Design Inspiration from Mount Vernon and Monticello

We recently visited the historic sites of George Washington’s, Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s, Monticello. I came away inspired by the designs of the past and wanted to share it with you!

We had an incredible 3 week trip as a family exploring many historical sites in the United States. If you would like to see some of those highlights, feel free to watch my YouTube video on our cross country trip.

Many of these historical sites don’t allow video footage inside the buildings or during the tours, but I was able to take photos with my phone to capture what we saw with permission to share them.

While the experiences we had and the things we learned are far more meaningful than interior design elements, I was still left with so much visual inspiration. I love antiques, old-fashioned design elements and clever ways of doing things in a home.

The historic homes we visited were full of eye candy for me! I hope you enjoy seeing the images I was able to take and I hope you come away inspired as well.

If you ever get the chance to visit Mount Vernon or Monticello – I highly recommend the experience!

Mount Vernon | The Home of George Washington

Mount Vernon, the home of United States president George Washington, was stunning! Some parts of the home and estate were under construction so we didn’t get to tour it all, but what we did see was awe-inspiring.

Exterior and Gardens at Mount Vernon

Upon walking onto the grounds at Mount Vernon, I was taken with these 2 exterior doors. The detailed trim on them was beautiful and I appreciated the bluish/greenish color next to the stucco white building and red brick.

The gardens were a sight to see, difficult to really appreciate with pictures. There were large sections for flowers, vegetables, orchards – all so thoughtfully designed out and weaving together. I was impressed that they were working gardens still today

I thought the half brick border was a sweet detail. So many gardens these days are done with raised beds, so to see so much produce in rows in the ground looked incredibly beautiful and productive. You could spend hours strolling around the gardens at Mount Vernon and imagining all the households this garden would feed!

The Bedrooms, Office and Pantry at Mount Vernon

It was fun to learn about the historic efforts required to restore Mount Vernon, as well as the many details that were preserved during this process. I think Martha Washington must have loved design because every space in this historic home was full of charm.

The mix of patterns is so fascinating and you couldn’t help but love this blue room. It was interesting to note how small the rooms were, even in this home for very wealthy and notable people. The sizable rooms were left mostly for the gathering spaces.

Here are a few other rooms in the home. Imagine all the visitors they entertained! A favorite of mine was the red and white bedding with the canopy against the blue papered walls.

This yellow room was vibrant and cheerful. They sure seemed to love color and pattern.

This white space was the very room George Washington passed away in. It felt like a serene space. Oh, if walls could talk!

The white bedding and canopy felt heavenly, and the white walls with the beautiful aqua color trim was very pleasing to my eyes. Of course, the vintage art all over was a pleasure to look at and you could really sense a love for art among this home.

Because I love antique furniture, I was often struck by all the lovely pieces. Many of them here were originals and it was humbling to imagine the work done at this very desk.

I had to pop into the pantry specifically to get a shot of the amazing blue trim and shelving against the white wall. I was feeling very inspired for our new/old home and how to make it feel colorful yet primitive.

Overall, I would say Mount Vernon had a very genuine American design feel to it.

The Outbuildings at Mount Vernon

I captured just a few of the Mount Vernon outbuildings that were used by so many to help the large estate function.

This detached kitchen was one of my favorites. I love the simple trim on the walls to hang things. It was hard to think of such a home with the food preparation happening outside of the home itself.

We have a lot of red brick in our home and I’m trying to envision what colors go best with it. I could see that whites and blues always seem to work well.

Monticello | The Home of Thomas Jefferson

Now, let’s explore the historic home of United States president Thomas Jefferson, Monticello.

We learned that Thomas Jefferson was very inspired by French design from his many trips to Europe and you can definitely see that in his home. I didn’t capture a lot, but I was smitten by the beautiful details!

Thomas Jefferson’s Bedroom

I had remembered learning that his bed was placed between his bedroom and office. Thus, he could roll out either way and get ready or get to work. So interesting!

I loved the ornate details in the woodworking and the color tones that were mixed together in the same space – namely the soft greens and blues. These colors do have my heart! I noticed less wallpaper being used and more color combos and moulding details – as compared to Mount Vernon.

Gathering Spaces at Monticello

Extremely detailed trim was placed above every window and doorway. It was absolutely beautiful and I loved the whites and blues (obviously).

Landscape and Outbuildings at Monticello

While I didn’t capture a fraction of what was there, I was again inspired by the massive working gardens and clever outbuildings. This garden went on as far as you could see!

I loved this kitchen space and found myself drooling over the unique shelving, copper and pottery. It was such a lovely mix of materials.

I hope you feel inspired after looking at images of these treasured American historic homes. Visiting them yourself is even better and you should put it on your bucket list for sure!

More Design Inspiration

Next up, I’m sharing even more historic design inspiration from our trip, but this time through the humble homes of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Say Saints from the 1800’s. Join me on that blog post!

Thanks for visiting and I would love to hear your thoughts! Click on a post below for more design inspiration!

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