Albert Hadley

Mr. Hadley established his own design firm before joining McMillen Inc. And in 1962, he established his long association with Mrs. "Sister" Parish, his partner of thirty two years.

Few firms have had a greater impact on the interior design world than Parish-Hadley. The partnership between Sister Parish and Albert Hadley influenced American decor for more than three decades, and the office was a training ground for dozens of designers now acclaimed in their own right.

Refining imperfect envelopes was one of the signature skills that Hadley, a onetime instructor at Parsons School of Design, brought to the decorating firm founded by society figure Parish when he joined in 1962, following a stint at its rival McMillen. “Mrs. Parish couldn’t draw or do a floor plan, but she had a knack for finding the right pieces of furniture to create a look. Albert always thought rooms out intellectually,” recalls designer Bunny Williams, a Parish-Hadley alumna. “And his incredible working drawings were pretty close to how the projects were carried out.” The disparate pair’s respectful if periodically trying partnership—which lasted until Parish’s death in 1994—proved to be surprisingly influential.”

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy hired the firm to redecorate the White House.