As traditional design style comes back into fashion, it seems like the perfect time to take a tour of Biltmore House. As I walked through, I found myself fascinated to learn the answers to burning questions like – How could a home like this rise from the mountains of North Carolina? What was it really like to live here? What are the elements of design that make this home so special, and how can I apply them today?
The front door welcomes guests with intricate stone carvings and ornate transoms. It’s the passageway to a journey through 175,000 square feet of luxury in the Gilded Age.
THE BEST OF THE BEST The late 1800s presented the perfect storm of industrial invention and unbridled wealth, resulting in seemingly endless funding for a fortunate few. By creating Biltmore House, George Vanderbilt II, the grandson of railroad magnate Cornelius, put his spin on the family’s quest to impress by building magnificent summer houses. While his siblings built formidable abodes in Rhode Island and New York, George was captured by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and purchased 125,000 acres near Asheville, NC. Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of New York City’s Central Park) helped him carve out and propagate an ideal spot with sweeping views, while Architect Richard Morris Hunt (designer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) brought George’s French Renaissance Chateaux dreams to life.
Biltmore House is designed in the Châteauesque style based on French Renaissance architecture from the late fifteenth century to the early seventeenth century.Sweeping views of the Blue Ridge mountains are seen from the rear windows and balconies of the home. In 1914, George’s wife, Edith, sold approximately 86,700 acres of the estate to the federal government, creating the Pisgah National Forest.
Of course, Biltmore is breathtaking on the inside as well. Here are my takeaways on the interior design elements that evoke a sense of luxury and make the home truly special.
1. CEILING DESIGN While the ceiling is often overlooked today, adding detail can make a space feel completely finished.
Perhaps the most impressive ceiling is in the library – Giovanni Pellegrini’s “The Chariot of Aurora” painting, circa the 1720s, consists of 13 different canvases that originally graced the ceiling of the Pisani Palace in Venice.Upstairs, a sitting or family room connects George and Edith’s bedrooms. The ceiling and crown molding are breathtaking.The pendants on the Breakfast Room ceiling end in an acorn which is also a symbol found in the Vanderbilt family crest.
2. CHANDELIERS One of the easiest ways to add big drama is to install a statement chandelier. Ceilings and chandeliers draw the eye upward and add a sense of height.
The Banquet Hall has two chandeliers that hang from a 70-foot-high barrel-vaulted ceiling. This is the largest room in Biltmore House, measuring 72 feet long by 42 feet wide. The chandelier that hangs in the multi-story winding staircase is 150 feet tall and weighs 1700 pounds. It’s suspended by a single bolt held in place by a copper dome on the rooftop.An ornate metal chandelier centers the gentlemen’s smoking room, one of my favorite spaces in the house.
3. CONSISTENT COLOR PALETTE Establishing a whole-house color scheme makes the space cohesive.
Red plays an important role in communicating the pageantry of Biltmore House. The repetition of red velvet chairs in the Banquet Hall tells us that this space is built for grand entertainment. In the Breakfast Room, dining chairs are clad in a muted red pattern, setting the tone for more intimate gatherings of friends and family.There may not be a better setting for Christmas decorations than the Biltmore library with its stunning fireplace, and circular staircase leading to a mezzanine filled with even more books. Red plays a starring role again in the seating upholstery.George’s bedroom, with its gilded burlap walls, red tapestry, and dark wood antiques, leaves no doubt that this space is meant for a wealthy gentleman who appreciates art and history.Dark Antique European furniture of various styles contrasts with red for a masculine effect. The bed, sofa, chairs, and tables in the room are all 17th-century Portuguese Baroque style. Two chests in the room are Italian Renaissance style.A deep red appears again in the Louis XV Room. Here in this elegant setting, George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child, Cornelia, was born in 1900. Cornelia then chose this room to give birth to her two sons twenty-five years later. The mountain views are spectacular in this room, and it is speculated that if a lady was to be confined with an infant for a time, the views would surely soothe her and give her a sense of connection to the world.Vibrant blue plays a supporting role in the whole-house color scheme, as seen here in one of the guest suites. Tufted chaise lounges were made available in many of the more prominent guest rooms. The deep blue color is repeated in the wallpaper in this room made for relaxing. This is another of my favorite rooms in the house.
4. STAFF SPACES – UNDERSTATED UTILITY The legions of servants required to keep this extravagant home functioning were sheltered within the Biltmore House as well. In these spaces, the color scheme turns to a light butter yellow and beige with simpler wood furniture that would make great casual (or formal) pieces in our homes today.
The long farmhouse table flanked by bentwood bistro chairs charms with its humble sparseness. I can just see Downton Abbey’s Thomas Barrow scowling across the table from Mr. Bates as Anna and Mrs. Patmore exchange knowing glances. Wall tiles in an almost square rectangle shape line the laundry room walls. The folding table was put to heavy use as washing napkins, sheets, and linens kept servants busy round the clock. This table would look great in a dining room today. It’s fun to think about the bustle that must have taken place as elegant, multi-course meals were prepared in this kitchen. A long kitchen island with copper pots hanging above would be coveted now by many modern homeowners.
Thanks for coming along with me on this tour of a spectacular example of Gilded Age design.
