BEFORE/AFTER : DFID

Dean Farris Interior Design 2018

My Naples Living Room - before with carpet, and after with travertine floor- ! DF

Dean Farris Interior Design 2019

PAINTED FLOORS, Ultra Chic

Albert Hadley

Not often seen, the painted floors I dream of are the rara avis of high style decoration.  Think Bunny Mellon,  Sister Parish, and Carolyne Roehm...the room shown above is in Florida and was designed by the late Albert Hadley. 

Gloria Vanderbilt

Even something as simple as a plain (un-patterned) painted floor sends me over the moon!  Such as the Long Island salle a manger of tastemaker and style icon, Gloria Vanderbilt, shown above.

Gloria Vanderbilt

A variant on paint is the collaged fabric floor, varnished.  Todd Oldham the fashion designer, also had this done in his boutiques once upon a time.

John Fowler for Rachel "Bunny" Mellon

Former Mellon townhouse, New York



Mrs. Henry "Sister" Parish



T. Furlow Gatewood

TFG

Louise Wilcox Cronan, Cottage Living

Albert Hadley (House Beautiful)

Mario Buatta (Architectural Digest)

Mary McDonald

Miles Redd

Bunny Williams

Pauline de Rothschild (AD) 

PDR

Deeda Blair

Madcap Cottage

Mario Buatta (AD)

Howard Slatkin

Howard Slatkin

Alex Papachristidis

Alex Papachristidis



Albert Hadley and Britton Smith

Albert Hadley and Harry Heissmann

Jeffrey Bilhuber (Elle Décor)

Jeffrey Bilhuber

JB

JB

Jeffrey Bilhuber

Albert Hadley (House Beautiful)

Parish Hadley

Carolyne Roehm, Charleston

CR

CR

* * * * *

Imported Antique Flooring!

image via Paris Ceramics

I'm consulting with a client on stone flooring this afternoon, so thought I'd mention this material on today's post.  Here at the Miromar Design Center, we're fortunate to have a PARIS CERAMICS showroom...I also enjoy shopping for stone floors at Reuben Sorhegui here in Naples (see foyer below by Dean Farris Interior Design)  ~

(c) DFID Fleck Residence

Using antique materials is certainly desirable, if sometimes cost prohibitive, however I have a talent for finding new materials that convey the look of age.  I recently met a designer from Alabama, Luke Gontarek, who has clients that bought the house of A. Hays Town, the famous architect  known for his use of antique materials, not unlike our own Addison Mizner did once upon a time here in sunny Florida.   
Barry Darr Dixon, another designing friend, designed the lakefront home of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Hendricks, and that house boasted an entire roof covered in antique tiles imported from Italy!  Fabulous!  DF *****

A. Hays Town via Wikipedia

Shopping for Rugs: Naples

Dean's shirt by J. McLaughlin

I have one favorite source here in Naples, called DESIGNERS RUG CENTER. While they may not have Stark, PFM, or Doris Blau, they do have some decent things to work with for most any client. Here I am shopping away this morning, where I found a Pakistan "black" rug I loved for myself, a Turkish one of a kind piece for a client, and another one I liked for the cottage look favored by Sister Parish in Maine. ENJOY! DF *****PS: Mark Nelson in New York also has some great rug and carpet designs.

Heavenly Halls!

Interior design by Elizabeth Dinkel

I very much like these two halls I found on the exciting new design blog called The Enchanted Home...the classic black and white checkered one is by my friend Leta Fosters daughter, Los Angeles designer Elizabeth Dinkel. I plan to incorporate some of this look into our new South Carolina project, if at all possible. The elegance and beauty of these floors is unrivaled! April coming up...how can it be so soon? I know that all of my friends up north will be glad to see it, and the merry month of May even more so. Enjoy the day, wherever in the world you are! DF *****

Floor Design: Foyer

Design by Dean Farris, table, Michael Greer

I chose to share this foyer from Houston, Texas today, as I'm proposing a similar design for my new 11,000 square foot project in South Carolina. Sister Parish was known for her dramatic floor treatments, and I'm a big fan of hers. Compare this shot in Houston with one I created in a Naples, Florida condominium, using inlaid marble. Dean Farris Interior Design. DF ****** Have a great weekend!

Masculine Wood Flooring!

We were able to retain the existing "baseboard"

Landing at top of stairs, carpet - Ralph Lauren Home

The rug we purchased six years ago

I love the idea of "hand scraped" wood floors right now. Some of these appear to be actually "hand scraped" while others really are...obviously the price is higher for the real thing. It seems that, in our modern, high tech world, authenticity is one thing that is a truly rare, and costly, commodity. On this job, I had suggested to the client that we install a fitted seagrass over the existing dated looking tile floor, as a way to improve the look of the space, as well as to freshen up his collection of french and italian antiques. I'm glad we didn't do it, as seagrass requires maintenance, he has a dog, and it would have cost more than the new hardwood floor! Furthermore, seagrass has unfortunately become a decorating cliche' (although highly rated in the authentic department) and I just thought it was perhaps a bit trite, even though most clients who are not tuned in still don't understand it. Taste is all relative to the individual; one can't force a client to have something that they don't like. This wood flooring from ProFloors is classic, timeless, and will improve the resale value of this condo. Here are a few quick shots I took while over there to inspect the final installation. Enjoy! DF ***** Room by Dean Farris Interior Design.