A Fond Summer Memory

Britt estate, Seashells, I-fone photo: Dean Farris

There was something very sweet and quite special about visiting Tom and Julie Britt after all those years...as if we had just seen each other last week, when in reality, it was more than 20 years since we last met! 
I had taken some random shots of the original house, (where Tom stays), and found this one in my files, and thought of sharing this charming one with you~this table was in the dining room, or Salle A Manger as my late friend Lord Jeremy Fry might have called it.   The simplicity of just those shells, arranged so casually, struck me as nothing short of pure genius.  After all, the sea is not too far away from this house, and so, it's quite suitable.  DF *****

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Weekend In The City

Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue

Algonquin Hotel, Dorothy Parker table in Oak Room, 44th off Fifth Ave

Plaza Hotel, Fifth Avenue at 58th and the park

Bergdorf Goodman, Fifth Ave at 57th Street

Our friend Tony, Dylan's Candy Bar, Third Ave at 60th Street

Looking north up Third Avenue, Manhattan

Can you say "FUN" ?  We had it, and we saw FUN HOME on Broadway, (standing room only) enjoyed a fab NY pre-theater dinner at Joe Allen, went to DON'T TELL MAMA after the theater....had breakfast in the world famous Oak Room at the Algonquin (the best omelet ever!) lunch with our NY friends, Joe and Tony, chez RUE 57, (lobster roll and a Stella) shopped RL, BG, Pinks, Trump Tower, Dylan's Candy Bar, Bloomies, The Plaza (downstairs)~ it was a real shot in the arm, and then we Jitneyed out to THE HAMPTONS !!!  Fun!  Yes!  Enjoy!

I loved seeing all the beautiful boys and girls, especially the Summer legs, muscular and hairy on the boys and long, smooth and mounted on the highest ever stacked heels on the girls!! Yes! Can't wait to go back to the city that never sleeps!  DF *****

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Beautiful Britthampton (Part III)

 

All photos, Dean Farris, courtesy Julie and Tom Britt, Britt estate, Watermill

Imagine the beauty of gardens that have had over fifty years to mature~ the exquisite grounds of the Thomas Britt estate, on Long Island, are well established, with the patina of age and a mellow glow, as Julie herself said, this place could be anywhere in the world!  Geraniums are a trademark of Tom's garden designs, and his adjoining property has a magnificent reflecting pool, down below the swimming pool.  To see that property, please refer to Veranda magazine~ an homage to certain grand houses and gardens of Europe. 

The overall ambience of the Britt estate gardens is very Russell Page, and I thought of Mrs. Brown's place and also of the Manhasset estate of Bill and Babe Paley.  Looking forward to returning in the Spring, when the allee' of cherry trees blooms in all of it's natural grandeur!  Oh, the pleasure of making some arrangements from those branches for the house!  Divine!  Enjoy!  DF *****

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Beautiful Britthampton (part II)

Britt estate, Guest House, detail

Here I am with Julie and Billy Summer 2015, Britt estate, Watermill

Britt estate, Guest House
I-fone photo by Dean

Britt estate, Guest House, floor detail

Britt estate, Guest House, ceiling detail

Britt estate, Guest House
I-fone photo by Dean

 



Here, my famous designing friend, Thomas Britt, created a folly of a guesthouse~ and it was such a treat to get to spend a night there!  The octagon shape of our room was made even more exotic by the peaked ceiling...and the stenciled floor!

Notice the Syrie Maugham style settee.  There were no less than eight (8) ! imperial foo dogs protecting us from the evil spirits, so we slept like the dead!  The genius of this room, besides the architecture, is Tom's inspired palette of a Chinese red, a Palm Beach peach-coral, and turquoise-aqua with touches of lilac...truly magical and enchanting. 

It was a long held dream of mine to see this folly-guest house in person, and then to get to spend the night there put me over the moon, as you can imagine.  Enjoy!  DF *****

P.S.  Stay tuned for the gardens of Britthampton, coming up next!

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Beautiful Britthampton, Interior Designer Tom Britt

Entrance, Main House, Britt estate, Watermill, NY
I-fone photo by Dean

I never imagined that, what I thought was "The Barn" could have been entered via an elegant neo classic David Adler looking portal, complete with a stately broken pediment overdoor, above which was hanging a distressed white pierced metal Moroccan lantern!  Or that, before that vision of classical beauty, I'd find myself in a kind of outdoor room/courtyard~ surrounded by the tallest of tall hedges, and teetering on white quartz gravel.  The shock of the classical!

Britt estate, Main House Living Room, rock quartz under Jean Michel Frank style table from the Michael Taylor estate
I-fone photo by Dean

Then, upon entering the house through the classical entryway, one was faced with the drama of a half-timbered, white washed "barn" such as Billy Baldwin had on Nantucket!  Tom told the story of Billy sending him a beautiful letter, praising this house, after having seen pictures of it.  Tom was only 26 years old when he built his house, in a former circa 1600's potato field.  He and his lovely companion, Julie, had seen a similar place belonging to old friends who were in the antiques business.  Over fifty years later, "Britthampton" is now sitting in a posh area of mini-estates, each with their own high hedges, reminding one of Palm Beach.

Photo: DK Holland

Britt estate, low table from the Helena Rubenstein sale
I-fone photo by Dean

 

Tall, tall fig trees are growing in the barn~and one especially huge one hangs over a bar set-up on a side table.  These gorgeous trees read as sculpture in the room.  The front door and entry is on an axis with the living room fireplace, which is low and modern, a la Frank, and topped with a tall undivided glass window!  The flue is vented off to the side.  The floors are a wonderful and strange kind of poured concrete with a wavy texture, which seem to have been painted with many thick coats of black, murky, waxed looking paint.  Very dramatic with the plain flat white walls, which have some sand in them for texture.  In true Tom Britt style, all upholstered pieces are classic Parsons style models in a Chanel- like quilted white vinyl.  Big pillows are made of vintage looking textiles, and the low table facing the fireplace is from the estate of the late Madame Helena Rubenstein.  While enjoying evening cocktails, served up by handsome Marcelo, I did notice that the glow from the fireplace was coming through the frosted resin Greek key legs of this ultra-chic table. 

The dining area off of the "barn room" is a simple, white space, furnished very Spartan like with a plain, probably English table, white Parsons chairs by Tom, and a plain white console with shells and coral.  Candles are burning everywhere, but the chandelier is conspicuously absent.  Creating a very calm, artist in the studio mood.  One looks out to a white quartz gravel garden with pergolas shading towering stacks of potted geraniums in pinks and reds.  I had the pleasure of meeting the iconic fashion designer, Jackie Rogers, in this very room.  Her tales of past adventures were enchanting, she's a very interesting lady.

Britt estate, Guest House
I-fone photo by Dean

After saying our good nights, Billy and I wandered back to the very decorative and charming guest house, a pavilion of two octagons flanking a square~ to our magical, octagonal bedroom, but that's coming up in the next part of this post on Thomas and Julie Britt, and their magnificent Hamptons compound.  Until then, I'm yours, sincerely, DEAN 

The Barn Billy Loved

Thomas Britt, via VERANDA

Thomas Britt (Tom) built this beautiful barn of a house when he was only 26, after visiting some friends who had a similar place.  Later, the famous society decorator, Billy Baldwin, visited Tom, and said he wouldn't change a thing. 

Coincidentally, both Albert Hadley and Billy had similar Summer abodes at various times in their lives.  I'm excited to be getting to see this famous designer barn myself, this coming weekend...there's a fun u-tube of Tom showing his property also if you're interested.  Enjoy!  DF *****  

Original sketch, Dean Farris, The Barn at Britthampton (c) 2015

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NYC Adrenaline Boost!

New York, NY

Off to New York this week, for some adrenaline, seeing old friends, theater, dining, shopping, and end of Summer fun in the Hamptons!

Stay tuned for updates coming soon to a screen near you! DF *****

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Charmer on Flagler

via MLS

Last year, this cute house was listed for sale in West Palm Beach.  My designing friend, Louise Wilcox Cronan, had at that time moved to West Palm from Atlanta, and we were having fun looking at the available properties.  I had found this one and sent it to her, after she bought her adorable Spanish bungalow with guest house~which is really coming along in terms of renovations and decorating.  Louise is soooo talented!  I'll have to ask her if she would mind me posting a picture of her new living room, complete with pickled pecky cypress ceiling, and painted floors...

The only thing I'm curious about on this house shown above, is the width of the shutters- unless they fold back- perhaps they're merely decorative? Note the slight similarity to this house, and the one Tory Burch had shown recently, in Southampton, which I re-posted (see below)both have a New England charm, and classic good looks.  DF *****

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Mad For Scaasi

Fashion designer Arnold Scaasi

Arnold Scaasi (changed from Isaacs) worked for Charles James...need I say more?

Arnold Isaacs (May 8, 1930 – August 3, 2015), known as Arnold Scaasi, was a Canadian fashion designer who has created gowns for First Ladies Mamie Eisenhower, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush, in addition to such notable personalities as Joan Crawford, Ivana Trump, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Lauren Bacall, Diahann Carroll, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, Brooke Astor, Arlene Francis, Mary Tyler Moore and The Baroness Wendy DeVere-Austin.

Isabella in Scaasi, décor by Valerian Rybar



Décor by Scaasi

While many of my readers who are much younger may not have heard of him, he was quite a success in his chosen field, and maintained a celebrity and socialite clientele for many years... This post is a tribute to a great designer, may he rest in peace! 

Sutton Place, New York

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Southampton Dream Cottage

via Hernandez Greene Interior Design

So, yesterday, while checking in with the fabulous Tory Daily (Tory Burch Blog) I discovered this so charming and cute little grey cottage ~Tory featured it and the designers Hernandez Greene...I immediately fell in love with it!  It was love at first sight. 
In a few weeks I'll be in the Hamptons, so maybe I can find where this little charmer is and see it in person!  Do visit the Tory site to see more, or Hernandez Greene...the designers did an excellent job of making a small space feel larger, and very calm and beach-like, so suitable for the location.  Using a cool palette of soft blues and creams, with touches of straw on the floor and walls.  Just adorable.  Enjoy!  DF *****

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That Salon Look, DFID

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2015

This past weekend, I had some fun re-arranging my furnishings and editing out some things I had grown tired of, plus adding a few more.

I removed the bold teal and navy ikat rug, added a new Spitzmiller inspired lamp (Home Goods) and a couple of new pillows I liked...the other big change besides taking out the rug, was switching the salon set to the dining area, and placing the draped (dining) table at the opposite end of the room,...this really opened up the space.

I didn't fully realize how that ikat rug was dominating the room!  Stay tuned for more shots...DF *****

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Bethany O'Neil: Naples Style

From the Bethany O'Neil site

Let me just say this, if you really wanted to work with a talented, experienced, interior designer, based in Naples~ you could do no better than my friend, BETHANY O'NEIL...

Not only does Bethany have a home in Naples worthy of being published in VERANDA,
she also has a beautiful and very sweet family, and they all really know how to live and to enjoy life.

Click here to explore the amazingly beautiful world of Bethany O'Neil.... a talent to keep your eyes on, and a very established one here in Naples!  DF *****

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Home Away From Home Hotel

The Blue Bar, Algonquin Hotel, New York

Looking forward to our upcoming New York trip...and seeing Fun Home at the Circle In The Square...and the Chinese Show at the Met...martinis anyone? DF *****

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Sabrina Monte Carlo

Somewhere in Provence...

I was reading the Martha blog, and found this refreshing site, click here featuring the work of her friend, Sabrina of Monte Carlo...enjoy!  DF *****

Mark D. Sikes

Mark D. Sikes Interior Design

Loving this cool blues image from Los Angeles tastemaker, Mark Sikes.  A similar bed is available through MP Interiors, Naples, Florida...MP also represents De Gournay chinoiserie style wall papers....for your total interior design requirements. 
Mark also recently completed an interior design project "Up in the Villa" for the Kips Bay decorator show house, in New York.  Kudos to Mark !  DF *****

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My Red, White, and Blue ! Celebrating!

1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL

The red...

The White House, Washington, D.C.

The white...

Cornflowers

And the blue !

Enjoy the weekend, be safe, and have fun!  DF *****