Order The Bee Cottage Story
Already in its sixth printing! Inspired by Frances’ House Beautiful column, what began as a decorating book evolved into a memoir with lots of beautiful photos and a compelling personal story.
What People Are Saying
Read Jesse Kornbluth’s Head Butler review here, and while you’re at it subscribe to his amazing blog.
Jesse Kornbluth
My dear friend Carolyne Roehm weighs in on her blog, here.
Carolyne Roehm
“Part frank memoir and part no-nonsense design guide, this book will have you thinking, decorating, and laughing (out loud)…”
Carolyn Espley-Miller, SlimPaley.com
“It is a rare bird that shares her failures and her successes and has you laughing hysterically at both…”
Charlotte Moss, Garden Inspirations
“Like other great memoirists—M.F.K. Fisher, Frances Mayes, Elizabeth Gilbert—Frances has written a book that is more than just another memoir.”
Newell Turner, editor-in-chief, House Beautiful
“…You’ll never think of decorating the same way again.”
Clinton Smith, editor-in-chief, Veranda
“Every woman in America will love this witty, wise, and wonderful book…”
Fannie Flagg, Fried Green Tomatoes
Finally, the dadgum book on Bee Cottage is off to press and ready for pre-order here (for signed copies from Frances), and also at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound. Yay!
Bee Cottage is my house in East Hampton. I bought it in 2008 and spent two years renovating and decorating. It isn’t finished or perfect, but what is? And who would want to live there?

This is a modest stucco cottage built in the early 20th century.


But for a porch made into a kitchen and the garage into a room I don’t know when, the floor plan is virtually unchanged.


I did add a large porch on the back, with considerable landscaping and a garden, but the house is very much as it was.



Some houses just are what they are, and you go with that. With tremendous help from designer Tom Samet, I decorated accordingly with a traditional, cottage-y feel, part Cotswolds-part Provence.





A glorified garden shed is sort of how I think of it. Keeps the house (and me) from getting uptight. The point of a house, after all, is to shelter body and soul.
You can see more of Bee Cottage, and the garden – the garden! – on my Instagram and Pinterest boards, too. Thanks for stopping by 🙂