Adorable Story #93: Sister Parish

America’s First Lady of Interior Design

“Rooms should be timeless.”

— Sister Parish

American interior decorator Sister Parish (born Dorothy May Kinnicutt), co-founder of Parish-Hadley Associates, prepares dinner for four in New York, 1960 — Photo © by Slim Aarons / Getty Images

Dorothy May Kinnicutt “Sister” Parish was a trailblazing interior designer who revolutionized American interiors and became a defining figure in 20th-century design. Known for her refined yet unpretentious style, Parish’s work combined comfort, tradition, and elegance, leaving an indelible mark on homes across the world.

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Table of Contents: Early Years / School Years and Early Adulthood / Career Beginnings/ Meeting Jackie / Collaboration with Albert Hadley / Personal Life / Later Years

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Early Years

Sister Parish was born into a prominent family steeped into old-money traditions.

Her father, Gustav Hermann Kinnicutt, was a successful investment banker with ties to New York’s elite, while her mother, May Appleton Tuckerman Kinnicutt, was a socialite known for her grace and sense of style.

Sister was the eldest of four children, and her nickname originated from her younger brother Frankie who called her “Sister”.

The Kinnicutts divided their time between their New Jersey house, and homes in Manhattan, in Dark Harbour, Islesboro, Maine, and in Paris, France. These experiences would later shape Sister Parish’ design philosophy, which blended comfort and elegance in equal measure.

School Years and Early Adulthood

As a child, Sister Parish attended The Peck School in New Jersey during the fall and spring, and Chapin School in Manhattan during the winter. Later, she boarded at Foxcroft School in Virginia, an elite boarding school for girls at the time.

In 1927, Sister Parish was presented to society as a debutante.

After completing high school, her parents expected her to marry and settle into the traditional role of a wife and mother.

On Valentine’s Day 1930, at the age of 19, she married banker Henry Parish II in a ceremony held at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan.

After their wedding, the couple moved on East End Avenue in Manhattan in a professionally decorated apartment.

It was during their later move to a farmhouse on Long Lane in Far Hills, New Jersey, that Sister Parish discovered her passion for interior design.