You probably have heard of  Mrs. Astor's "Four Hundred" - the number of people who could be entertained in the Fifth Avenue ballroom of Caroline "Lina" Astor, wife of William B. Astor, during the late nineteenth century. The New York Social Diary reported that the actual number on Mrs. Astor's guest list - according to Jerry E. Patterson, author of The First Four Hundred: New York and the Gilded Age - was a mere 319. Apparently, four hundred sounded better to the press of the day, so that is the number we think of today.  For many of us, ballrooms are the sites for wedding receptions, debutante balls, and cotillions, but some homeowners enjoy life in a ballroom every single day. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that some families in the South are building and restoring ballrooms so they can host at-home events ranging from charity soirees to gatherings of grandchildren. Here is a look at a range of spaces for dance and play . . .

"January, 1960 - A ball at Flagler Mansion, which is being turned into a museum." 
Town and Country (March 27, 2014).

"A view of the ballroom looking south across the main corridor."
The British Ambassador's Residence in Washington, D.C.
Photography by Eric Sander. Courtesy of "The Architecture of Diplomacy: The British Ambassador's Residence in Washington" by Anthony Seldon and Daniel Collings.
Lonny (May 2014). 

 "Sisters India (far left) and Gigi Manigault, attired for after-school pursuits, in the ballroom of the Miles Brewton House in Charleston, where they live with their mother, Lee Manigault."
Photography by Jonathan Becker.
"Grand Inheritance" by David Netto.

"Somehow it makes sense that Canadian-born shoe designer Patrick Cox lives in what used to be a private ballroom. You can almost hear the patter of well-shod feet skipping across the polished parquet floor. His apartment, originally featured in House & Home's February/March issue from 1996, is remarkably relevant today. Paul's elegant couches, vintage furniture pieces and neutral colour palette are timeless."
Patrick Cox's Notting Hill apartment.
Photography by Henry Bourne.
Canadian House and Home (February/March 1996).

"Yester House, dating from the late 17th century and situated in East Lothian, in the southeast of Scotland, stands at the base of the Lammermuir Hills. Owner Francis Menotti explains that numerous Scottish architects had a hand in its design and renovations, notably Robert Adam, to whom the north façade is credited.
 'There’s nothing better than listening to music in the ballroom,' Menotti says of the saloon, Robert Adam’s most famous contribution to Yester House. In 1789 Adam improved on his father William’s original early-18th-century design by enlarging the windows in better proportion to the lofty, 30-foot ceiling." 
Text and photography by Derry Moore.
Architectural Digest (December 12, 2008).

Cameo Ballroom at The Greenbrier.
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Photo via The Greenbrier website.

 "In the ballroom, Oscar de la Renta Home armchairs by Century Furniture join custom-made sofas modeled after a Jean-Michel Frank design."
Ballroom of Windsong, the Palm Beach, Florida, home of Hilary and Wilbur Ross.
Photography by Scott Frances.
Text by Christopher Mason.

"The ballroom with its two magnificent Murano chandeliers."
Palazzo Papadopoli, the Arrivabene family's palazzo on the Grand Canal.
Photography by Simon Watson.
"Venice: Slideshow" by Marella Caracciolo.
W Magazine (October 1, 2007). 

 "When building the 17,000-square-foot Georgian style mansion in the 1950s, the original owners imported the walls and doors from a French palace dating to about 1760. Paint experts came up with an authentic pale-blue hue for the walls, and the couple commissioned murals, as well as gilding carved features to keep the ballroom as historically accurate as possible. They then furnished it in period pieces from Sotheby's, including Louis XV furniture and a bronze Louis XVI center table by Adam Weisweiler."
"Locksley," the Millwood, Virginia, home of Ronald and Danielle Bradley.
Photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn for The Wall Street Journal.
"Ballrooms Make a Comeback" by Laura Stevens.
Wall Street Journal (July 10, 2014).

"The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, founded by the Prince of Wales, has spearheaded the restoration of Kinloch Castle, an 1890s hunting lodge on the remote Isle of Rum, two hours off the Scottish coast. 
Edwardian architectural details decorate the ballroom, used during [original owner Sir George] Bullough’s frequent house parties. The Louis XVI-style chairs are original, as are the chintz covers and silk upholstery fabric beneath."
Photography by Derry Moore, Courtesy The Prince’s Regeneration Trust.
Text by Derry Moore.
Architectural Digest (October 2008).

 Jay Gatsby's ballroom flaunts marble columns, a curving staircase, and a gilded ceiling. 'On the one hand it's a sad, lonely Gothic house, but it's also a house of great wealth and beauty,' says production and costume designer Catherine Martin. 'It had to encapsulate Gatsby's extraordinary ambitions and his optimistic, romantic soul.' "
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures via House Beautiful.

 "The magnificent ballroom of the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, is painted a dazzling blue. Called Palace Ballroom Wallpaper Prussian Blue CW611, the shade is one of the 184 from the Williamsburg Color Collection by Pratt & Lambert."
Credit: courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation via Elle Decor.
"Color Lessons from the Past" by Mitchell Owens.

"A partial picture of the original ballroom in the 34th Street house."
Mrs. Astor's famous ballroom. The Empire State Building now stands on the site - 350 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street.
New York Social Diary (August 18, 2011).

 "Like a Gothic cathedral, Greystone's multistory Grand Ballroom feels otherworldly. Its scale of magnitude sets the stage for Jack Fhillips' design. To create intimacy, the designer brought together antiques, upholstery in a neutral palette and wood furnishings distressed with a bit of metallic sheen. Its oversize contemporary artwork quantifies its architectural proportions. Suitable for elaborate or intimate gatherings, the dramatic interior salutes the awe-inspiring grandeur many have experienced at Greystone."
Interior design by Jack Fhillips
Photography by Peter Vitale.
"Well-Designed: Greystone Estate" by Deborah Sanders and Catrherine Lee Davis.

 "The ballroom, now the main living area, is swathed in an apricot silk by Grey Watkins from Stark; the chandelier is French, the curtains are of a Pierre Frey satin, and the Savonnerie carpet is by Stark."
The New York apartment of Aileen Mehle, the society columnist known as Suzy Knickerbocker.
Interior design by Mario Buatta.
Photography by Scott Frances.
Text by Aileen Mehle.
Architectural Digest (January 2012).

 "The ballroom features Mehle’s collection of 18th- and 19th-century mirrors and paintings, which overlook a Chinese low table by Gracie, an 18th-century Italian bergère (at right), and a sofa whose pillows are made of Scalamandré floral prints."
The New York apartment of Aileen Mehle, the society columnist known as Suzy Knickerbocker.
Interior design by Mario Buatta.
Photography by Scott Frances.
Text by Aileen Mehle.
Architectural Digest (January 2012).

 "The ballroom also has original crown moldings and a ceiling high enough to accommodate Mehle’s prized Italian secretary; the Louis XVI wing chair is covered in a blue velvet by Clarence House, and the paw-foot stool in the foreground is upholstered in a Brunschwig and Fils leopard velvet."
The New York apartment of Aileen Mehle, the society columnist known as Suzy Knickerbocker.
Interior design by Mario Buatta.
Photography by Scott Frances.
Text by Aileen Mehle.
Architectural Digest (January 2012).

 "In a real-estate Cinderella story, a handful of homeowners across the South are transforming the seemingly dated concept of a ballroom into lavish spaces for everything from charity benefits to a playroom for the grandkids. In Atlanta, Kimberly and Lee Najjar use their Atlanta ballroom, pictured, for family games, birthday parties and black-tie dinners."
Photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn for The Wall Street Journal.
"Ballrooms Make a Comeback" by Laura Stevens.
Wall Street Journal (July 10, 2014).

 "Viewers of TV's Devious Maids will recognize the room: Scenes for the show have been taped there."
Kimberly and Lee Najjar's Atlanta ballroom.
Photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn for The Wall Street Journal.
"Ballrooms Make a Comeback" by Laura Stevens.
Wall Street Journal (July 10, 2014).

"The Glickmans have hosted a couple of balls, as well as birthday parties, re-enactments of period dances, slideshows, charity events and lectures. They've even rigged it up as a playroom for their nieces and grandchildren on occasion. They set up a trampoline, a hobby horse and games."
Donald and Mia Glickman's 30-by-40-foot ballroom in their Marshall, Virginia, home.
Photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn for The Wall Street Journal.
"Ballrooms Make a Comeback" by Laura Stevens.
Wall Street Journal (July 10, 2014).

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