Tour of Newport Flower Show - Part 2

As we continue on with the tour of the Newport Flower Show at Rosecliff let's peak inside the mansion to see the displays in the formal rooms of the first floor.

All of the furniture had been moved out of the publicly viewed lower rooms for the flower show. These rooms had impressive architectural details that stood out against the empty backdrop. Each room showcased stunning floral arrangements. One room boosted a feminine theme with pink wallpaper and brightly-colored framed portraits. Another was masculine with dark wood paneling and hunting scenes of the day.

The Salon along the south side of the house just beyond the grand staircase and foyer has a large tapestry and coffered ceiling. An over-scaled Gothic fireplace dominates the room.

Below are some pictures of the floral arrangements in the salon.

(Remember, you can click on each picture to enlarge it and get a closer look.)





From the salon you walk into the most impressive room of the house, which is the centrally located ballroom. You can get a glimpse of the ballroom from the outside front through the palladium windows. The room stretches from front to back of the house and is an impressive 40 by 80 feet. It is the largest ballroom in all of Newport. Towards the front the ballroom overlooks the formal hedge garden and in the back there are majestic views of the Atlantic ocean. Mrs. Oelrich, the lady of the house, was one of the grand hostesses of Newport and thus the most important room in the house was this centrally located ballroom. For the flower show it was set up with stations showing floral arrangements. Each one with a theme and each one seemed to be more dazzling then the next as the sun sparkled through the large windows with the impressive tromp l’oeil cloud ceiling overhead.















Towards the north side of the ballroom a display of tablescapes was setup. Look at how unique these all are.







If you keep heading north towards the northern most rooms you'll find a dining room and a billiard room separated by a marble anteroom backed, on the service side, by a butler's pantry, which service the subterranean kitchens below. The billiard room housed the photography competition display, which I didn't take pictures of - maybe I should have since the pictures were so amazing!

The dinning room pictures you can see below.








Going back towards the center of house through the ballroom you exit through a set of glass doors to the covered veranda. What's out here on the veranda and the yard facing the ocean will be highlighted on the next installment of the tour.