2025 was, indeed, a banner year in so many ways so for this Mansion restoration project.
It feels like 10 years ago, but it was just May 2025 when Cat and I launched our social media channels. Let me tell you, from the very start you gave us strong signals that you were in it to win it with me and the Mansion team.
You jumped right in to play a part in the discussions and decisions for so many aspects of this project.
You debated us about pocket doors and ancient wallpaper, about whether to put fire pits by the pool or to even reclaim one of the fountains on the grounds for s'mores. You even helped us create the mansion logo and now you know about the Mansion hummingbird. If you missed some of these Mansion sagas, I encourage you to go back to the older reels on instagram and check them out!
But gosh, we made so many new friends in the process, and so very fast! And pretty soon we quickly grew to 100,000 followers.
We joke that the original followers, or the OGs, are the experts on the project as much as me or any of us on the team. OGs know all the important stuff, like the whereabouts of multiple secret doors and one secret room. They know the color of the water tower on site and the details of the chinoiseries wallpaper. They know our designer by first name and the caretaker family by their last.
Basically these OGs were tantamount to founders themselves, so we invited them to a special invite only tier of membership in the Mansion universe called Founders Club.
As a heartfelt thank you, we promised the most outrageous fun gifts for Founders and the first big surprise came over the holidays with our special Mansion cocoa and hummingbird spoons. (If you are wondering, there will be more ways to gain access to Founders Club.)
But our story goes way beyond the Founders Club. We met thousands of you that have cared to join us on this journey.
We re-established meaningful connections with the past families that lived and called this place their family's home. We told some of their stories and plan to tell many more.
We have a punch list a million miles long for January but we also are happy to turn the page on 2025 where we restored an ancient pool, fixed an aged roof, cleared and re-established a fantastic landscape flow for the grounds, fixed the exterior, built new copper overhangs, and completely re-imagined the entire 2nd floor of this gem of property.
So what is happening now in 2026?
First and foremost we are opening this joint as a fantastic B&B and you should be on the wait list to stay with us but if not please reply to this email and join the list. We do not have an opening date just yet but getting closer to making that call, hopefully now with friends and family sometime in the spring.
Overall, our New Year's Resolution is to kick up our community content and make some important updates to ensure that our social channels remain healthy.
Because of the crazy instagram algorithm, it increasingly requires you to have high engagement across all our posts. So my penchant for long live shows on Fridays ends up being a challenge and we are considering that we may need a new forum. Overall, we will continue to HYPER SERVE you core family and followers.
We are investing this newsletter because you told us you want more in this format. So, what you can expect from our newsletter?
- Inside these Walls - Progress, moments, and life unfolding within the Mansion
- The Designer's Desk - Design inspiration, partnerships, and thoughtful details
- Around the Estate - Grounds, seasons, wildlife, and life outdoors
- A Taste from the Kitchen - We'll dabble with recipes, stories, and gathering at the table
Remember this project is special because of you!
You’re part of this story. Your ideas, your energy, your support help shape the decisions we make and fuel the progress you see.
Here's to 2026 and having the best year ever!
XOXO - Ariel & the entire Mansion Family
