#poinsettia tapestry photos

[helluvatimes]

Tapestry Of Colours

Poinsettia ‘Tapestry’ being introduced at Poinsettia Wishes 2023 in the conservatory. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

[shelleyseale]

Christmas at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

Get a glimpse into life as the Vanderbilts this holiday season The sprawling Biltmore mansion in Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890s, is as close to a castle as we have in the United States. It is mind-bogglingly huge: 250 rooms over more than 178,000 square feet — that’s over four acres of floor space in the house alone.

With 101 bedrooms and 45 bathrooms, the French Renaissance chateau-style mansion took six years to build. It boasts an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, massive library with more than 10,000 volumes, and many riches in antiques and artwork. It’s also part of a much larger estate that sprawls across 8,000 acres and includes a village with shops, restaurants and a winery. Tis the Season

While Biltmore makes for an incredible visit at any time, it’s especially enchanting during the Christmas holiday season. After winding down two miles of drive from the estate’s main entrance, the first glimpse that you get of the three-story manse is jaw-dropping always — and between early November and early January it’s pure magic, with the soft glow of luminaries along the drive, twinkling lights on the huge Norway spruce tree on the front lawn, and dozens of Christmas trees throughout the home. My daytime tour through Biltmore House in November gave me not only the incredible story behind its creation, and the look inside such an incredible home (the largest in America), but it also felt even more special with flickering candles and crackling fires in the hearth in almost every room. In the massive banquet hall, one of the first that you encounter on a self-guided tour, a docent with a group of schoolchildren explained the process, and excitement, that staff members have decorating the home for the holidays. The towering Christmas tree at one end of the dining room is laden with wrapped gift boxes not only under its boughs, but placed on its branches throughout the tree. The guide explained that this is exactly the way the tree would have been done during George Vanderbilt’s residence here with his family. In that Gilded Age of the late 1800s and early 1900s, presents were placed throughout the tree.  

The 35-foot Fraser fir arrives on a horse-drawn carriage. Photo Credit: The Biltmore Company.

The towering Christmas tree in the banquet hall of Biltmore House. Photo credit: Shelley Seale Christmas Visit Itinerary It’s only fitting that Christmas be highly celebrated at Biltmore — George Vanderbilt opened the home to family and friends on Christmas Day in 1895. As decked out as the house and grounds were during the daytime, a Candlelight Christmas Evening package is the optimal way to visit Biltmore during the season.

Those tickets include a special evening reservation to tour the home, as well as daytime admission to the gardens, Antler Hill Village & Winery, and the rest of the estate. The best plan of action is to come out early to drive the estate, stopping along the way to walk the gardens and other trails and pathways. The daytime admission is good for the day after your Christmas Evening reservation, as well, so you can visit the rest of the estate either the day of or day after. Don’t miss the Conservatory in the gardens — it’s decked out with hundreds of red, pink and white poinsettia plants, along with its usual amazing array of hothouse flowers such as exotic orchids. One room also has a fun toy train that makes its way along the tracks, delighting children and adults alike. The Conservatory is a great place to snap some gorgeous holiday family photos.

After the gardens and grounds, make your way to Antler Village for lunch, to stroll the village lit with glittering cascades of light and a glowing fountain, and check out some of the shops there.

Antler Hill Winery also gets decked out for the holidays. Photo credit: Biltmore Company Later in the afternoon, take a tour of the winery and enjoy a free tasting in the tasting room (it’s the most-visited winery in the U.S.). Then, Biltmore House awaits in all its nighttime glory for your evening tour reservation. During these special evenings, choirs and soloists provide live music inside the house, lending a real holiday spirit to the visit. Interesting Facts about Biltmore There are many fascinating and surprising things to learn in a visit to Biltmore Estate. Before my visit, I was mostly thinking about the vast wealth, over the top opulence, and to be honest, perhaps a sense of waste and arrogance that must have gone into the undertaking of such a place for personal pleasure. But I was surprised by many aspects of the home’s history, and the Vanderbilt family itself.

One of the main halls in Biltmore House, with three fireplaces and priceless tapestries lining the walls. First, the home is still privately owned by the descendants of George Vanderbilt. The current family members to own the estate and oversee the Biltmore Company are siblings Dini Pickering and Bill Cecil, great-grandchildren of George and Edith Vanderbilt. While I was touring the home, another guide was telling guests how Pickering and Cecil still live on the property and often come to the house to check things out, dressed in blue jeans and mingling with day visitors who have no idea that the family members are in their midst.

On the website, Bill Cecil says, “Since 1895, Biltmore has had the natural beauty of the mountains and the majestic house and gardens to beguile us, inspire us, and allow us to escape from the everyday. Biltmore is still family owned, and we are still passionate about our mission of preservation through self-sufficiency – a philosophy embraced before the first stone was ever placed. We remain self-sustaining through innovation, creative thinking, and listening to guests who continue to tell us they want more ways to connect with Biltmore.” Biltmore has also been recognized in many ways for environmental stewardship. In 2012, the Asheville GreenWorks Hall of Fame Award was presented to Biltmore for its sustainability initiatives, including a new solar array and a tree protection project. It has been a century-old model for forest conservation, and it has a model precedent for that: the gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the man behind New York City’s Central Park. The Music Room at Biltmore House was a secret storage place for some of the country’s most valuable art during World War II. For their safekeeping, priceless works from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. were kept hidden there; Edith Vanderbilt never charged a penny for it, saying it was her civil and patriotic duty. You can stay overnight at Biltmore Estate. Two options are available: The Inn on Biltmore Estate, a four-star hotel; Village Hotel for more casual three-star accommodations; and the Cottage on Biltmore Estate, a historic two-bedroom/two-bathroom home offering personalized service for a truly unique experience. Other Upcoming Special Events After the winter holiday season, Biltmore offers several other upcoming experiences:

This colorized version of a photograph from the Vanderbilt archives depicts afternoon tea on the Loggia of Biltmore House, September 1900. Photo: Biltmore Company A Vanderbilt House Party — The Gilded Age. Experience America’s Largest Home® in an entirely new way: by imagining yourself a Vanderbilt houseguest at a turn-of-the-century house party. This new exhibition brings this festive celebration to life through vivid audio storytelling and displays of elegant clothing recreated from archival Vanderbilt photos and portraits. An integral part of this experience, a new premium Audio Guide (free with online ticket purchase) immerses you in another place and time. Innovative 360° sound techniques combine with stories told by characters based on people who lived and worked at Biltmore in the early 1900s. Seasonal Themes. Winter at Biltmore (January 7-March 31) offers the lowest admission rates of the year, during the slowest time. Biltmore Blooms (April 1-May 23) is the period when the estate comes alive, and you can marvel at acres of ever-changing blossoms in the historic gardens. Summer at Biltmore (May 24-September 2) offers such fun family-friendly outdoor activities as hiking, biking, river float trips, and fly-fishing.

Guided trail ride behind Biltmore House. Photo credit: The Biltmore Company Regular Ongoing Activities. Year-round, a host of tours and activities are available at Biltmore. These include equestrian rides, primitive camping, bicycle and electric trike tours, guided hikes, falconry, sporting clay lessons, rafting, Segway tours, Land Rover tours and more. There is also a calendar of regular live music at the hotels and Antler Hill Village. Details for Visiting: Biltmore One Lodge Street Asheville, NC 28803 800-411-3812 www.biltmore.com Read the full article

[clairehoneybee]

All lit up for Christmas, photo from The Biltmore Company

A festive stone lion at the front door, photo from The Biltmore Company

America’s largest home, Biltmore, was the vision of George W Vanderbilt who built the 250-room French Renaissance Chateau, exhibiting the Vanderbilt family’s original collection of furnishings, art and antiques. The estate encompasses over 8,000 acres which includes gardens designed by famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead.

A towering 55 foot spruce in front of the house is hung with large stars; It is lit for Candlelight Christmas Evenings

Hundreds of these stars were on the spruce tree

A tradition that goes back 120 years, Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina, transforms into a Yuletide extravaganza from November 3, 2017 to January 7, 2018. I had the opportunity to travel to that area of the country  a few weeks ago and was blown away with the decorations celebrating the theme – “A Vanderbilt Christmas”. Getting in the spirit of Christmas as you go through the house is exciting as you see the amazing decorations. A 250 room house, Biltmore is so large that any decorations could look lost, but there are 55 trees in the house and another 45 trees scattered throughout the estate and everything is done on a grand scale.

Bows & Ribbon

More than 1000 bows are used inside the house with twice that many in the surrounding estate. Velvets, metallics, burlap, satin, and printed cotton are all used with a blue velvet one my favorite.

This jeweled cobalt blue velvet ribbon was my favorite

In the Banquet Hall, there are two trees flanking the triple fireplaces; 1000 yards of ribbon were used to create these ribbon swirls!

Detail of the multi-looped bow on top of the tree; it takes 15 yards of ribbon for these!

Rosettes of ribbon held up the garlands in the Banquet Hall

I loved how the ribbon ends were scrolled

Another beautiful tree topper

Think “Gilded Age”, a period of economic prosperity in the U.S. from the 1870’s to the early 1900’s, the age of The Titanic, and you will see evidence of this everywhere. These weren’t simple decorations – lavish, elaborate, and rich were the words that came to mind when I entered the house.

George Vanderbilt opened Biltmore House for the first time to family and friends on Christmas Eve 1895. Biltmore’s Christmas events are based on what has been learned from the archives about that first holiday celebration.

On the day the tree arrives on November 1, hundreds of people line up to see the show

The Changing of the Firs

Since 1975, the Andrews family of North Carolina, has supplied the 35-foot-tall Fraser fir trees that are erected in the seven-story-high Banquet Hall during each holiday. A side of their mountain overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains dedicated to the estate, the Andrews family grows these trees especially for Biltmore’s holiday celebration.

One of the 35 foot Fraser firs being roped into place in the banqueting hall, photo from The Biltmore Company

Taking approximately 50 Biltmore staff members to carry in, raise, and secure the Fraser Fir in the Banquet Hall, I was amazed to learn that the tree is replaced mid-season!  Because of fire safety of the house, the replacement comes in around 4 AM of the day it is to be replaced and everyone rushes to decorate and is finishing it up by 9 AM when the first guests arrive. In addition, the fresh garlands of white pine and Fraser Fir are replaced weekly to maintain a fresh look and fragrance!

The Banquet Hall was decorating in blue, silver, and green

Wreaths & Kissing Balls

Wreaths are made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, with sprays of golden arborvitae, holly, or other natural materials such as twigs and cones. About 360 fresh wreaths are used as well as 130 faux pieces are placed around the estate. Over 100 kissing balls, both fresh and faux are used, some with the signature topper bow.

Different types of kissing balls

Gilded Age Decor

A unique time in American history, the Gilded Age included the construction of grand and elegant estates filled with high society and glamorous parties. Rich layers of color accented with metallic touches of gold, silver, and platinum reflects the luxury of the times.

Fans decorate the trees in the library

Fans decorate the trees in the library

Tapestry Gallery

A huge rectangular room, the Tapestry Gallery contains tapestries from 1500’s Flanders woven from silk and wool. These were intended to show how the seven virtues−faith, prudence, charity, chastity, temperance, fortitude and justice−would always prevail over vice.

Multiple trees line the Tapestry Gallery

The Nativity Scene

Christmas Traditions

Starting on Christmas Eve in 1895 when George Vanderbilt welcomed his family and friends for the first time to his new home in North Carolina, the family started a tradition. He and his wife, Edith, and their daughter, Cornelia, spent many Christmases together in Biltmore House, and started a gift-giving tradition that is still honored today. Mr. Vanderbilt’s descendants – the Cecil family, now the estate’s owners and caretakers – host the annual employee holiday party, just like the Vanderbilt’s did. Making sure each child of the estate employees receives a gift, an employee party is held. A team fills the Winter Garden floor with more than 1,000 wrapped gifts for the party and Santa and the Cecil’s will hand them out to each child.

I love this mantle decorated with an unusual treatment of garland

The Conservatory

Tall arched windows look out onto the terraced butterfly garden and the Walled Garden beyond, and the pointed glass roof lets in an abundance of natural light at the Conservatory, a short distance from the house.

The Conservatory overlooks the walled garden

    Beautiful mantle in the conservatory

Orchid wreath at the conservatory

Bromeliad tree in Conservatory

  There are over 1,000 traditional poinsettias found in the Christmas displays around the estate, along with over 1,000 Amaryllis, Christmas cactus, orchids, peace lilies, cyclamen, begonias, and kalanchoe and potted green plants.

A Decorating Heritage

Seven full time floral designers as well as 14 staff on the floral reserve team starts very early for the onslaught of over 300,000 visitors. It takes lots of help from Engineering, Housekeeping, Museum Services, Horticulture, Guest Services, Security, and Events, to make the magic happen. Read an interesting article about Kathy Barnhardt who was the Floral Displays Manager for 40 years at Biltmore. Kathy started fresh from college at Biltmore with decorating just five trees in the house from paper ornaments that she and her mother cut out! She just retired this year, but she certainly started many of the decorating traditions seen today.

The theme is selected a year in advance, and the preliminary work in a warehouse starts in July. Actual decorating of the house commences in October. Sounds like a White House Christmas! See my post on Decorating the White House .

What’s Next?- Titanic Exhibition

One of the costumes on display at Biltmore, photo from the Biltmore company

The first exhibition of fashions from “Titanic,” the Oscar-winning film that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, will launch at Biltmore in February 2018 in “Glamour on Board: Fashion from Titanic the Movie.” Set for Feb. 9 through May 13, 2018, the exhibition represents the extensive wardrobes preferred by transatlantic travelers like George and Edith Vanderbilt in the early 1900s.

More Images

Bromeliad tree in Conservatory

Multiple trees line the Tapestry Gallery

This jeweled cobalt blue velvet ribbon was my favorite

The table in the banqueting hall

Hundreds of these stars were on the spruce tree

Beautiful mantel in the conservatory

CHRISTMAS Facade with outdoor tree in full lighting. Bonesteel crew lighting house interior and exterior.

  Biltmore-The Ultimate Yuletide Destination America's largest home, Biltmore, was the vision of George W Vanderbilt who built the 250-room French Renaissance Chateau, exhibiting the Vanderbilt family’s original collection of furnishings, art and antiques.