Architectural Digest - May 1999
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Architectural Digest Visits John Travolta and Kelly Preston, The Actors' Rambling Family Retreat off the Coast of Maine - By Nancy Collins

John Travolta is morphing into Sister Parish. Sitting across the table, one of the world's legendary actors has transmogrified himself into one of the world's legendary decorators as he describes the day Sister Parish dropped by for a martini at his house in Maine, the forty-two-room “cottage” that Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, had pulled together – by themselves – in two hectic months.

“Sister Parish was wonderful. She reminded me of the nun who hosts the tours on TV,” says the actor, whose famous countenance is now bearing a striking resemblance to Sister Wendy – posture pristine, neck extended, top lip curled under to reveal a generous flash of front teeth. “This house has always been a masterpiece, so Sister Parish knew what it was like before – very dark and somber.”

“Almost spooky,” adds Preston. “And John and I came in and redid everything -- carpets, furniture – in creams and eggshell. If you need to do it quickly,” she says with a laugh, “go white.”

And they did – much to the delight of the doyenne of American decorating. “She went through the whole house and loved it,” says Travolta, his voice lapsing into a mid-Atlantic drawl with an Oyster Bay intonation. “She said, 'Oooooooooh, it's a miracle. I don't know how you did this. It's so understated. I love it.'”

John Travolta and Kelly Preston are talking about the fulfillment of a mutual fantasy. Travolta had always wanted a house big enough to entertain his family – all 50 of them – at Christmas. Preston, as it turned out, had the same dream for her own sizable tribe. In 1991, newly wed and newly pregnant with their son, Jett, the couple finally found what they were looking for in an exclusive enclave off the coast of Maine where Travolta had visited actress Kirstie Alley.