Lunch in Paris (Almost)

Mary and I had a fabulous, luxurious and delicious dejeuner today, at PARIS, a new boite, in the former Cafe' Amador space, located at 2500 Tamiami Trail North. (Naples) Mary chose a gorgeous beef carpaccio salade, which of course I sampled, and it was DIVINE! I myself had a sensational, hot, flaky, fresh quiche aux saumon, with the accompanying petit salade, and it was as if I was in Cannes, St Trop, or Cap d'Antibes! Ooh la la! Monsieur Pascal was our deft and fast server, and we also enjoyed fresh baguette, an Italian Pinot grigio, and then, ooh la la, the best macarons ever - (pistache and framboise). I highly suggest this chic establishment when you are visiting our small town on the gulf of Mexico. There is also outdoor seating available, and the decor' is tres' chic, with purple walls, red leather and white tables and banquettes shaped like a seashell. ENJOY! DF ******

Napa to Naples, Winter Wine Fesitval Hits 100 Million Dollar Goal

HRH PRINCE ROBERT OF LUXEMBOURG, donated two lots, which raised over one million dollars, and one of them was won by beautiful PENNY ANDERSON, including fantastic magnums from Haut-Brion, as well as a magnificent Art Deco style dry bar by famed THOMAS RILEY ARTISANS GUILD. Over twelve million dollars was raised this year, bringing the total for the past twelve years to over one hundred million for children's charities. The Andersons sold their construction business years ago for over eight hundred million, and live in a sixty million dollar ocean front mansion when they are in Naples. Designed by top Palm Beach architect, JEFFERY SMITH, it can be seen in the book he published on his work. New York designer DAVID ANTHONY EASTON did the interiors. Check out the wine festival site,

http://www.napleswinefestival.com/ DF*****

A Beautiful Morning in Naples

Up and out early, caught the morning sunrise illuminating the buildings, the trees, the flowers...

what a fabtastic way to start the day! DF *****

Naples Artist, Emily James

My wonderful talented friend, Emily James, recently sent this to me of her commission for the Youman family. Emily is the official artist for the PGA, and has replaced Leroy Neiman. She lives in Naples with her husband John, a banker. She also does decorative painting for interiors, and that is how we first met, years ago, when I hired her to work on a client's home. DF *****

Ultra Alert: Tory Burch

TORY BURCH! What can I say? She is a new kind of super fashion genius! So many of the ladies visiting our design shop have been sporting TB, I couldn't help but notice, if you don't have your TB's yet, GET 'EM !!! And they all the say the same thing: how comfortable they are! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! All about Tory! DF******

Cote d'Azur Chic: Schumacher

I very much like this chevron pattern - in navy and white, for use as outdoor cushions, produced by F. Schumacher & Company. Very crisp and clean! DF *****

Marisa and Mark, Style Icons

MARK SIKES, the L.A. stylist, has a great blog, and he posted about MARISA BERENSON - a lady I have always admired for her beauty, grace, and polish. This particular portrait of her, by the late, famous Horst - spoke out to me, and I decided to make a post just about this one shot. It screams glamour, and I love the background, as well as her pose. It doesn't show her amazingly striking face, however I feel the image captures a certain intangible glimpse into "la dolce vita" and what true style really is all about, from a fashion editorial point of view. I saw KATHY BECKER today, the editor of Naples Illustrated, and we shot a table setting in our showroom this morning, which was created by one of our talented designers. I am sorry I don't have my own picture of it, however it will be shown in an upcoming issue of "N.I.".

Stay tuned for more news from Naples. ENJOY! DF *****

A Letter To Mario

I sent this to my dear friend MARIO BUATTA - after seeing him in HOUSE in NEW YORK SOCIAL DIARY, my favorite super-blog. Mario calls me every so often to play some kind of crazy joke on me. The last one involved him disguising his voice and pretending to be a potential new client, but I could tell it was him....LOL. The Ross apartment is a Mario tour de force, and New York glam at it's pinnacle. So, here's my letter, edited slightly for privacy reasons. ENJOY!

Dear Mario, This picture reminds me of a story that Tice told me about Sister falling under a chair in her bedroom while chatting on the phone with Diana V. Do you think it's true? I'm sure it is! Also - I believe that chintz is the same one we used for ________ in Houston - except I was supposed to order the colorway with taupe leaves, not green leaves! I think it was a Cowtan & Tout. The taupe was to blend with the taupe silk velvet sofas which had embroidered skirts - dear Mario I hope you are feeling better and hope to see you in early _____ if you are in town - I'll be visiting the city then - All my best and Happy Holidays! Dean

Junior League Chic

I wanted to share this sketch, or esquisse, as we say, with you, it's a quick concept sketch for the living room of a luxurious villa in Naples which I consulted on. The lady of the house is very smart, chic, fun, pretty, blonde, and intelligent, plus has a classic midwest preppie style which I adore. We designed the entire project using a palette of yellows, pinks, and greens...here is the sketch. An original "Dean Farris" ! Stay tuned for my next post, "A Letter to Mario" ! DF *****

Michael Feinstein in Naples!

We're looking forward to seeing and hearing the uber talented Michael Feinstein...in early February. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is already the 4th of January! Stay tuned for more exciting news about Michael! DF *****

Fashion Favorites: Brad and Yves

OK, I admit it, I had a blast tonight watching BRAD GORESKI on his new show, called "It's a Brad, Brad World". Brad has a disarming way of staring straight into the camera and totally revealing himself to the world, which I admire very much. He admitted that the pop star/actress Madonna changed his life, and helped him to realize he must approach what he wants with full force and energy. I agree with Brad, and can just imagine what Lady Gaga is doing for the young creatives out there who may be temporarily stranded in Kansas, or in Brad's case, Canada. I also love the way he looks, and he so reminds me of the late YVES SAINT LAURENT, one of my very favorite fashion designers of all time. Check out these two head shots and you'll see what I mean. Congrats Brad on landing the contract with Kate Spade! It's just the beginning of fabulous and mind blowing things ahead. Werk that lewk! DF *****

Mad For: Coffered Ceilings

Here's another one I recently installed for a client in Naples. Stay tuned for more progress shots. Happy 2012! DF *****