Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Post Holiday Dinner Party




I thought it would be fun to kick off the start of Summer with a small party here at the new place. The menu is very light, quiches, two salads, some tea sandwiches, chilled asparagus, fruit salad, and a key lime pie for dessert...one of the salads is new from Jacques Pepin...here is the recipe.


Jacques Pepin's warm bean and bacon salad

(from "Essential Pepin" Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 2011)




8 ounces slab bacon or pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch pieces


1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)


6 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped


Two 15-1/2 ounce cans navy beans, rinsed and drained


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley


3 tablespoons red wine vinegar


3 tablespoons olive oil


1 teaspoon ground black pepper


Combine all - mix well, serve warm or room temp!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Designer Sketches/Memorial day 2011

Original sketch by Dean Farris, DFID



The posts I found very much like my pre-existing sketch!



I admire the proportions of these doors



Stunning Seagate drive, Naples, Florida



I enjoy sharing my life with you, and a funny thing happened yesterday, I had made this sketch for the new luxury estate I'm working on in South Carolina, playing with the name for the house I came up with, SURIJEDA...when very serendipitously I then came across this very similar entrance post situation here in Naples (see photo) Imagine my surprise and delight to find something so similar already executed, when I had made the sketch BEFORE finding this house! Today, the weather is absolutely gorgeous! Low humidity, cool breezes, and hot sunshine! I've already seen several boats pass by my windows this morning. Enjoy the day, wherever you may find yourself. DF *****

Friday, May 27, 2011

Old Glory on the Bay




Mitt Romney












All photographs by Dean Farris




Memorial day weekend is here! Hard to believe, we're coming up on the half way mark for the year 2011...I went out at about 6 am this morning and caught these shots, there was a delightful slightly cool breeze (it rained last night) - we needed the rain since huge fires have been burning in the east, out in the Everglades National Forest...and while I don't normally get political on this blog, let me just say that Mitt Romney would be a great presidential candidate for 2012...I think if I have to try to survive another four years under this current non leadership, I'll just join Rush Limbaugh and become an expatriate! Thank God it's a free country and I can say whatever I think... and I do think that Sister Parish would agree that the flag is quite decorative! Enjoy the weekend! DF *****

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Jacques Grange

Interior by Jacques Grange


I had the pleasure of meeting Monsieur Grange many years ago, in New York, and have admired him and his work ever since. Here is an intriguing shot of a library in Paris he designed...my eye was drawn by the overscaled sconce (also known as a chandelier in France) which adds a wild romanticism to the image. Enjoy! DF *****

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Drawing Room

Original sketch by Dean Farris, DFID



Digital photograph by Dean Farris, DFID



I thought it would be of interest to start showing more of my designer sketches...while unpacking yet another box, I found this one from 2006...its a concept for the look I like for myself, in some future home. I also was delighted this morning to catch a gorgeous sunrise out my front door - this is what I see when I step out of my new apartment. I think I definitely like this better than being hit in the face with the ruckus of First Avenue in the sixties where I lived in NYC! Enjoy the day dear friends! Dean *****

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Morning Beach Walk

First I look at the bay and check out the boats and the fish...then I walk over to the beach and walk about a mile or so...







Always enjoy looking at the various shells...
















Came back via the street for a different route, love this signage for the Southern Clipper




































Now its time to take a dip in the pool... tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!!!




It's great having the beach right across the street, and I can go there any time and walk, run, play in the surf, look for shells, and just soak up the sun and the beauty of nature. What I find interesting about the gulf is that its different from one day to the next...calm, rough, colors changing from black to aqua to green, low tide, high tide! It's very beautiful and very relaxing. Here I took the camera with me and recorded some images I wanted to share with you, dear readers and followers. Enjoy! DF ***** PS Got plans for Memorial day weekend?

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Jockey Club, Miami

Jockey Club Lobby



Very vintage decor, elevators lined in coromandel screens!


Magnum lounge in the piano bar



John in front of Biscayne bay, North Miami



On Palm Beach, my favorite!



Billy and I had a great time visiting friends in Miami, at the Jockey Club, on Biscayne Bay. Our host, Mr Jansen Perry, was very charming and gave us a tour of his apartment. We then took old friend John Herr up to Palm Beach, to shop for some antiques, as he had not been there. Had a wonderful lunch in Pompano at Rotelli, and a delightful dinner at the nightclub called Magnum Lounge, back in North Miami, known as NoMi... Jeffrey, the owner at Magnum always treats us very well, and we enjoyed our torch singer performing selections from Michael Feinsteins Great American Songbook! As they say, "Work hard, play hard" The high point of the day for me was of course seeing Amanda Church at Cedric Dupont Antiques in West Palm...that would be hard to beat! Enjoy these snaps I took along the way. DF *****PS Yesterday I enjoyed a delicious brunch with Mary Hill here in Naples, at Bricktops, Thanks Mary! XXOO D

Friday, May 20, 2011

Decorator Scrapbook XI

Remember when babies were the latest fashion accessory? I do.


May is a lovely time to be outdoors...


I'm crazy for these huge aquariums!


Not the worst copies I ever saw...




A favorite dining table, at the Johny Harris residence



Dear readers and followers, I do hope to be able to, for the first time, show you my new bedroom by the sea, here in sunny Naples, soon. Like Tom Britt and Mario Buatta, I sometimes prefer to keep my private quarters private... here too is another glimpse into my designer image file, forever growing and expanding, as I ply my way through the day with a digital camera handy. Last night, I was on my hands and knees making templates for a clients bathroom floors... then we all went out for a late supper with lots of delicious drinks...I do hope that you'll let go and have a wonderful mid May weekend, with old memorial day coming up shortly! Enjoy! Dean *****

Thursday, May 19, 2011

A Designers Sketches: Furniture Plans

This is the best version of the room, DFID



The client requested a game table and television, DFID




Here, I played with two short sofas back to back...



Original sketch by Dean Farris, DFID



It's great fun to share with you a few of my most recent "esquisses" or sketches, for furniture placement in the new house I am building in the up country of South Carolina. While we will need to use some existing furnishings initially, we can use these layouts to guide us toward a gradual evolution into the full flowering of these rooms beauty! This particular room is known as the solarium...and I've specified a washed brick floor, with a vaulted ceiling, paneled in strips of pecky cypress, also washed in a pickled finish...of course, due to budgetary constraints, I don't always get what I ask for, but I keep trying anyway.



A delightful cool breeze on the bay this morning! How refreshing! Enjoy! DF *****

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Ralph Lauren on Oprah!



Wow! Two American icon self made billionaires on the same show! This one ought to be interesting... Enjoy! DF *****

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Room of the Week, Venice

I did so enjoy my solo sojourn to Venice Italy, where I stayed at the famous Hotel Danieli... I took a night train from Nice, after staying there with friends from the States, and then took a private water taxi to the hotel...while my room didn't have this view, it was nonetheless enchanting, elegant, and beautiful, and very cool in the Summer heat. It was my first trip to the famed la Serenissima, and I look forward greatly to returning, this time not alone. Once a palace, in the 14th century, the hotel has had many illustrious guests, and has been added onto many times over the years. Enjoy! DF *****

Monday, May 16, 2011

That Summer in Paris

Is that Tab Hunter?



Hotel lobby



Louvre


Notre Dame



The invitation



I still have very fond memories of the trip (2005) Bill and I took over the big pond to hear our friend and client, Bob Gant, play the organ in a recital at the cathedral of Notre dame, Paris. Summer in Paris is lovely, yes we were mere tourists, however we stayed in a most charming small hotel in the Marais, called Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais...not to be confused with the Hotel Crillon! While our chamber was tiny, it was very romantic, and we truly enjoyed our time in the city of light. Here are a few tourist shots we took...Enjoy! DF *****

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PS: There was a full moon tonight and I can hear the pounding ocean surf outside my windows!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Wolf Sub-Zero Contest Entry

Dean Farris Interior Design




Dean Farris Interior Design


Dean Farris Interior Design




I designed this wet bar from a former laundry room, and entered it into the Wolf Sub-Zero Design Contest... didn't win, but enjoyed the process, and received a nice gift for entering... DF *****

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Landscape Heaven!

Albert did an apartment here...



This is where I sometimes enjoy morning coffee

































I know I keep going on about this new neighborhood I've managed to move into, but honestly, it's just so gorgeous! The Moorings of Naples was first developed in 1957, Milton Link borrowed 1.5 million dollars from Mr Lobo of Havana (a sugar king), and purchased a tract of 300 acres from Mrs. E.W. Crayton... thus we have Crayton Road...interestingly, there is also a Moorings of Vero Beach, with similar street names, and homes. Here are some more random shots I took while biking through the area surrounding my apartment. Enjoy! DF *****