Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, the philanthropist, art collector, and horticulturist who passed away in 2014 at the age of 103, continues to influence contemporary design and fashion nearly a decade after her death. Known for her understated elegance and meticulous taste, Mellon left a lasting mark on gardens, style, and art collections.
Mellon rose to prominence not only as an heiress to a mouthwash fortune and through marriage into a banking dynasty but also as a celebrated gardener. Her reputation in horticulture was such that President John F. Kennedy commissioned her to redesign the White House gardens during his administration. Her approach emphasized naturalistic beauty and careful attention to detail, evident in her Oak Spring estate in Virginia and her homes in Antigua, Nantucket, Cape Cod, and Manhattan. These residences also housed an extensive collection of artworks by renowned artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Mark Rothko, assembled with her second husband, Paul Mellon.
Designers and brands today continue to draw inspiration from Mellon’s distinctive style and commitment to elegance with purpose. Fashion designer Tory Burch, who purchased Mellon’s Antigua estate in 2015, cited Mellon as a “great teacher” of design principles such as restraint and intentionality. Burch’s fall 2026 collection includes the Bunny Knot bag, inspired by tufted furniture cushions at the Antigua property, featuring knot details instead of traditional buttons.
Mellon’s influence extends beyond fashion into jewelry and accessories. Last year, Tiffany & Co. launched a collection featuring a reinterpretation of the Bird on a Rock brooch originally created for Mellon in 1965 by designer Jean Schlumberger. Schlumberger was instrumental in connecting Mellon with couturiers including Cristóbal Balenciaga and Hubert de Givenchy, who designed gardening clothes and monogrammed straw totes for Mellon. These totes have inspired recent collections from designers such as Michael Rider for Celine and the lifestyle brand of Zoë de Givenchy, Hubert’s niece-in-law.
Mellon’s personal belongings also reflect her refined lifestyle. Nancy Collins, Mellon’s longtime nurse and companion, recalled the contents of her travel bags: a pink coin purse, identification papers, tissues, a nail file, a writing pad, a blue pen, a small bottle of vodka, and a carefully wrapped bouquet of flowers.
At Oak Spring, Mellon’s horticultural legacy is actively maintained. Her gardens, characterized by topiaries and meticulously curated natural arrangements, remain virtually unchanged. Items such as Carolina Herrera’s recent fashion collection and products from French linens maker D. Porthault and porcelain and wallpaper company de Gournay demonstrate the ongoing appeal of the floral and natural motifs Mellon championed.
Despite her enduring influence, some of Mellon’s White House garden designs have been altered or removed in recent years. A White House spokesman defended the changes as part of ongoing efforts to preserve and enhance the historic residence. Mellon’s grandson, Thomas Lloyd, expressed the belief that she would not have approved of these modifications but noted that gardens, by their nature, are subject to change and can be restored.
Lloyd also shared personal anecdotes illustrating Mellon’s thoroughness and passion for her gardens, describing how she photographed her plants for close study as her eyesight declined. While Mellon is remembered for the principle that “nothing should be noticed,” her grandson emphasized that, in fact, she noticed everything—an attention to detail that continues to inspire.