Positive Perspective

It's always great to remember that whenever I feel down, I just have to put my thoughts in a different place. Reading a great book, seeing a play, listening to music, rearranging things in my apartment... these are all things that I enjoy doing. The great thing about travel is that it enlightens your outlook, and I always enjoy a trip. Keep a fresh outlook, zig when others zag, and take each day as it comes. Sometimes the simpler things in life are truly the best ! DF*****

Hermes Paris in Naples

I just love this chic porcelain tray from Hermes at Waterside Shops, Naples

A wonderful, beautiful elegant gift from good friends Tim and Jerry ! Hermes Paris created this vintage looking porcelain card tray "Rythme" with platinum decoration. I love the chic of it. The very perfection of it. The simplicity... very moderne 1930's... The enclosed card says that it is dishwasher safe, however hand washing is recommended in order to protect the delicate platinum striping. Also,in very fine print "Not microwave safe" This small tray could also be used to hold a daily supply of fresh cigarettes...or the days supply of freshly laundered and ironed cash... !!! I do remember years ago when Tim, Jerry and I were out in a local watering hole here in Naples, and we ran into the Pulitzer twins, Zac and Mac... they were both wearing flip flops, designer jeans, tee shirts, and Hermes "H" buckle belts... how cool... they are the sons of Roxanne and Peter Pulitzer, and Lily is their stepmother. Here is the french on the reverse : Vous venez d'acquerir une porcelaine d'exception : Rythme. Cette collection passe au lave-vaisselle ; toutefois, nous vous recommandons de la laver a' la main afin de preserver l'eclat et la delicatesse de son decor platine. Also, I so enjoyed reading on Joe Ruggiero about Bouchon, a new restaurant in Beverly Hills, it sounds so good... Bouchon 235 N. Canon tel 310.271.9910 DF*****

La Belle Vie

Master Suite Sitting Area

The drawing room at "La Belle Vie"

Another of the many designers whom I met while living in New York was Bebe Winkler. Bebe had these wonderful clients the Cantors, who hired her to decorate their dream home in Bel Air, "La Belle Vie" - (shown here) a 35,000 square foot house inspired by the Hotel Biron, home of the Musee' Rodin, in Paris. Mrs. Cantor also worked with the firm of Hendrix Allardyce on previous residences. This house is on the market through Ron De Salvo. Asking $53,000,000.00 Tel. 310.777.6233 www.bebewinkler.com/ DF*****

Furniture Plans

All photos courtesy Naples Daily News

The present arrangement is with the sofa against the long wall...

Master bedroom

Dining room portion of the Drawing room

Chuck and Maurice

Foyer we enlarged by removing a closet

My sketch showing a new arrangement...

I always enjoy sharing one of my pet projects with you. Here, I remodeled an older condo in Naples with the collaboration of a special client, Mr. Charles Fleck. The french refer to furniture as "meubles" since they intend for things to be moved around, and I am inspired to rearrange some of Chucks furniture since we first placed it six years ago. Chuck has collected some great decorative pieces over the years. He has worked with Ruben de Saavedra and Michael Greer among others, on his home in Pittsburgh. This condo here in Naples was featured in the Naples Daily News. He also until recently, had a home in Rancho Mirage, which William and I once visited. I gave Chuck a gift years ago of a Sevres tea cup that Michael Greer had owned. Mr. Greer, a top decorator of the sixties, used these cups to hold cigarettes. Anyway, I wanted to show you what I have in mind for changing the arrangement in the drawing room... I think it might freshen up the space without investing much money, since all I'm proposing is to add two Marshall Field style chairs, and cover the existing floor with a woven seagrass material. Here are some shots from the NDN article. All interiors by Dean Farris www.deanfarrisinteriordesign.com

DF***** copyright Dean Farris 2010

A Day in the Life

Seen at Maison Auclair...

Matt making progress...

Mark installs new lighting...


What happened to the Dining Room ?

Three images from todays visit to Maison Auclair

Seen at Garden District

This looks interesting... Garden District

The garden behind Ruffino's shop

Looking toward the beach from Heidi's house

My friend Heidi's new house in Old Naples

A boy can dream... Van Day Truex had one like it

I drove it today...great classic beauty

Here was my day : 8:30 Coffee and a Pop Tart. 9:30 Check progress at Wilson house, (remodeling) 10:30 Run an errand for another client. 11:30 Head downtown to have lunch with William and keep him company at Maison Auclair Antiques. 12:30 Walked down the street to visit friends at the new Fifth Avenue Design Gallery. (love it !) 1:00 Met Melanie Sabelhaus with William and helped her with a prospective purchase. 3:00 Went over to see Ruffino at the new "Garden District" (LOVE) 4:30 stopped at Auto Europa and test drove a 1969 Mercedes benz 280 SEL convertible. 5:00 Called an old friend in Sarasota to say happy birthday. 5:30 Called a favorite old friend in Atlanta, I haven't spoken with in maybe twenty years - Louise Wilcox Cronan - the best decorator in Atlanta. 6:30 Spoke by phone with another client. 6:40 started todays Dean Farris Style post !!! Just a day in the life... DF***** (weather sunny and gorgeous today !)

Amanda Jaron Joaillier

Amanda Jaron

This Florida native knows how to live !
(camera blurred image)

Dean Farris, Amanda Jaron at Starbucks

Trink's french style house in Palm Beach

Amanda Jaron... Joaillier. Amanda Jaron Joaillerie... This morning, I met with (finally) Amanda Jaron, a young Naples socialite, mother and career woman, after she charmingly emailed me via facebook an invitation for morning coffee ! Amanda is an uber talented young mother of two, who also is running a wildly successful jewelry company, Amanda Jaron Studio - A. Jaron Fine Jewelry... http://www.ajaron.com/ She has been featured on all of the major television networks, and has her own show on HSN (Home Shopping Network). Oprah recently featured the designer and her husband, Steve in her "O" magazine... AND her creations are sold at Saks, AND worn by A list celebrities. I really enjoyed meeting her, and look forward to getting to know this dynamo of a chic woman better... since we live not too far away from each other ! On another note, I was very taken with the blog Cote de Texas's feature on Lanterne houses... french pavilion style buildings where the fenestration (windows) are aligned front to back. Since, while perusing my favorite blog, New York Social Diary, I came across this wonderful coverage of a "petite maison" in Palm Beach, which was built for a John Deere heiress by the name of Trink... with a similar vernacular. This little house recently sold for over twice what it sold for ten years ago, something like 17 million versus 8.5 !!! Hmmm... me thinks well located real estate might just still be a rock solid investment. What do you think ? Or should I ask Trink ? Ha Ha... Here's a little glimpse of the spectacular property, the stuff of which sweet dreams are made. Enjoy ! DF ***** copyright Dean Farris 2010

Palm Springs & Palm Desert

This image captures the breathtaking beauty of the desert

Kreiss Collection, Palm Desert

The Kreiss California Collection

Beautiful, elegant Palm Desert

The exterior of Maison Felice...

Some of the gorgeous furnishings selected by Phyllis Washington

One of my favorite ads for Maison Felice...

The Library at Maison Felice...

The Blue Room at Phyllis's shop Maison Felice

The elegant and serene Phyllis Washington

Yummy goodies at Sherman's Deli

Riff Markowitz

Gorgeous Judy Bell

I enjoyed this bio very much...

Tab Hunter

Riding in the California sunshine

It really does look like this...

The Viceroy

I've been looking forward to posting about one of my favorite spots, Palm Springs, California. William and I have been going out every year, and I can never get enough of the dry air and gorgeous scenery. We always have a great time in the desert, and have made some good memories... We especially enjoy the Palm Springs Follies, Sherman's Deli, and a restaurant/bar called Blame it on Midnight, where we once ran into Tab Hunter having a late supper. Judy Bell at the Follies is a friend of Bill's, and we always say hello to her, and I got a kick out of Kay Ballard singing "This Is My Lunch" ! Riff Markowitz is a trip... he emcees the campy broadway style revue. We have also visited the Viceroy Hotel, re-designed by Kelly Wearstler, and El Paseo, where I recently discovered Phyllis Washington Antiques... Phyllis has great style, and enjoys bringing top design talent out to the desert for seminars. And of course we've checked out the Palm Desert branch of Kreiss Collection - which has great furniture and linens, supposedly Brad Pitt owns one of their more exotic beds... try the Citron restaurant at The Viceroy. The Star Tour is a lot of fun, and I enjoyed cruising by the fabled Annenberg estate, and having a delicious date shake with Bill... yum...We often stay in a quaint bed and breakfast, which was the former home of Howard Hughes. The desert is a very spiritual and tranquil place, and I look forward to our next trip out west, where I hope to visit the Getty Museum in Malibu. DF*****ps, don't forget to visit Stewart Galleries in downtown Palm Springs !

Albert Hadley, The "A" List

Albert in his New York apartment

A 1960's sitting room by Albert Hadley

A letter about me from Albert !

I certainly do have Mr. Albert Livingston Hadley, Jr. at the top of my "Dean's List" and my "A" list ! Wit, style, erudition, and humour are words that could be used to describe him. Also magic, mercurial, mysterious, and artistic... When I received this beautifully written letter from dear Albert, I thought I had been annointed by the gods. Known in the media as the "Dean of the Decorating World" Albert has had a career that has been stellar and continues to this day. He is forever youthful and fresh in his outlook. Point of view is what he wants to know about... do you have one ? He is a mannerist, an iconoclast, and a wonderful friend. There is always a sense of infinite possibility when spending time with him, and we have had a lot of fun sharing drinks, ideas, and knowledge. Van Day Truex taught Albert at Parsons, and since by the time I arrived in New York in 1980, the Parsons faculty had left and moved to FIT, I was so very lucky to have the benefit of their expertise and energy. Stanley Barrows was my chairman and one of my professors...FIT was the place to be... Albert came one day and gave us a talk, accompanied by my former classmate, Tice Alexander, and he spoke about beauty in a way that you knew it was a serious subject. He also emphasized history and point of view, as well as the importance of having a design vocabulary. Later, when he was wintering in Naples, he told me something I'll always remember. "You must be passionate in your head, your heart, and your gut !" (paraphrase) What better advice could there possibly be ? DF ***** copyright Dean Farris 2010