Naming Our Guest Rooms: Inspired by Biltmore

A few years ago we visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. During that visit I was struck by one small, meaningful detail. When George Vanderbilt welcomed guests into his grand home, each visitor could find their assigned bedroom by a simple brass nameplate on the bedroom door with the name of the room. The guest would then neatly slip into that frame their personalized calling card—an elegant, understated way of saying someone belongs here. It also told the household staff and anyone passing by, exactly who was staying in that room. It was practical—but also deeply personal. It was also a massive home with 35 bedrooms for family and guests.

For years, Kirk and I have talked about naming the bedrooms in our own home. Not for grandeur or formality, but for meaning. For connection. For story. For practicality.

The Vanderbilts named their guest rooms after favorite artists, we chose to name the rooms in our home to reflect states that hold meaning to us: Ohio, Florida, Indiana and New York.

The “Ohio Room,” is a nod to the state our daughter and her family call home and it was also her bedroom in this house. The “Florida Room,” is a reflection of where our son calls home. It is also his former bedroom. The “Indiana Room,” represents the state where Kirk and I were both born, raised, fell in love and married—our beginnings in so many ways. The “New York Room,” holds the memories of our early married years, the place we began our life together and where all three of our children were born (in Upstate New York).

If we had one more bedroom to name, it would be the “Minnesota Room”—a reflection of where we are now, and where we and our youngest daughter and her family live. It’s the chapter we’re currently in, still being written. Maybe I should name my studio, Kirk’s office or possibly our tv room, the Minnesota room.

These aren’t just names to us. They’re pieces of our story, tucked into the spaces of our home.

And in a very practical way, they’ve become something else too. We often welcome overnight guests to our home, and having names on the bedroom doors gives a simple, welcoming way to guide them to their room —“You’ll be staying in the Ohio Room” feels so much more personal (and easier) than pointing down a hallway or up the stairs. It’s a small touch, but I believe it helps guests feel both oriented and at home.

I love the idea of creating our own version of the bedroom nameplate tradition. This simple brass plate quietly marks each space with intention.

A modern nod to an old practice.

A way of saying: this room has a story, too.

Because in the end, that’s what I’ve always loved most about homes—whether it’s a grand estate like Biltmore or the everyday spaces we live in. It’s not just about how they look.

It’s about what they hold.

And sometimes, all it takes is a name on a door to remind us.

Of course, times have changed. Calling cards have all but disappeared, and our homes function very differently now. But that idea—that a space can quietly reflect the people who inhabit it—has stayed with me.

There’s something about old homes and the way they quietly held stories.

P.S.

If anyone knows where I can find a door plate similar to the ones at Biltmore House, please send the info my way!