The Mysterious Mirror



Dean Farris Interior Design

Here's the circa 1800 french giltwood mirror Bill and I just installed, in my Naples apartment.  The dealer, Joe Miller, of Antiques Center of Naples also had a larger, and more costly old mirror, with the interesting provenance of having belonged to the mother of Queen Noor of Jordan.  Lisa Halaby of Washington, DC is the widow of King Hussein of Jordan.  What intrigued me about this, not knowing her, or her mother, was that the style of that mirror was very much like one that Tice had borrowed from the old Parish Hadley inventory, for his small, but chic, apartment on East 69th Street, in Manhattan.  (see my earlier posts on Tice Alexander)

    


Room by Mario Buatta

A mirror, very much like the one dear Mario had hanging in this former apartment of his-I found this picture in the 1976 book, by Norma Skurka, "The New York Times Book of Interior Design and Decoration".  It has very old gilt, and is quite decorative against the beautiful glazed walls.  This mirror is like the one Joe Miller now has in his stock, here in Naples.

 


Room by Joseph Braswell

Above, a stunning room by the late designer, Joseph Braswell (d. 2006) with boiserie incorporating a large trumeau - (without the painting above) - interestingly, Joe had King Fahd of Saudi Arabia as a client.  Joe Braswell also was a Dean of interior design at Parsons.  I was fortunate to meet him, in about 1977 or so, when I was taken to his Sutton Place apartment for a pre- theater cocktail party.  The best was when his partner, Ward Willoughby, made his grand entrance, dropping his full length fur coat on the floor as he entered!  Ah, the seventies! It was pretty glam, and that song "Native New Yorker" was playing...



Room by Harrison Cultra

The elegant, tall room above, by the late Harrison Cultra, (d. 1983) uses another tall gilt mirror, seen at left.  I've always loved this image, and it's from the same Norma Skurka 1976 book.  Mr. Cultra counted Jacqueline Onassis as a client...he was only 42 when he died.  Rest in peace. 



Room by Dean Farris

Above, another shot of the new sofa, with the new mirror installed.  I'm considering getting a seagrass or sisal rug to pull all this together...but this cozy grouping has much more comfort now, and my mother kept telling me to get some kind of leather "easy chair" - I suppose to rest my weary old bones in- and this is what I chose- a circa 1900 english chesterfield, which I use like a chaise. That's all for now kids, see you soon.  Enjoy!  DF *****