the firm & the founder

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I always dreamed of a home where I could cook for guests, dress it for every Season, and plan the kind of evenings people remember. This is it.

It all began in a garden, in my own backyard. Hostessing, entertaining, and cooking for the people I love was simply how I grew up, so when I bought my first home, a yard built for gathering wasn’t optional. It was the point. Word spread. Friends and neighbors asked for help with cooking, styling, party planning, and everything in between, and those visits turned into one-on-one lessons, then classes and workshops. In 2004, I founded The Academy of Domestic Arts around a simple idea of "all things hearth and hostess."

My genuine love for hospitality took me even further. It became Noble Concierge, bringing seven-star experiences to guests along the Eastern Seaboard, and The Curated Yard, where I design and transform properties and also transform select outdoor buildings into unique ADUs that people never want to leave. 

Now it all lives under our lifestyle brand: House of the Graceful Hostess! Our fourth pillar is our bed & breakfast: Third Time’s A Farm, a federal-period farmhouse built in 1800 in the rolling hills of Central Massachusetts. The home was given its Italianate brackets and porch around 1847, and it once served as our Town Clerk’s Office. Lovingly restored by us, this welcoming b & b is just minutes from Mount Wachusett Ski Area. It's where I prepare menus for my guests, restyle the house for each new Season and each new event, and plan the gatherings, workshops, and immersive stays that bring everything I love together. Every part of this house runs on one belief: how you make someone feel is what matters most.

It all began in a garden. Today the table is bigger, the house is older, and the welcome is the same.

Come in.  Make yourself at home.

— Aspen

The House of the Graceful Hostess grew from The Academy of Domestic Arts, established in New York City in 2004 to celebrate the timeless ethos of “all things hearth and hostess.” What began as intimate, one-on-one sessions in home curation has grown into a lifestyle brand of four distinct businesses, all devoted to one promise: providing seven-star hospitality and guest experiences. Today, that devotion lives in Third Time’s A Farm, our boutique bed and breakfast; the Academy, our masterclass in elegant hostessing, decorating, entertaining and much more; Noble Concierge, our white-glove travel concierge; and Atelier/The Curated Yard, our design studio for outdoor living spaces.

The "House" was founded by Aspen Grace, a globally recognized lifestyle guru, manners and etiquette consultant, and tastemaker centered on gracious living. Her talents as a decorator and home stylist, caterer, personal chef, and event planner are the foundation of every business in the house.

Today, Aspen leads them all: teaching at the Academy, hosting guests at Third Time’s A Farm, curating journeys through Noble Concierge, and designing outdoor retreats through The Curated Yard. Behind each is the same passion: helping people experience and live a gracious lifestyle.

The House of the Graceful Hostess is an Aspen Grace Lifestyle Brand.