STYLE: Guinevere Kings Road

via Guinevere, London

So, I'm very inspired by this famous Kings Road emporium, Guinevere ...a veritable one stop shop for ideas, furnishings, and inspirations, the Weavers are amazing !  (Dean too) If you find yourself in merry old London, pop in and say hello, you won't be sorry!  Cheerio ! DF

Sig Bergamin for GUINEVERE, Chelsea Design District

PROGRESS: Blue and White on Bellflower

(c) Dean Farris Interior Design, 2018

Making fabulous progress on this Naples project- one of my favorite clients and favorite houses- a refresh- in the family quarters, from greens and yellows to blues, whites against a butter yellow background...

(c) Dean Farris Interior Design, 2018

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VINTAGE LUXE: Revisiting The Pink Door!

The Pink Door, Inc. Greensboro, North Carolina

I'm excited to get to travel back to the Carolinas next month, and to make another visit to a favorite haunt, The Pink Door, in Greensboro. 

While enjoying the south Florida heat, I'll be planning my trip to North Carolina- always a treat, since my family is there.  Read more about The Pink Door here and enjoy! 

The proprietor, Glenn Blair Lavinder, has a flair for using vintage pieces amidst architectural backgrounds.  Brilliant!  Follow along on Instagram !  I love the glamour of this shop and design studio!

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Charm of the CAROLINAS

The Pink Door, Inc. GREENSBORO, NC 

Thanks to Hurricane Irma, I was forced to evacuate my south Florida condo, and head north - to the lovely Piedmont area of North Carolina....where I spent a fabulous ten days with my beautiful family, and visited some of my favorite haunts while there too.   Ms. Kay, of the uber charming Pink Door, introduced me to the proprietor, Mr. Glenn Blair Lavinder.  A native of Maryland, Glenn is simply  smothered in taste and style, and I really enjoyed chatting with him, and soaking up his aura of southern style and manners.  He had spent part of the summer overseeing a pop-up shop in Roaring Gap, where I once was most fortunate to assist the daughter of DeWitt Hanes with (her) bedroom in her ancestral home there- (picture Nantucket in the mountains)...no small feat, since DeWitt had used Sister Parish before I arrived on the scene!

The Pink Door, Inc. GREENSBORO, NC

I was charmed by the arrangement of items on this green bar tray...known as "libations".

The Pink Door, Inc. GREENSBORO, NC

Not to mention these exquisite taffeta curtains in ivory- reputedly purchased from a Palm Beach estate, and designed by Colefax and Fowler in London... (they are not for sale).  After I reluctantly left the Pink Door, I also paid a much overdue visit to fabulous, beyond chic, Caroline Faison antiques where, SURPRISE, Caroline was !  (she had not been there on my last visit, sadly) Can you say CHARM? Can you say BEAUTIFUL?  Her grandson, Ben, helped me with my purchase of two small Canton ware plates- on his i-pad thingy, since none of the old school Carolinian's would ever dream of using such a thing! LOL!

Reynolda Estate, Winston-Salem, NC

Back to lovely, old, Winston-Salem (have you seen "Light in the Piazza"?) - I always love to visit the house museum, Reynolda House and Gardens- the former country house of the Reynolds family.  They visited it often from their estate in Greenwich, CT., before donating it to Wake Forest University.

Reynolda Estate, Winston-Salem, NC

Above, the long view of the "front yard" acres- which were created by Thomas Warren Sears, and influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted.  Way off in this direction, is the distinguished subdivision, created by Katherine Reynolds, called Reynolda Park, where I was fortunate to create an English "County" style (think Country Life magazine) foyer at 1040 Arbor Road, for the Shakespeare Festival Decorator Show House many years ago, sponsored by Selwyn and Leigh Rose, the homeowners at that time.  I used a stunning Brunschwig chintz in bright pinks and greens on a white ground for the central skirted table.

Dean Farris Interior Design circa 1986

While in town, I also visited the Gazebo (Reynolda Village) -met Agnes Butler, proprietor of All Through The House (Reynolda Village)  - J.McLaughlin, (Reynolda Village), as well as, Darren Waggoner, proprietor of Idlewild Interiors, and Larry Laster, proprietor of Laster's Fine Art and Antiques, a wonderful establishment my family has patronized for many years- and where I purchased a lovely old Mintons plate, in old blue and crackled white.  This gave me great pleasure.  His son told me he was dead when I inquired as to his whereabouts. (not true)-. This is part of the charm of the Carolina's- a "deadpan" sense of humor!  Visit and enjoy!  The High Point "market" is coming up, and I urge you to visit these fine establishments while in the Piedmont "triad" region.  DF *****

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ROCAILLE ANTIQUES, Atlanta Style

My wonderful friend, the dealer, Charles Robert Mills, has recently updated his site .  Check it out.  Charles is a French decorative arts specialist, but is also very knowledgeable in many other areas of the decorative arts.  DF *****

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Victorian Revival, Dean Farris Interior Design

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2016

The Victorians were into maximalism, and they loved to have something they called a "cozy corner" ~ a decorative conceit where they could lounge a la turque in high style, perhaps smoking a pipe or sipping some absinthe....here, Billy and I had fun one day creating our own cozy corner, and it gave our guests a lot of pleasure.  Enjoy!  DF *****

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John Singer Sargent

 



Inspiration: Victoria Press

via Habitually Chic

The late English designer, Victoria Press, whose Cheyne Walk house in London was purchased by Michael Bloomberg, has inspired me with her shabby elegant style~ one that I admired when living in the U.K. back in the late 1970's...see more of her splendid townhouse on Habitually Chic or T the magazine of the NY Times.  DF *****

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The Mysterious Mr. Mont

A James Mont  case piece, Todd Merrill via NYSD

If you read my post about the late designer (and mentor of mine) George Clarkson, you may recall that I had a small black lacquer desk that was possibly a James Mont piece.  The dealer Todd Merrill, in New York, specializes in James Mont- and this Summer when I was visiting Tom Britt in Watermill, I learned that Todd had opened a Southampton branch of his eponymous gallery.  These images are from the NYSD article on Todd Merrill the dealer-and a gent who is working in his Southampton gallery was planning to join us for dinner when we were at the Britt estate, but had to cancel at the last minute.  Do read the Antiques magazine piece on James Mont, it's very interesting- here by Gregory Cerio.

James Mont table, Tommi Parzinger cabinet, Merrill collection, via NYSD

Screen behind stairs, James Mont, Merrill collection, via NYSD

Lamps, James Mont, chests, Tommi Parzinger, Merrill collection, via NYSD

So then, to make things even more bizarre ~ fitting, since the story of James Mont is so strange and wicked~ my good friend Linda, creator of Calling It Home (design blog), just gave me these fabulous small Asian looking (James Mont looking!) tables!  I think she said they had belonged to her husband's grandmother.  They have gold veined mirror inset into the tops, and are in perfect condition.  Crazy for these!  Thanks again dear Linda!

Small table, possibly a James Mont? One of a pair

   
I'd purchased my writing table which appeared to be a Mont, from the fabulous dealer Bobby Gingold, back in the roaring 1980's - it was missing it's drawer pulls- but otherwise was in pristine condition.  Then, due to renting a very old truck, I suffered a fire, which damaged the desk, and after bringing it down to Florida, I ended up giving it to my old friend Martin McMahon.  I assume he still has it.  DF *****

What's on your low table?

DFID via I-phone

Paige Rense, the legendary AD editor, liked to have coffee tables, or cocktail tables, listed as "low tables"...how suitable, since this one I was given (by Albert Hadley) is very low, at about 10 inches. 

If you are what your table is wearing, then I am a remnant of zebra hide, (from when I visited the RL furniture factory years ago), a Maitland Smith blue and white porcelain bowl, (filled with Agraria Bitter Orange potpourri), and a quirky small covered urn in a mottled brown metal, given to me years ago by my old friend Nicholas Cardone.  (Nicky and I have been friends for almost 40 years now!)

I do like the lower height of this small table with the low seat height of my antique chesterfield, which I've shown more than once in previous posts on my Naples living room.  Enjoy!  DF *****

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N. P. Trent, Kinderhook, NY

via the NP Trent site

I used to haunt the shop of Stuart Peckner, when he was still on Dixie in West Palm Beach. His taste level is exquisite.  Now located in the charming Hudson River town of Kinderhook, his inventory still contains some of those things I absolutely lust after, including a set of signed French chairs in pale grey original paint. 

Now that we represent the Michael Devine line of fabrics to the trade, I think of this NY town often, since Michael is also located there!  This area is a charming, much less glitzy, alternate to the Hamptons, and one can pick up a country house for a song!  One of the things that I like so much about the image (above) is the citrus-y lime-y yellow wall, which I had first experienced in the Boca Grande, FL home of Mrs. Sheila Labrecque, as decorated by Mister Carleton Varney.  Mario also is known to use this color quite a bit.  It does seem to give a nice lift to the classic antique furnishings.  And, of course, we love to add lots of fresh arrangements from the cutting garden, such as these roses I found on the FB page of designer and author Maureen Footer...

Maureen Footer, via Facebook

Enjoy the weekend, wherever you may be!  DF *****

A Young Designer in New York

My small flat in NYC,  DFID

My dear Mother found these old pictures recently, and shared them with me.  I was 27 or so when they were taken, by the now very well respected photographer, Stewart O'Shields.  Stew and I attended FIT at the same time.  I was working as an assistant to the society decorator, George Clarkson, and learning the ropes from him, a fantastic gentleman and mentor.  Most of George's clients were from old line Wall Street firms, and so, I was exposed to the finest English antiques and the highest level of taste and quality.  The gilt sunburst had been one of dozens, from the old Waldorf-Astoria ballroom, which we found one day in the basement of antiquaire Paul Martini~ the table was draped in a sheet, and my sofas doubled as beds, which I had custom upholstered in the Brunschwig chintz "faux bois".  My mother gave me the beige wool rug, and I painted the walls myself with a Benjamin Moore deck paint in high gloss.  I also added the mirrored wall, in squares.  Lamps, Hansen, toss pillows, Rose Cumming.  

1980's glamour in Manhattan  DFID

That fabulous black lacquer desk I'm standing next to, was attributed to James Mont*, and I discovered it at a wonderful downtown dealer called Robert Gingold...he would go to Paris and find things.  I think the small low table was from Macy's.  Notice the cigarettes!  I used to play Alberta Hunter songs and smoke away...one time Tice was there, and he accused me of copying the apartment that Albert (Hadley) had helped him with, which was even smaller than this one!  Then he re-arranged the furniture and left! Parkin Saunders brought my chandelier, which I never hung...it was an old gilded brass late Victorian number.  And, I never quite got around to ordering the red taffeta festoon shade for my one window.  But, I always saw it as if it was there.  Imagination is a very powerful thing, and I still use it today as part of my way of living and dealing with daily life. Enjoy! DF *****

*Read more about James Mont here

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"A Kick of French"

Bernard Steinintz, 2014 Biennale des Antiquaires, PARIS

The late, great John Fowler was quoted as saying that "every room needs a kick of French"~a decidedly English point of view, no doubt.  Perhaps this theatrical looking vignette from Benjamin Steinitz, via the Bernard Steinitz website, could illustrate Mr. Fowlers' point? 
Diane  Dorrans Saeks recently posted about the late Myra Hoefer, the California decorator known for her french apartments for Chez Vous, and I found it interesting that she made the comment that the French have a way of living, and decorating, that manages to be modern and antique at the same time.  (see below image)

Myra Hoefer, Healdsburg, CA

Myra loved to use shades of white in her work. and was a darling of the magazine editors.  I chose this image from the post that Diane did, to give an idea of what her style was like. Inspiring, and forever fresh!  Enjoy!!! DF*****

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Casa Real II, Todd Richesin

Todd Richesin and Robert Brown

You may recognize this image, since I had posted about fabulous Todd and Bobby previously~a designing duo from Knoxville, TN, I can't get enough of their exuberant and elegant Southern Style!

Todd Richesin in his Studio

While I don't yet personally know him, Todd and I have briefly chatted on Facebook, and our paths have (almost) crossed, at the Duck and Dolphin Antiques, in Key West, FL~where Todd has done work for clients...(see Traditional Home)...
I found this very interesting bit of bio on Todd on his site~

Todd grew up in Sweetwater, Tennessee. The arts and significance of home were important to his parents and still are. With their encouragement, Todd began painting and playing the violin at an early age. His first “project” happened by accident. On a trip with his parents to see their interior designer when Todd was seven years old, he found an Oriental rug in the designer’s showroom. After much insistence, he persuaded his parents and the designer to come see it, and it was deemed perfect for their library. The rug is still in his parents’ library today and has survived the re-decoration of that room three times.

Precocious? Yes, and I was the exact same way with my parents, and their interior designers!  But not at age 7 !

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

The foyer, shown above, reminds me of one in Charlotte, NC, that I'd seen when I was very young, and it made such a strong impression on me with it's magnificent sense of scale. It was the home of James Essary and Bill Ross.

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

The house of Todd and Bobby, known as Casa Real, has recently gone through some major renovations, including new windows, read all about it on their blog called "On The Fringe"... 

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

There's a great love of European style elegance evident in Todd's work, and yet his repertoire is quite varied.  Here are some of the bedrooms at Casa Real, so inviting!

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

Love the look of a flat screen above a classic commode! Notice the stunning collections displayed throughout Casa Real...and here's the charming and inviting breakfast room~

Todd Richesin, Casa Real

You can see the rest of the kitchen on yesterday's post...

Casa Real

I saved the best for last...

Casa Real

Everybody into the pool!  Doesn't this look so beautiful and inviting?  The garden and grounds at Casa Real are just as elegant as the interiors~ one can see all the love and hard work that's been poured into this project over the years. Kudos to Todd and Bobby on the creation of a masterpiece of Southern Elegance! Enjoy!  DF *****

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Casa Real, A Designer's Own Home

Casa Real, The Knoxville, TN residence of designers Todd Richesin and Bobby Brown

I'd been following the work of this talented duo, Todd Richesin, and Bobby Brown, for years, and finally we connected in the virtual way, via Facebook!   

Their beautiful, European inspired home (shown above) is an inspiration and a true labor of love for young collectors who enjoy entertaining...

via the Todd Richesin site, courtesy Todd Richesin

Foyer, Casa Real, Todd Richesin Int

Casa Real, Todd Richesin Int

Casa Real, Todd Richesin Int

Casa Real, Todd Richesin Int

Casa Real, Todd Richesin Int

You can see why I'm such a fan of Todd and Bobby's beautiful home!  I'm partial to the overall feeling of European elegance and inspiration.  Much of Casa Real, in all of it's refined detail, reminds me somewhat of the late Country French decorator, Charles Faudree.  There's a great feeling of love and attention to detail, and one can see that their house is a home.  Read more about Todd here  Enjoy!  DF *****

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