairs hallway which
displays many paintings and drawings by famous artists such as John Singer Sargent.

I loved this ladies bedroom which had lovely cream colored walls, more of the flocked burgundy wallpaper and drapes plus softly draping silk shades set in the French Doors and the bay window facing the front of the home.


The writing desk set here by the window must have been a wonderful place to write letters and invitations…

This bedroom was decorated with less ornate
Louis XV style French furnishings than those found in other parts of the home ~ a more conservative
French country style.

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Back downstairs  and into the kitchen staff areas
the last stop on this tour today…
This is the servants’ dining room and though conservatively furnished with 
simple bentwood chairs
the table itself is enormous ~ it was
quite up to date in its time.


Last month I wrote  two posts about touring the
of which the latter includes a little video.
To find more information about Biltmore Estate’s history
please click on these highlighted words and please visit
for tickets to visit and to stay at The Inn and other local
accommodations in the village.


Sharing with


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Happy Christmas season to you,

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