Sculpture as an Accessory

My classical focal point

James Andrew placed sculpture on pedestals and his low table

I love these for my dream garden, from Christa in PB


Campion Platt placed this piece on a squared pedestal
His fireplace reads as a sculpture in his space




Vizcaya, classic placement of bust on marble mantel

My Charleston client placed this in his bathroom

Sink and faucet, drawer pulls, Sherle Wagner

I had placed my bust here before I moved it to the skirted table

I really enjoy using classical sculpture pieces in decorating. These busts, animal forms, and other categories are a way to introduce three dimensional texture into a space. There is no limit as to the possibilities, and your only limitation is available space to hold them. I remember working on the Breen house in Houston with Tice, and we installed a large piece of sculpture from Chas Gundry (dealer) on a custom pedestal base in the entry hall, floating in front of a wall of windows which faced the rear garden. It was stunning and gave a pleasant feeling of solid gravitas. Here, I used a piece in my own apartment as a focal point. I found this fabulous garden piece at Christas South in West Palm Beach, and I share with you the beautiful apartment of Mr. James Andrew in New York, where his love of sculpture is quite evident, and expresses a very well rounded sensibility. Enjoy! DF *****

Jayne Wrightsman

Iceland born artist Katrin Sigurdardottir's installation

Palm Beach

New York


New York

London

I am all about the style of Jayne Wrightsman. You can call it old school perhaps, but she is so classic in her taste, that labels become useless. As Sister Parish once said, one either has it, or one doesn't ... Mrs. Wrightsman definitely has it. These images are the proof of the pudding, from New York and London apartments. Design enthusiasts adore her, since she is an icon of style in the most haute sense of the word. Enjoy! DF *****

PS, When in New York, check out the Wrightsman galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Artist Katrin Sigurdardottir has created conceptual installations based on these rooms!

David Easton in Naples

David Anthony Easton

See anyone you know here? LOL

Foreword by Albert Hadley

See my link below under Smith Architecture

Famous New York designer, David Anthony Easton, is coming to Naples for a seminar and book signing/luncheon on February 3rd...he's come a long way since first partnering with Michael LaRocca as Easton LaRocca. I still remember admiring his display window when he was in Johnny Nicolsons townhouse - so european and exquisite. His office is now downtown, in a loft like space. Tice almost took a job with him, as the supervisor of the Kluge project, he would have had to move to Charlottesville and live there for a year or so...that large house is now on the market. His clients here in Naples, the Andersons, live in an amazing house by Jeffrey Smith, and our friend Judith Auclair helped Mrs. Anderson with some of her accessories there, including major pieces of her shell art, which is now being shown at WEBSTER & COMPANY in the Miromar Design Center. Webster is sponsoring David's luncheon here on Thursday. Here, you can see a view of the house - one of my favorite in town, as its clad in coquina stone. This is a serious piece of architecture. ENJOY! DF *****

Beautiful Party Night

The air was a delicious cool temp tonight, perfect for the opening of the 2011 Winter WINE FESTIVAL, and our jaunt out to our friends Cedric and Danielle at PROFLOORS, and to the JAMALI opening at our friends Christopher Smiths Fifth Avenue Design Gallery, here in Naples. we saw so many old friends and met some new ones too. We even met the famous Jamali himself! A very chic and eclectic small crowd we were, and a fun time was had by all who attended both the grand re-opening of PROFLOORS and the opening for JAMALI in his new Naples venue, the FIFTH AVENUE DESIGN GALLERY. Enjoy! DF*****

The Enchanted Home, La Vie En Rose

http://www.theenchantedhome.blogspot.com/

Because she was so kind as to comment on yesterdays post, That Salmon Rose Color, I started today in a most beautiful and pleasant way, reading her blog, The Enchanted Home. She is building a gorgeous home, and blogging about it. Just came back from another Paris trip, and shared amazing images and notes from her Maison + Objet and Hotel Meurice experiences! Here are two I liked, to share with you - ENJOY! DF *****

That Salmon Rose Color!

Beautiful room by Joni Webb, Texas decorator, and creator of Cote de Texas (blog)

Table, F.P. Victoria, NEW YORK

Chair, The Pink Door, GREENSBORO, N.C.


Sister's old maisonette, NYC, by my friend Mario


An ode to Gertrude Stein...

Dinner is served!

Oh, how I adore that certain shade of salmon pink, or "summer rose" as my dear client Sue Lynn likes to call it. I first dreamed of this color when I saw a rose in the color. Then I dreamed of louis chairs, upholstered in salmon gauffraged silk velvet - on the antique grey white painted frames! How utterly chic! Tony Duquette had some chairs in this same palette. It is just the most ultra color. It evokes the charm and wit of the eighteenth century.
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Here, I share some favorite images showing this celestial shade. ENJOY! DF *****

The Tufted Settee

Photo by William R. Rain

Small silk pillows from Sean Johnson Atelier

Wine table from Spencer Ott, New Orleans

The tufted settee from Lilian August, in white matlasse' I have had this piece for a few years now, and am crazy for it. Here it is with two silk pillows and one silk damask pillow. It's facing out towards the lake and the sunset in the afternoon, which is very pleasant while enjoying a glass of chilled white wine. I like how this small scaled piece makes my room appear larger, and I have more room for chairs, which I'm very fond of. I highly suggest such a piece if you are looking to create a feeling of Edwardian coziness, not a television viewing room. A place for books, wine, cognac, conversation. Candles burning, music playing. La Dolce Vita! Enjoy! DF*****

Favorite Things

Mario and I chose the same chandelier from Vaughn!

Viceroy Hotel in Palm Springs by Kelly Wearstler

Favorite signed 18th c. chairs

Dean on the construction site with Frenchie

A favorite sunroom by Leta Austin Foster

I enjoy pulling tear sheets and photos I've collected over the years and looking at them again. Here, a favorite room by friend Mario Buatta, some 18th century signed chairs from a favorite dealer, N.P. Trent, and a picture of me in front of a house I spent two years building with my clients the Kochs, with my old favorite car, Frenchie, the Porsche Cayman. What fun I had with that little baby! Enjoy! DF *****

Prints Charming, Quadrille Fabrics

There has been a movement away from printed fabrics, towards more textures and solids. I will always love prints, as I am a southerner, and I adore the charm of printed materials. Quadrille fabrics and wallcoverings has these amazing blue colorways, and I could envision a very charming beach house or condo, all done up in these wonderful materials. Enjoy! DF***** (with all due respect to Albino Ciminetti, one of the original four founders of Quadrille, and my professor at FIT, New York)

Albert Hadley

You can imagine how exciting it was for me, when attending FIT, and having Stanley Barrows for my faculty chair, when people like Albert would come and talk to us about our chosen career path. It was a thrill I'll never get over. Albert knows how to convey glamour and a sense of style, grounded in history and knowledge, that resonates with anyone truly interested in design and decor. He's a lot of fun too, and never wears his knowledge too heavily. I enjoy looking at this book every so often, to remind myself of what a genius he really is. To hear him talk about people like Rose Cumming is to know what New York was really like, before this electronic age we now live in. It was FABULOUS! Quality was highly valued, and people would wait for it. Things took time. Things were done properly. Think about it, it wasn't all this dreck coming from China. It was the real thing baby! All worth every penny. DF *****

Party Animals

Couldn't resist sharing this picture of William and I at the recent party in Port Royal we attended for our friends Tim and Jerry...

Boudoir Love At Home

I truly love this bedroom by decorator Suzanne Rheinstein. This image is from her new book "At Home" by Rizzoli. Painted floors are something that I'm inordinately fond of, and I do recall Mrs. Hanes having them in her country house at The Gap, as well as her mother, DeWitt, having them in a folly she built on their estate in Winston-Salem, designed by architect Walter Chatham. Truly inspired and inspiring! Enjoy! DF*****

New Lalanne Collectibles

New Lalanne Collectibles
Who wouldn't love these? DF*****

Vernissage: Trudy LaBell Fine Art

For over thirty years, Trudy LaBell has represented fine artists, in a relevant and tasteful manner. William and I enjoyed wine and hors d'oeurves this evening while admiring new works in the show called Contemporary Connection, featuring artists Stephen Coyle, Madeline Denaro, Gabrielle Mayer, Carrie McGee, Marjorie Minkin, and Michael Zigmond. We saw some interesting people, including a chic bunch in black tie. I always enjoy a good gallery opening. here is a sneak peek at the gallery, located here in Naples, in the Bigham Galleria. ENJOY! DF***** www.trudylabellfineart.com

Breakfast at Traditions, Naples

I certainly enjoyed having breakfast this morning, at TRADITIONS, while enjoying a very interesting and lively presentation by Mr. Jim Caughman entitled French Luxury... it was all about how in the 17th century, the French and Italians invented the luxury goods market for europe, catering to courts and aristocrats. I enjoyed it, and was amazed at how concise and witty Mr. Caughman was. Also, I saw our Baker rep, Richard Tharp, and many colleagues. (James Caughman is a senior sales and marketing exec for Baker Furniture). David at Traditions is a great guy to work with, and I hope to send some business his way this Winter. Traditions is located in Old Naples, in the space where Bond Street gallery was. They have a very nice assortment. Check out their stuff at http://www.traditions.com/ Enjoy! DF*****

Italian Painted Furniture

from the Venetian Garden Collection

Gran Canal Collection

Doors, inspired by ancient palazzi

Leta and friends!

I just fell in love with this furniture line from Italy, called Porte Italia...they're located just north of Venice, and make incredible things for the home...or a very luxe hotel. I hand picked some items to show you, from the Gran Canal and Venetian Garden collections. I also found a great pic of my friend Leta Austin Foster, her room setting at the Red Cross Showhouse is very Italian in inspiration, mixing modern with more classical pieces in a totally chic, globetrotter style. It reminds me of when C.Z. Guest partnered with Willy Rizzo, remember that? This all makes me want to drop everything and jet off to VENEZIA! ENJOY! DF *****

Decorator Tag Sale | Antique Furniture, Modern Furniture, Vintage Furniture, Designer Furniture

Decorator Tag Sale Antique Furniture, Modern Furniture, Vintage Furniture, Designer Furniture

Check out my page on this exciting new site!

One Picture Is Worth...

This super stylish room setting from the new shop of Todd Romano, in Los Angeles, is one of my favorite images from the chic blog by Jennifer Boles called The Peak of Chic... I love how it evokes the vibe of southern California as well as the sophistication of New York. Having worked for Parkin Saunders as well, Todd and I have something in common besides our love of the french chair, high style interiors, and classic decorating. Jennifer's recent post was on cocktails, and the idea of having a "house cocktail". Perhaps I should call mine the Todd, and use a lot of bourbon... since his taste level intoxicates me! Thanks Jennifer for sharing this news about the new Todd Romano on La Cienega. DF*****

Decorator Tag Sale

Sandra Oster, founder, DTS

Dear readers, please do visit the new Decorator Tag Sale shopping site, and see what we are offering from the warehouse, at slashed prices!

Dean Farris
Interior designer

in reference to: Decorator Tag Sale Antique Furniture, Modern Furniture, Vintage Furniture, Designer Furniture (view on Google Sidewiki)