The visual power of aesthetics at Biltmore house Asheville NC

Elena Sullivan — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 02:40:58 +0000

I stood in front of the window, gazing outside as the first soft sunbeams slowly emerged behind the mountain. The sunrise was inspiring and mesmerizing, making it easy to lose track of time. Despite my desire to keep admiring the awakening light, I needed to start getting ready and think about my outfit for the day.

It was Saturday, the second day of our honeymoon in Asheville, North Carolina. The weather forecast promised another beautiful day, which we hoped for since we planned to visit the Biltmore House later.

Some call the Biltmore House a mansion or an estate, but when you see it in person, you might start calling it the Biltmore Castle. Its dimensions, spanning over 175,000 square feet, easily fit that description.

Visiting a castle calls for a nice outfit; after all, it’s not every day you get the chance. Since I found out we were going on a tour of the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, I knew I would wear a dress. Those of you who are subscribed to my Art blog and are familiar with my fine art photography know I am a strong advocate for the “Power of the Dress,” offering a “Flying Dress” experience. I believe in the power of aesthetics, art, creativity, and personal style to enrich and elevate your life. I have experienced this myself and shared the results on my blog.

I try to avoid creating expectations, especially when traveling or visiting a museum, gallery, or fine art photography exhibiton. It never works out; I usually end up viewing the real moment through the lens of my expectations instead of enjoying it as it is. After a tour of El Cielo in Cozumel, Mexico, I made a promise: “Never create expectations.” This is why I avoid looking at highly advertised pictures that make you want to say, “OMG! Amazing!” or “This is perfect!”

Visiting the Biltmore Estate is not about experiencing perfection; it’s about having an enriching experience. It’s about practicing curiosity, expanding your view of the world, and nourishing your senses, all of which together provide aesthetic pleasure without the need for exclamation marks and high emotions.

My husband secretly organized our honeymoon trip to Asheville, so I didn’t have time to form any expectations. He revealed our destination just twenty minutes before we arrived in this artistic town. Later that day, he announced he had booked a tour of the Biltmore Mansion directly from their website. You can also book tickets by clicking the following link. They offer several ticket options based on the number of activities and the time of year. General admission to the Biltmore House starts at $69, and during Christmas, it’s $99.

A historical note about Biltmore house in Asheville.

The Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. The main residence, Biltmore House, features a Châteauesque style inspired by French Renaissance architecture. Although it is a museum open to all visitors, the Biltmore House remains privately owned by George Vanderbilt’s descendants and is the largest privately-owned house in the United States.

In the 1880s, after traveling to Asheville with his mother, George Vanderbilt fell in love with the local scenery and climate, deciding to build a summer house in the area. The name “Biltmore” originated from a combination of two words: “De Bilt” (a place of his ancestor’s origin in the Netherlands) and “more” (Anglo-Saxon “moor” – an open land).

To facilitate the estate’s construction, a woodworking factory and brick kiln were built on-site. About 1,000 workers and 60 stonemasons were hired to work on the main Biltmore House. George Vanderbilt II made numerous trips overseas to purchase decor for his mansion, including furniture, linens, tapestries, paintings, prints, and many other decorative details dating back to the 15th century. The construction of the mansion reportedly cost 5 million dollars, equivalent to 150 million US dollars today.

The Biltmore House opened on Christmas Eve in 1895 to family and friends. Over the years, many famous people have stayed at Biltmore, including novelist Henry James, Edith Wharton, ambassador Joseph Hodges Choate, and several U.S. presidents.

The Biltmore House is surrounded by 75 acres of formal and informal gardens designed by the renowned American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

In 1963 the Biltmore estate was designated a National Historic Landmark. It is still family-owned, and with over 1,4 million visitors per year, it remains a major tourist attraction in North Carolina.

Inside of Biltmore estate.

When I was a kid, I loved listening to Carmen Suite and looking through the pages of a book about European paintings. Later in life, I earned a Master’s degree in Art and became a professional photographer. At 30, I pivoted my life in a completely different direction, moving halfway across the world to Mexico with just one suitcase and a camera. I didn’t know anyone there or speak the language, but I was captivated by the idea of living in a “tropical paradise,” thinking that a beach and sun were all I needed to be happy.

After nine years of living in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, I realized that wasn’t enough. My childhood love for art resurfaced, and I felt a strong need to experience art more often and from different perspectives. While I love nature and the sea, in my version of the “balance of life,” art and aesthetics play a significant role. Visiting museums (like the Metropolitan Museum in New York), galleries (like Vinings in Roswell, GA), and theaters, along with painting and writing, gently nourish my spirit and mind. So, when I stepped inside the Biltmore Estate, I felt an incredible surge of energy and revitalization.

Even if I used all the superlative adjectives, it wouldn’t be enough to describe the aesthetic pleasure I experienced from spending five hours inside the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I would have gladly spent more time there, but as a visitor, you can only get a fleeting glimpse of that masterpiece.

Prominent New York architect Richard Morris Hunt was commissioned to design the Biltmore House. Having previously worked for several members of the Vanderbilt family, he drew inspiration from French Renaissance châteaux. In 1889, Hunt and George Vanderbilt visited several of these châteaux in France, as well as Waddesdon Manor in England, to gather design ideas.

The Biltmore House features 250 rooms, including 35 bedrooms for family and guests, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and three kitchens. The main rooms are situated on the ground floor.

The Entrance Hall is made of marble, and to the right is the Winter Garden, which is surrounded by stone archways.

The Biltmore House was equipped with several innovations of its time, including an electric elevator, forced-air heating, centrally controlled clocks, and a fire alarm system.

The Banquet Hall is the largest room in the house, featuring a 70-foot high barrel-vaulted ceiling. On one side of the hall is an organ gallery that contains a 1916 Skinner Pipe Organ.

The Grand Staircase, with 107 steps spiraling around a four-story structure and a wrought-iron chandelier, is the main access to the second floor. As you walk through the Living Hall, you’ll pass by George Vanderbilt’s gilded bedroom and his wife’s oval-shaped bedroom in the Louis XV style.

The basement level of the Biltmore House features various activity rooms, including an indoor heated swimming pool, a bowling alley, and a gym. It also houses a service hub with the main, pastry, and rotisserie kitchens, laundry rooms, a servant’s dining hall, and walk-in refrigerators.

My top three favorite rooms in the Biltmore House are:

The Library
The Louis Suite, which includes four rooms: the Damask Room, the Claude Room, the Tyrolean Chimney Room, and the Louis XV Room. These rooms are located on the second floor.
Mrs. Edith Vanderbilt’s bedroom

The architecture and interiors of the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, are so exquisite and rich in detail that the moment I stepped inside, I was instantly transported to the 19th century. The details are so compelling that they evoke the character of the people who envisioned this magnificent estate, as well as the architects and designers who worked tirelessly to bring it to life. To fully appreciate every detail, multiple visits to the Biltmore Estate are necessary.

In our hi-tech era, we often believe that to appreciate life and feel happy, we must fully engage with the present moment, which typically means avoiding distractions like phones and other devices. However, this can be nearly impossible in a place like the Biltmore House, where every room, wall, and ceiling is irresistibly captivating to a curious visitor.

As a photographer with fifteen years of experience, I couldn’t resist taking numerous photos and recording videos. It’s my instinct to capture and share beauty, which I later post on my blog and social media. Given the overwhelming negativity in the news and similar sources, I created the “Fine Art Lifestyle” project to promote beauty, aesthetics, and creativity, which can uplift the spirit and positively impact one’s life.

I was thrilled to find two paintings by my favorite artist, Claude Monet, in one of the rooms on the first floor. I wished I had more time at the Biltmore to study each painting in detail, but that felt like an idealistic plan for the future. For now, my visit offered only a glimpse of these absolute masterpieces.

Dress up to elevate your experience in the Biltmore mansion.

The developing theory of “Enclothed Cognition” explores how clothing can influence our behavior and attitude toward everything we do. I support this theory based on my personal experience during my transformation after a divorce. As I embraced personal style, swapped pants for skirts, and filled my wardrobe with colorful dresses, started practicing public speaking, these changes became a silent supporter in my journey to restore my femininity and nurture my self-love.

On tour at the Biltmore house, I was wearing a flowy dress with a flower pattern, which was appropriate for that gorgeous place. The dress elevated my perception of the whole experience. Walking through the halls at the Biltmore House in a dress was like dancing between a past and a present, and on every twirl, feeling a soft touch of graceful heirlooms trying to get your attention.

There is no dress code for visiting the Biltmore house. Still, I noticed that many visitors were dressed elegantly and stylishly, which added a lot to their enriching experience of visiting the Biltmore estate.

How to arrive to Biltmore House.

We stayed at the Omni Grove Park Inn. On the day of our scheduled tour, we left the hotel around 7:40 AM and arrived at the Biltmore Estate in just 12 minutes. At the main entrance, security welcomed us, scanned our tickets, and gave us a map of the estate. Following the signs, which were placed at short intervals, we easily drove to Parking Lot A. Since it was early morning, finding a spot was quick and easy.

We then walked through a small park that led to the Observation Area of the Biltmore House. We left around 2 PM and headed to the exhibition “Leonardo Da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius,” hosted at Biltmore’s Amherst Deerpark venue.

On our way back, still within the estate, I noticed small buses stopping by the main entrance of the Biltmore House. These were for private tours, so if you book one, you won’t need to worry about parking—these buses will drop you off right at the main entrance.

Returning to the hotel, I was pleasantly tired from a full day of walking in heels that felt fitting for the grand ambiance of the Biltmore Mansion. The estate is an extravagant example of human potential driven by pride, wealth, and creative vision. I was thrilled by the architecture, interior designs, and the historical aspects, but most of all, by the genuine joy of experiencing a masterpiece.

Address for the Biltmore Estate entrance: 1 Lodge St, Asheville, NC 28803

Hours of Operation: 9 AM – 5 PM

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All images in this article were taken by Elena Sullivan, ArsVie Photo Studio and are protected by copyright. If you are interested in using any of the them, please contact me for permission. Thank you for understanding!

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The visual power of aesthetics at Biltmore house Asheville NC

A historical note about Biltmore house in Asheville.

Inside of Biltmore estate.

Dress up to elevate your experience in the Biltmore mansion.

How to arrive to Biltmore House.

Peony Dreams III

Peony Dreams II

Peony Dreams I