Sister Parish was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 interior decorator

Interior design

Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...

 and socialite

Socialite

A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....

. She was the first interior designer brought in to decorate the Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

 White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

, a position that was soon usurped by French interior designer Stéphane Boudin

Stéphane Boudin

Stéphane Boudin was a French interior designer and a president of Maison Jansen, the influential Paris-based interior decorating firm.Boudin is best known for being asked by U.S...

. Despite Boudin's growing influence, Parish's influence can still be seen at the White House, particularly in the Family Dining Room

Family Dining Room

The Family Dining Room is located on the State Floor of the White House, the official residence of the president of the United States. The room is used for smaller, more private meals than those served in the State Dining Room. Today the president uses the Family Dining Room less for family and...

 and Yellow Oval Room.

A stately and occasionally eccentric

Eccentricity (behavior)

In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...

 white-haired lady, Parish was the design partner of Albert Hadley

Albert Hadley

Albert Hadley is an American interior decorator born in Nashville, Tennessee. His long-time design partner was Sister Parish. He attended Peabody College, Nashville, and a graduate of and teacher at Parsons School of Design, New York City and Paris. He trained with the South's best-known...

, a Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

-born decorator, with whom she co-founded Parish-Hadley Associates (1962-1999).