Charm or Grandeur?

Ever since Diane Burns San Francisco house was first published, I've been an ardent fan and admirer of her and her work. She has lived all over the world, and enjoys creating magical, utterly charming homes for herself and her clients. In a way, her work is inspired by a classical point of view, made modern for todays lifestyles. Contrast and compare her work with this very formal salon from the former Wrightsman apartment. This shot of her Florida home intrigues me, and the AD coverage of that house was so beautiful. I believe the peripatetic designer is now living in South America, Sao Paulo or Buenos Aires perhaps. I also am very partial to this living room she designed. Do you prefer the charm of smaller more intimate spaces, or large, grand rooms designed for formal entertaining? Perhaps a little of both? Something to contemplate over breakfast. Enjoy! DF *****

Designer Profile: Peggy Braswell

Designer Peggy Braswell

Recently, I discovered a Los Angeles designer, Peggy Braswell, who is a native of Florida. I very much liked Peggys work as seen on her site, and thought to share some of it here. I was lucky enough to meet the late Joseph Braswell, when in NYC en route to England many years ago. As far as I know they are not related, am waiting to hear back from dear Peggy. Her work intrigues me, and I hope to have a chance to meet Peggy in person soon.

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GOOD NEWS! Just landed another new project, in South Carolina, for clients that I started working with about 35 years ago. This will be house number six! Stay tuned for more... Enjoy the day! DF *****

In Memoriam: Fernando Bengoechea

I always enjoyed seeing dear Fernando Bengoechea when I worked with Tice Alexander, the Parish Hadley decorator I met while we attended FIT. Tice was forever working on some Park Avenue apartment - and lived in a large Park Avenue half floor when I first met him, and Fernando photographed his work more than once. So I was so terribly shocked when I heard that, while on holiday in Sri lanka with his partner, Nate Berkus, another interior designer you may have heard about, he was lost in the horrible tsunami. My mothers hairdresser knows someone who knows Nate...and I have often thought it would be fun to meet Nate in person. I caught him once on a Home Shopping network program, selling sheets, and he sold about 5,000 sets in less than an hour! WOW! I wanted to share this handsome portrait of Fernando with you. He was from Argentina, not Italy as I had always thought before I had the privilege of meeting him. Part of Tice's brilliance as a decorator was working with top talents like Fernando Bengoechea. DF *****

The New Glamour: D’Aquino Monaco

The New Glamour: D’Aquino Monaco
Another fabulous NYC designer I had the privilege to know and work with!
Carl D'Aquino was also kind enough to have House & Garden credit me as an associate...
Here is a beautifully restrained dining room by Carl and Francine. DF*****
photograph courtesy Decorati

Super Bowl Sunday - Sherle Wagner !

Interior design by Dean Farris

Interior design by George Constant

Sherle Wagner makes these beautiful "super bowls" which I have always liked, and have even specified on jobs... if someone were to mention the Super Bowl, this is what would come to my mind! The colors and the designs are so beautiful, not prosaic like an ordinary white, undecorated basin. Here I share with you dear reader, some of my favorite decorative designs from Sherle Wagner, including one I used in the Charleston residence... Enjoy! DF*****

High Gloss Magazine Launch Party

High Gloss Magazine Launch Party
Exciting news from Paloma Contreras!

Room of the Week, Charleston

Deborah Lipner as seen in Veranda, love her sense of placement!

Deborah used sofas by Hickory Chair

My room for Naples clients, with similar mood

I fell for this chic and soothing room in Charleston, for a New Yorker, by the Greenwich designer, Deborah Lipner. Shades of Georgina Fairholme crossed with Albert Hadley! I honed in on this room because I had recently created a similar palette for clients from Cape Cod (East Falmouth, Mass) here in Naples... Deborah used sofas from Hickory Chair, and my new friends Sandra and Dana are from Greenwich and are helping me out with their Decorator Tag Sale (similar to a One Kings Lane) where I can liquidate some of my designer furnishings. And Laura Holland of the Hickory Chair blog has offered to post some of my work on the HC site, which is very exciting. Designer Todd Richesin of Knoxville was recently featured on the Hickory Chair blog for his work on the home in Key West he did as seen in Traditional Home magazine. Christina of the blog The Enchanted Home featured the Deborah Lipner room recently on her blog, and that is where I first discovered Deborahs work. ENJOY! DF *****

Designer Profile: Mary McDonald

Designer Mary McDonald

Her visually stunning new book

I see some very exciting posts today from my various interior design blogger friends...Jennifer, Tina, Brad... I was in the Borders bookstore the other day, and came across this gorgeous new book by Mary McDonald, the Los Angeles designer. Mary is a native Californian, and was raised in Brentwood. Her work shows how very passionate and talented she is. I'm crazy for the way she consistently uses chairs as a sort of exclamation mark in her rooms. Her color sense is highly dramatic, and of course there is a lot of attention to detail. Like that Noel Coward play, Design for Living, she too is a work of art, and is her own best advertisement, as you can see here from this portrait of her. Her new book (Rizzoli) is nothing short of stellar, and I must have it for my collection of decorating books. I think we all at some point aspire to having a big glossy book showing our work, have you noticed that there has been a glut of them coming out lately? I just need to have a personal library devoted to this topic, I remember Tice had two huge bookcases made for his tomes, and the designer Mark Zeff has retained them when he took the apartment after Tice died. What a time I had going through them and soaking up all the exciting information they held. When a subject is your passion, you have an inexhaustible supply of energy to put into it. Have a great weekend, ENJOY! DF*****

Nice Vacation

Makana Terrace, Kauai

Charleston Garden

Some old, dear client/friends recently left for three weeks in Hawaii... I thought, how nice. I found this image somewhere on the web and loved it. Not sure where they are in the islands, but am certain its a first class hotel or house. These clients live in a gem of a house in Charleston, SC and its just below Broad in the battery district. I had a ball spending about two years helping with the remodeling and decoration. Here's a peek at the exquisite garden, which is illuminated at night. Charleston is known for its secret gardens, and old guard, closed society, as well as culinary delights. I like 82 Queen for lunch. Please let me know if you have other Charleston dining establishments you are fond of. Enjoy! DF *****

Furnishing with Antiques for Today

From Pied a Terre, Los Angeles

From the Pink Door, Greensboro, NC

Chez Coco Chanel

Classic French commode

Beautiful old pieces from centuries past enrich our lives, make the room, and create a focal point as well as a certain tone for the space. I feel that for a room or a home to be a success, that there must be some antique or vintage pieces placed. It's not about money, as they often hold their value, increase in value, and can often be purchased on the installment plan. There are even banks in New York which accept them as collateral for a loan! Hope you'll keep all of this in mind the next time your designer takes you out to see something he or she needs you to purchase for your room or rooms! DF *****

At Red Cross Designers’ Show House, cozy ideas make best of quirky spaces

Leta Austin Foster at DCOTA

Letas Room viewed through Designer Lisa Erdmans room

Leta Austin Foster with India Foster

At Red Cross Designers’ Show House, cozy ideas make best of quirky spaces
Check out Leta's latest look! (courtesy Palm Beach Daily News)

Inspiration: Albert Hadley Hurricanes

from Liz O'Brien, New York

Available through Liz O'Brien

Oh my goodness! So many things to discuss today on DFS. First, have you seen Mary McDonald's STUNNING new book? You must, it is one of the best of the new decor books out now, promoting what we do (enriching lives, saving marriages, improving property values, etc.), NEXT, what about this new online magazine called LONNY? Have you seen it yet? How about HIGH GLOSS? Surely this is the wave of the future in publishing. CSN, an online furniture store, did about 350 million last year in sales. What does that tell us? Of course, in our very discerning designers world, there is furniture, and then there is FURNITURE! As in, say, the stock at Liz O'Briens esoteric shop/gallery in New York. Friend James Andrew just posted about her (again) he loves that place, and no wonder - I found two items that inspired me for todays post, these Albert Hadley "Hurricane" candle holders, and this Jansen table purchased from the Wrightsman sale of her London apartment. (see my earlier Wrightsman post) Can you just picture one or two of these sitting on this table, perhaps near a window, and just glittering away? AND, yesterday I spied a John Derian glass decoupage candle holder - with butterflies, which would GLOW when the candle was lit! How charming is that? Enjoy the day dear readers, wherever you are! DF *****