Parish, Sister, 1910-1994

Sister Parish (born Dorothy May Kinnicutt, July 15, 1910 – September 8, 1994) was an American interior decorator and socialite. Once she had completed high school, her parents expected her to marry, and on Valentine's Day 1930, Kinnicutt married banker Henry Parish II. In 1933, at 23, Parish opened a decorating business in Far Hills, New Jersey. Parish was completely untrained and her family helped influence her style. Parish met Jacqueline Kennedy socially in the late 1950s and helped her decorate the Georgetown house the family lived in while John F. Kennedy was a Senator. After Kennedy was elected President in 1960, Jackie hired Parish to help with the redecorating of the White House.

Parish is widely considered to have originated what became known as American country style. She avoided matching, filling homes with contrasting prints and sometimes intentionally placed items off center.