SUMMER 2019: Where Fantasy Meets Reality

Renzo Mongiardino for Drue Heinz

I chose this image to represent my summer and all my dreams coming true- Heather Clawson of habitually chic had posted about the sale of the Drue Heinz estate yesterday- And I admired the hand painted mural behind the gilt console as a fabulous example of fantasy meeting reality- (and notice the unicorn!!)

Looking forward to upcoming trips- plus seeing the new "Rocket Man" the story of Bernie Taupin transforming  Sir Elton John- When I was a lad of 17, I met Stan Topol who eventually did extensive interior design work for Sir Elton- Stan was the chairman of the interior design department when I attended the art institute of Atlanta- In Alana Hamilton's biography "rearview mirror" she mentions that her husband Rod Stewart was good friends with Elton John also- They had funny nicknames for each other too-

I enjoy watching television especially the bravo network where I saw my friend Mario Buatta with his client in Charleston- on "Southern Charm" - But my favorite program is called "project runway" and there's a girl on there that I'm very partial to and her name is Hester Sunshine - She is now in the top four and I'm rooting for her to win the big $300,000 purse plus mentorship with CFDA and being published in Elle magazine- Follow Hester on Instagram- ( @besta_hesta ) she's an authentic talent with star potential following in the path of Betsy Johnson.

Years ago I saw the documentary film "queen of Versailles " about Jackie Siegel building her dream house near Orlando Florida- So recently I met the charming and beautiful Pamela Smith who is best friends with Jackie and she has invited me to the grand opening party of Jackie's "Versailles" - Pamela has already been to the house and seen the progress which has been 15 years in the making and just Jackie's dressing room alone is over 4000 ft.² !  The icing on the cake is that Pamela and Jackie were flown to Nice by Bravo and will be featured on "below deck" ! Can't wait ! See you in September!  DF

Monte Carlo

CHARM: Printed Cotton

Thibaut, via Marbella Design Miromar Design Center

I've always loved the quaint charm of printed materials including glazed and unglazed chintz -
Here's one Under consideration for a current project in Grey Oaks Naples- DF

BEFORE: DFID

My Naples living room before remodel

Every single thing had to come out of this room since I'm getting the new travertine floor installed- Once that is completed I can edit and replace furnishings however it will all have to come out again when the lanai gets enclosed with glass becoming a solarium of sorts-
My dear followers and readers may have to wait until September however as I usually take a break from writing and posting in the summertime- enjoy!  DF

CHIC: BF Durbar Tait Strie'

Brunschwig et Fils 

As you probably know by now I'm very fond of ikat patterns- And this one I discovered from Brunschwig while shopping for my client Loreen is made in Italy which makes it even better- It's a heavenly blend of cotton, viscose (Italian rayon) and linen- with a "softened" finish.  $198 a yard through your designer -

I still vividly remember opening my account with Brunschwig and fils in Atlanta and how proud I was to have an account with them - samples of which I showed in my shop in the west end section of Winston-Salem.  I used one of their most magnificent floral chintzes for the entrance hall at 1040 Arbor Rd. -the stately home of leigh and selwyn rose which they loaned out for the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.  DF

J. SPECTRE: Patriotic Palette

Jay Spectre Interior Design via Architectural Digest

My Memorial Day tribute - another New York dining room - with a dramatic point of view- even though this is a "vintage" image it still resonates today- lets call it classical modern-

 The designer Jay Spectre lived at 800 Fifth Avenue- ( a rental building where Donald and Ivana lived while Trump Tower was being built)- overlooking Central Park- Many years later after Jay had moved out, my friend Parkin Saunders moved in- And I suppose I'll never forget my first visit to Parkin's apartment where he had Annie Lennox blasting "no more I love you" - As the lights of Central Park West glittered in the distance I took in the French furniture and the dark coffee brown lacquered walls- it was glamorous- just like Parkin- fond memories.  R.I.P. DF

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H. SAMUEL: Salle a Manger

Gutfreund Residence, New York

Serena Boardman of Sothebys international real estate also has the listing for this amazing apartment on Fifth Avenue which the king of Wall Street lived in with his wife Susan-  This apartment at one time was the most expensive in Manhattan going for the asking price of $120 million but it has now been reduced to 59 million- I always admired the Winter garden which this dining room opens into-
Fin de Siècle beauty!  The stripe on the walls in this dining room reminds me of the Getty drawing room also on Fifth- as decorated by Parish- Hadley many years ago.  DF

UPDATE: see my post on Chartwell, the Perenchio estate in Los Angeles, also decorated by Henri Samuel !  DF

SALON: Nan Kempner

Park Avenue salon of the late Nan Kempner, via Sotheby's 

Serena Boardman has the listing for this beautiful apartment belonging to the late socialite Mrs. Thomas Kempner, known as Nan- a native of the charming town of San Francisco she had worked with Billy Baldwin and Michael Taylor on this apartment which is now on the market for 18 million-


I've always admired this classic drawing room where the banquettes were originally upholstered in a wide wale corduroy- An Innovation at the time- I mentioned to my friend Andrea that I had seen Nan Kempner once- standing in a doorway on Madison Avenue wearing a trenchcoat and she was beyond chic but also beyond thin ! So thin! Darling one can never be too rich or too thin!


I was often taken to the society restaurant called Mortimers for lunch in Mr.Clarkson's
dark green Rolls Royce and sometimes I would see her there picking at a salad- After Mortimer's closed she would sometimes be seen at Swifty's -a similar type of establishment which had been decorated by Mario Buatta- may he rest in peace.  DF

VIEW: Through the Glass

Sunset cocktails Naples, FL

I was delighted to sit with Loreen and talk about the decoration of her apartment in Naples while sipping Prosecco and nibbling on fabulous bites- She took this picture and sent it to me as we were chatting and I truly enjoyed our time together- Have a great weekend wherever you are!  DF

ARCHITECT: Byron Simonson

Byron Simonson, Architect

I was reading Avenue magazine on line yesterday and came across the piece about the 64th international debutante ball in New York- Two of "my"girls were in it -Miss Ireland Irving of Naples, Florida and Miss Mary (Mimi) Valentine Apple of Winston Salem, North Carolina!

Miss Ireland Irving

Mary's home in Winston Salem is located on property that once belonged to the Reynolda estate and it was designed by Palm Beach architect Byron Simonson -who was associated with Addison Mizner and Maurice Fatio.

Here are two interesting images of a modernist house with classical interiors- notice the coromandel screen used on the fireplace wall- more inspiration for you- and by the way, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!!  DF

SISTER: 960 Fifth Avenue

Ailsa Mellon Bruce

I was reading my copy of "sister the life of legendary American interior decorator Mrs. Henry Parish the second" and came across an interesting quote from the late Mark Hampton- (paraphrase) "Mrs. Mellon Bruce was sitting in Sisters drawing room wearing a purple brocade suit and tons of Rubies like an inanimate  object while everyone waited on her" - !  I found this to be such a provocative remark that I had to find out more about Mrs. Bruce-  Turns out when she died she was known as the richest woman in America-  as she was the daughter of Andrew Mellon and the sister of Paul Mellon who married Rachel Lambert Lloyd (Bunny Mellon)- Apparently Mrs. Mellon Bruce had an apartment in the same building as Mrs. Parish-  nice neighbors!  DF

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CLASSIC: New Stone Floor!

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

I still love this shot of my Naples living room where I had installed a wool Wilton carpet from Designers Rug Center- In a very  pale spa blue with ivory hexagonal Design- but I have news!

Beginning in June I will have a beautiful travertine floor in a pattern known as French country garden also known as an ashlar  pattern- !  It's a medium taupe color with a cream/sand grout color-
Check back to see the new floor!  DF

SWEET DREAMS: Penthouse Bedroom

NYC bedroom of The Hilfigers

I had this photo in my files as an inspiration for a bedroom I was preparing to design for one of my best clients in Grey Oaks here in Naples- My client had requested a blush and pale gray color scheme- The stunning bedroom shown above belongs to Tommy and Dee Hilfiger- a true Manhattan power couple- notice the gorgeous pair of topiary flanking the Louis XV mantel- the fur throw- the monogrammed linens- it all screams luxury!  They have had this trophy apartment on the market for 50 M - as far as I know it's still available- what an inspiring room and a truly inspiring all American couple!  DF

TABLESCAPE : David Hicks

David Hicks Interior Design

I've had this image in my file for quite some time now as a source of inspiration for today's post- The famous London designer David Hicks had written about the tablescape in some of his books and I've always found them to be a topic of great interest- When I was a student in New York under the former Parsons school of design faculty at FIT one of our assignments was to create renderings of tablescapes- we learned that one can design and edit any surface- and it was a great exercise in the education of the eye.  It's also a lot of fun!  Try it!  DF

MUSE: Carmen/Louis XV

Carmen 

The model Carmen has always been an inspiration to me as she represents total New York glamour  and sophistication- I believe that I saw her in the show room of Clarence house at the D&D in New York many years ago and that reminded me of how Temo Callahan had introduced me to the fabulous world of silk velours gaufre'  (stamped silk velvet) - ooh la la - It's New York Meets Paris elegance at its peak of chic- So I thought if Carmen asked me to help her create a sitting room for her in Manhattan I would suggest aubergine lacquered walls with a statement pair of chairs in a cerise silk velvet- With perhaps an Andy Warhol portrait of her above a gilt Console (rococo) - Inspired!
I sourced her chairs from Cedric DuPont in West Palm Beach- sensational!  DF

STYLE: Jane Engelhard

Jane Engelhard

Billy and I were driving out to Boca grande to see our client Mrs. Labrecque, and my phone rang -it was Albert Hadley calling- Of course I was delighted to hear from Albert and I told him where we were going and I'm sure he was familiar with it since Parish Hadley did a lot of work for Charles and Jane Engelhard- They kept an estate on the island known as Gasparilla which was called Pamplemousse and Bunny Williams had shared a funny story about going there one time and not bringing dinner clothes but of course Mrs. E saved the day-

I found this vintage image of Jane so compelling as it shows several elements of timeless and classic decor including the pair of Louis XV armchairs- In reading social history I've learned that Jane and Brooke Astor both started their lives in China and I found this an interesting coincidence and also that  Janes daughter Annette was very good friends with Brooke Astor- The Engelhards owned seven homes around the world and many of them were decorated by sister parish -they were also involved in the world of horse racing- in a major way -

Notice the Chinoiserie screen in the corner -another timeless element which has become extremely fashionable in the 2000s- Wouldn't it be fun to own that screen and be able to say that it had belonged to Jane?  Similar to the story about the couple who attended bunny mellons auction and bid an outrageous  price for a sculpture of a bunny rabbit that had been bought in a gift shop for very little money- !  The couple was quoted as saying because it had belonged to bunny they had to have it-

To read more about Jane and Charles check out "the devoted classicist" by my friend John Tackett who once worked at Parish Hadley -he did a very interesting post on Cragwood - the far Hills estate belonging to the Engelhard family - Which Jane sold after (he) died prematurely and subsequently she moved to Nantucket where she died of pneumonia. RIP DF

DFID: Enlightened

Dean Farris Interior Design

Here's an interesting shot of the morning light coming into my Naples living room -I always get a kick out of seeing the different effects that the sunrise makes-  Namaste! DF

COTE JARDIN: Decorative Delight

Cote Jardin Antiques via Tone on Tone

So yesterday I was reading a favorite interior design Blog called "tone on tone" -And came across this fabulous image that Loi had posted from this beautiful Georgetown shop- located in a hidden side street off O Street -

Before I moved to New York City I had a very darling apartment on Q St. near Dumbarton Oaks- I remember how fortunate I felt to have found the apartment- It was an English basement in an Italianate revival townhouse and I painted the floors white and the walls were white painted brick everything was white- it was quite glamorous!  Louise and I used to haunt this cute place on Wisconsin Avenue called Au Pied de Cochon - (foot of the Pig) And I enjoyed my time in Washington very much-  but NYC was calling!  DF

Naples Beach: Charming Pastels

Dean Farris Interior Design

Continuing with my post from yesterday here's an image showing Loreen's living room in the Parkshore area of Naples- I came up with the brilliant idea of installing a pair of false mirrored French doors between custom bookcases to balance the opening from the oval shaped foyer opposite-

Vintage sofa in Ralph Lauren Home silk tweed.  Chairs Jacques Garcia for Baker.  Ottoman Hickory Chair.  Pair etagere tables Milling Road.  Ebonized coffee table, Ralph Lauren Home.  Contractor, Tony Felice.

We created this charming apartment 17 years ago and it is still exactly as I left it!  Recently Loreen inherited an 18th century house in Litchfield County, Connecticut and I look forward to helping out with that one as well - DF

LUNCH: Notes on Living Well

Signed copy!

Yesterday I had a delightful alfresco lunch with my dear client and friend Loreen- We started out with a rose'Prosecco-

and a fabulous cheese with fresh fruit- Our main course was a lovely quiche Lorraine with a beautiful green salad and fruit cup- !  All this while sitting on the terrace overlooking the beautiful gulf of Mexico which was the color of a pale aqua marine jewel-

This past winter Loreen had attended the Naples Tables event at the Ritz Carlton and it was sponsored by the League Club- where 70 designer tables were created to raise funds.  Designer and lifestyle guru James Farmer was the keynote speaker and he very kindly signed Loreen's copy of his latest book shown here-

Then she surprised me as she often does by suggesting that she submit me to the League club as a possible entrant for the upcoming event next season!  Of course I was delighted!  Another charming and very flattering thing about Loreen is that I had decorated her condo 17 years ago and it's still exactly the same as I left it !  A true tribute to my talent taste and style and it's always encouraging that Nancy Porter of Albert Hadley's office had referred her to me 17 years ago and that's how we came together!   Thank you Loreen!  Thank you Nancy!  DF

STYLE: Georgia Peach

My mothers portrait by Joseph Wallace King

Happy Mothers Day- ! Like the soft pink petals of the rose a mother never fades away she becomes a beautiful potpourri of memories and love - And I'm certainly very grateful and fortunate to still have my lovely mother-

In a funny aside, many years ago I had this oil sketch done of my mother (as a gift for my father) by the late artist Joseph Wallace King, who at that time was the only American to have painted Queen Elizabeth -!  I guess I figured if he was good enough for the queen he was good enough for my mother LOL !

An interesting fellow with an interesting background we met through Leigh Rose when I did the foyer for the Shakespeare Festival decorator show house on Arbor Road- Leigh and her husband Selwyn had moved to Winston-Salem from Beverly Hills, California where Leigh drove a Rolls-Royce - with a gold key - she told me it was in the shop more often than in her garage- through Leigh I became friends with Joe's second wife Deborah, who divided her time between homes in Florence, Italy and Winston-Salem.  Deborah and I also participated in the Gourmet Gala - which was another fundraiser charity event back then and it was a lot of fun.

Another eccentric and funny thing about Joe was that he only had one arm- imagine a one armed portrait painter !  But no one thought anything of it- he was very talented - and his first wife, Earline King, was a classically trained sculptor- they had this glamorous  house at the end of Arbor Road across from JoAnn Reynolds' estate- that rambled on and on like something out of a Hollywood version of a Connecticut country house and the most interesting thing to me was it had a very serpentine curved pierced brick wall that wrapped around the entire property which was hung with Ivy- it was amazingly beautiful- DF

NEWPORT: Quatrel on Market

Restored and inviting Ogden Codman masterpiece offers every modern amenity and comfort. Exquisitely detailed interiors flow beautifully for entertaining or just relaxing at home. This historic property includes a two bedroom carriage house. Bailey’s Beach and the Cliff Walk are a short walk away. Absolute perfection! “Quatrel” was built in 1853 and was originally known as “Fairbourne”. It was built for Earl P. Mason of Providence who was the president of the Rhode Island National Bank. The house was designed by Providence architect Thomas Alexander Tefft in the style of an Italianate villa. In 1880 the house was sold to New York lawyer and art connoisseur Egerton Winthrop. In 1903 Winthrop engaged architect Dudley Newton and Ogden Codman, Jr. to enlarge and remodel the house in the Classical Revival style. Many of Codman’s architectural drawings for “Quatrel” are in the collection of Historic New England and include elevations, details, and plans for the dining room, hall, library drawing room, and the garden and trellis. Codman was a friend of Edith Wharton, the 19th century writer and taste-maker who wrote several design books including The Decoration of Houses which was co-authored by Codman. In 1949 the house was sold to Louis and Elaine Lorillard who renamed the house “Quatrel”. The Lorillard’s were the founders of The Newport Jazz Festival. Only six families have owned “Quatrel” since it was built. You can see more here.

I found this room on "the Glam pad "yesterday and I wanted to focus on the drawing room because it represents an opulent Newport look that I've always admired- the house itself is over 150 years old and sits on famed Bellevue, across from "Rough Point" the former Doris Duke estate- inspiring!  I was drawn to the sunny color scheme and the mix of damask with chintz- so elegant and refined !  DF

KIPS BAY NY: 2019

Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club

Yesterday my associate the decorator Ruth Condit loaned me her copy of the kips Bay catalog from New York, she had just been there for the weekend to see the show house- So I was delighted and surprised to see that two pages were given to the kips Bay Palm Beach show house where my dear friend Louise had done the beautiful Loggia (pages 34-35) !  There's nothing quite as exciting as kicking off spring with a visit to the kips Bay decorator show house in New York City- I remember going there back in the 80s every year and the Rigaud candles would be burning like mad- so fabulous and so inspiring!  DF

GLORIA: Inspiring Forever

Gloria Vanderbilt via VOGUE

MY MODERN MUSE GLORIA VANDERBILT IS SHOWN ABOVE IN HER FORMER GRACIE SQUARE APARTMENT, NOTICE SHE IS HOLDING A FAN IN HER HAND!  The beautiful chintz on the walls and her headboard was obtained from my old friend Ron Grimaldi at Rose Cumming in Manhattan-

This image reminds me somewhat of the time I had to go over to the Park Avenue apartment of
Anne Ford to look at the carpet in her bedroom- In researching Ms. Vanderbilt I discovered that many bloggers have written about her including Heather Clawson of habitually chic and Mark Sikes- No surprise as she is an eternal inspiration- But I also came across this fabulous Interview
with her from interview magazine online- a very interesting follow -up to the video I had posted on her a few days ago from Wendy Goodman of The Cut - enjoy!  DF

NEOCLASSIC: Focal Point

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

This evening view of the east end of my "cottage" living room also known as the penthouse living room features a beautiful porcelain bust reproduction by Maitland Smith-

And as mentioned before I've had quite a bit of fun with my pillows and Chinese fan and the overall placement of the furnishings in this grouping- Which includes the teal painted Louis XV style open armchair in creamy white Jack Lenor Larsen Linen with the gold lame' under backing-(from Albert)  empire style pedestal and turquoise damask pillow from Blaze Interiors, Miromar Design Center.  DF

BOOKS: Stacked

Dean Farris Interior Design

As my collection of design books has grown significantly I've had to make a decision as to whether to put them on shelves or stack them on tables- So I came up with having most of them stacked in a library shelf in my home office but I decided to put some of my favorite ones on tables stacked throughout my living room and dining area- And while the idea of a library/dining table is nothing new I enjoy it because it gives me a place to display some of the more decorative ones-  And I've noticed that it's easier to reach them when I want to look at them if I have them readily available-  DF

DECORATIVE: Chinese Fans

Dean Farris Interior Design 

I was out shopping yesterday and came across these charming  and inexpensive Chinese fans. One dollar!  The chic of high-low!!  Orientalism- exoticism- ! They reminded me of when I had visited the townhouse of Angelo Donghia many years ago- he had fans which I believe Richard Giglio had made propped in different rooms in his house there on the upper East side of Manhattan- The memory of which I still relish- This entrée was due to the fact that I had Reginald Charrier as an instructor at the Art Institute of Atlanta and he was able to get us in - he later worked as a draftsman for Parish Hadley-

Another thing I noticed which I got a kick out of was my plate (antique Mintons plate) had Chinese fans on it as well- so decorative!  These fans were also popular with Karl Lagerfeld and were seen throughout the 1970's disco era- fun! CHIC! C'est chic, Le freak ! DF

R.I.P: Jayne Wrightsman

Jayne Wrightsman via NYSD

I was interested to read about the passing of the late connoisseur of French decorative arts, Jayne Wrightsman, the wife of Charles Wrightsman -who was known as Charlie.  Old Charlie was an heir to standard oil in Oklahoma and Kansas and Jayne was a party girl in Los Angeles before she became Mrs. Charles Wrightsman- what a fabulous legacy she left behind- the Wrightsman Galleries at the Met are my personal favorite.

My client whom I had mentioned yesterday had given me a copy of the Michael Gross book "740 Park" when we first met- Which I really enjoyed and still reference occasionally so I did not realize that Mr. Gross had come out with a sequel to that book.  "Rogues' Gallery, The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money that Made the Metropolitan Museum" - Apparently this book sheds light on how the very rich in Manhattan would use the museum for social entrée including Mr. and Mrs. Wrightsman- So of course I jumped on Amazon and ordered a copy!  I found it interesting that the Wrightsmans were considered nouveau, but I suppose I should not be surprised -

It would be fun and interesting to hear what Gloria Vanderbilt would have to say about the social ascent of Mr. and Mrs. Wrightsman in Palm Beach and New York-  I was Browsing some of the quintessence videos on YouTube and came across this fabulous one about Gloria  Apparently her son is helping her sell her art on her Instagram account and she's having a great success!  As I've written here before on my design blog Ms. Vanderbilt has always been and always will be a great inspiration to me.  She is the eternal definition of style and New York elegance!  DF

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COTTAGE CHARM: DFID

Dean Farris Interior Design

Not only was I thrilled to get a referral from a previous client I also just received another one yesterday- This latest client referral is an especially interesting one for me as it (originally) came from the office of the late Albert Hadley in New York-

My delightful client saw the apartment of Betsy Bulleit here in Naples and loved what Albert had done there -so she was referred to Alberts office and Nancy Porter there referred her to me!  This was many years ago and so I was delighted to receive a call yesterday from this client who now has four homes on the East Coast of the United States-  Looking forward to sharing some updated images with you from this latest refresh of an existing decorating project-! DF

MARBELLA DESIGN: Vilma Kovar

Vilma Kovar Miromar Design Center

Currently at the Miromar Design Center, we are showing outdoor furniture settings in our beautiful atrium.  Please do stop in and see all of the wonderful selections and curated collections-

I was especially fond of this setting created by Vilma Kovar of  Marbella designs- And we have 12 other settings to see which are also very beautiful- ( plus over 45 showrooms) - hope to see you soon!

We are located at 10800 Corkscrew Road, Estero, Florida.  DF

LAYERED: Mr. Dean's

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

In my own flat I'm partial to this warm and cozy layered look.  One of the first things I did when I knew I was getting this apartment was to have new curtain panels made for the sliding glass doors- Later on I used my chairs as holdbacks since I was inspired by John Fowler, Pauline de Rothschild - and Ann Getty-

Professor Stanley Barrows was quoted as saying that the best rooms combine a classical approach with a romantic approach and that also factored into my desire for a layered look in my own apartment- The natural light is something that I'm especially fond of after having been in a very dark apartment for the past few years.  While this room is far from perfect it's a small space that I enjoy arranging, changing and thinking about -as well as using on a daily basis-!

In a way it's an homage to some of my favorite decorators and Designers such as Billy Baldwin,Tom Britt, Albert Hadley, Angelo Donghia, John Fowler,  Georgina Fairholme and Mario Buatta- And I've included their books to remind me of my friendships with these iconic decorators over the years.  Because of these fine gentleman (and ladies) I enjoy discovering and promoting the work of  new, young, up and coming Designers!  DF

MR. BEES: Southern Style

Matthew Monroe Bees for Kips Bay Showhouse 2019

Happy May 1! Remember when I had posted about the decorative object known as an obelisk?  Well surprise, surprise, look what Mr. B's used in his Kips Bay room- he's one of the up-and-coming young Decorators  that we keep hearing about - and it's great fun to see this 80's revival look coming into play- Here he used a pair of obelisk in malachite and I especially am partial to the pair of chairs in the ikat pattern-  tres' jolie ! Tres' chic!  DF