Thursday, April 21, 2016

A CHAIR, A LOVE AFFAIR

(C) Dean Farris Interior Design 2016
When I first laid eyes on this Spanish copy of a painted Louis XV chair, with gilt decorations -I fell in love, it was love at first sight.  There's a long story behind my acquisition of it, let me share it with you. 

The first time I actually met Albert Hadley was when he came to FIT to give a talk to the interior design students.  He had his assistant at the time, Tice Alexander, with him.  Tice and I had been friends when we both studied at FIT- and I just happened to be wearing a bright-ish teal sweater that day- (a purchase I had spent a lot of time agonizing over, from the old Barneys when it was still downtown)...later Tice told me that the only student that Albert thought had style was that guy wearing the teal sweater!  This was around 1982 or so.

Fast forward to 1996 or 97, and lo and behold, Albert had purchased a small cottage in Old Naples!  I was thrilled. (I had moved to Naples from NYC in 1996) One day AH and I were spending some time in the tiny guest house behind the main cottage, and I saw the chair- the chair I fell in love with- it was TEAL !  I died.  I swooned.  Albert saw how much I loved it and agreed to sell it to me.  I was able to convince a client, who had never paid any fees, to buy the chair for me, in lieu of a fee- and she agreed!  I was in heaven!  :)

While this chair still gives me pleasure, and reminds me of the days of wine and roses with Albert- I do realize that it's perhaps a little too grand for how I really live.  Not that it's museum quality, but the fragility and the provenance...I adore it!  It inspired me to pursue more objects of quality and upped my game when it comes to furniture selection.  I see it as a piece of sculpture in a space.  Not really a chair.  An art object.  An object of desire. 

Teal reminds me of my childhood, when I would see this teal Rolls Royce convertible sitting in a carport on my way home from school.  One day when I happened to be walking on Madison Avenue in New York, I saw Mrs. Petrie being driven up the avenue in HER teal Rolls Royce!  It was a fabulous sight- very glam.  I also love this color as seen in 18th century oil paintings, often juxtaposed with a tomato red.  Beautiful!
DF *****

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

DESIGNER SCRAPBOOK April 2016

(c) DFID
(c) DFID
Design by Tara Bates, Naples
(c) DFID
Just came back from a nice long weekend....

Monday, April 11, 2016

RITZ CARLTON, NAPLES, A Cheeseburger in Paradise

Relaxing at The Ritz, Naples

Billy and I enjoy lunching at the Ritz Carlton, Naples, (the one on the beach) -we have two- and here's yours truly striking a pose in a hall off the main lobby...

Purple petunias, Ritz Carlton, Naples

Potted flowers are everywhere, as well as orchids galore, and a rose garden fronting the spa...

A view from the Gumbo Limbo

Our favorite is the outdoor restaurant, Gumbo Limbo, facing the beach and the gulf....cheeseburgers are fab, and the salads are good too...and of course the specialty cocktails!

A view from the boardwalk out to le plage

My ikat/tie dye shirt is Ralph Lauren, belt and trousers are Banana Republic, and mules are Nike, watch is classic Rolex oyster.
It's Spring, enjoy it!  DF *****

P.S. I saw the new film this weekend, "The Boss" and surprise! Kathy Bates was in it!  Hilarious!

Friday, April 8, 2016

A FAVORITE CLIENT, DFID, NAPLES

DFID (c) 2016

Pittsburgh native, Charles Fleck, has been a good client and a wonderful friend over the past 17 years or so,  we had some fun last night hanging his new painting by Rick Moore, who used to own a gallery here in Naples...(shown above)

DFID (c) 2016

I took these quick shots with my phone- we also had recently freshened up his bedroom, with new paint, carpet, curtains, and bedcoverings...keeping the mirrored wall and the existing bed, by Kreiss...Enjoy ! DF ***** 

DFID (c) 2016
 
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Thursday, April 7, 2016

TODD ALEXANDER ROMANO, NAPLES

Todd Romano, via House Beautiful

I was excited to hear (from dear friend Mary) that Todd Romano had recently decorated the old Albert Hadley cottage...(Naples) where I spent a lot of time back in the late 90's.

Having always been a huge fan of Todd's, I was relieved to know that he had been involved in this project, and I know that Albert would be very pleased as well.  See the circa 2000 image from House Beautiful below for the Albert version of this room...


Albert Hadley, via House Beautiful

It's a great tribute to Naples to have had not just Albert but also Todd working here, and I was thrilled to see what Todd had done, since the previous owner had used some oversized furniture that seemed to dwarf the diminutive cottage rooms... this house has sold several times since Mr. Hadley owned it, and it finally is coming into it's own now that TAR has put his elegant imprimatur on it...check out more of Todd's beautiful design work here from his interior design site. 

Beautiful, elegant, and suitable- Billy Baldwin would be impressed too!  DF *****

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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

A Romantic Ruin in Palm Beach

515 North County Road, Palm Beach

Imagine, where once the estate of Mona and Harrison Williams, and later - Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman ~stood, there is now a "95 million dollar tear-down" (Palm Beach Daily News) - however, with over 400 feet of direct ocean frontage, perhaps the price is reasonable- and no doubt, this property will most likely be sub-divided, pending town approvals...let's wait and  see what happens!  DF*****  

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Saturday, April 2, 2016

SASHA BIKOFF, NEW YORK

Sasha Bikoff Interior Design

I was inspired today, from reading about the young New York based designer, Sasha Bikoff, on New York Social Diary...bravissima! DF *****

Friday, April 1, 2016

BEAUTIFUL, BY MARK D. SIKES

Mark D. Sikes
Fantastic news!  One of my favorite gents, designer-writer-inspiration, Mark D. Sikes, has a new book coming out, called simply, "BEAUTIFUL" !

via the MDS blog

This book promises to be a forever inspiration, covering over 16 of his projects as well as his favorite styles and looks...Enjoy!  DF *****