SUMMER READ: Growing Up Getty

Looking forward to this vicarious ride through the adventures of "Growing Up Getty" - a fabulous new book by author James Reginato...Enjoy! DF

GIFT : Pearls of Palm Beach, by Holly Holden

A book is always a nice gift, and so I thought how timely to post about this one, which I don't own yet... Enjoy! Happy Holidays ! Kudos to dear Holly Holden, a truly lovely lady! DF

BOOK: Bryan Huffman

New book available for pre-order on Amazon...

Excited about my friend, Bryan Huffman's collaboration on this new book, check out his instagram @bryanhuffmaninteriors too... DF

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BOOK: Henri Samuel

Henri Samuel via AD

More Henri Samuel, so enjoying my copy of "Henri Samuel, Master of the French Interior"...by Emily Evans Eerdmans-
Enjoy this article by Emily on 1stdibs.... DF

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PARIS: Henri Samuel

Henri Samuel for Susan Gutfreund

More inspiration from the famous French decorator Monsieur Henri Samuel- for more of his work refer to the 2018 book by Emily Evans Eerdmans -
Enjoy!  DF

RICH READING: Elegant Emily Evans Eerdmans

Mario Buatta, AD

Summer reads from E.E.E... and to quote this fabulous connoisseur of decorative arts: "I don't know about you, but it feels as if summer has just arrived this very moment.  Could there be anything better to fill the long, languorous days than a delicious book -"

What could be better than learning from past and present authorities on design and decoration?

Emily Evans Eerdmans has a prolific portfolio:

CLASSIC ENGLISH DESIGN AND ANTIQUES (2006)

REGENCY REDUX (2008)

THE WORLD OF MADELEINE CASTAING (2010)

MARIO BUATTA, FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN INTERIOR DECORATION (2013)

WENDELL CASTLE (2016)

HENRI SAMUEL: MASTER OF THE FRENCH INTERIOR (2018) 

E.E.E. has also written and writes for AD and House Beautiful... teaches at NYSID,  has a youtube on her Hillwood talk - and one can follow her on Instagram: @emily_evans_eerdmans -Impressive!

www.eerdmansfineart.com 

ENJOY-!  (all books available on Amazon) DF

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“One of the lessons I’ve learned from Mario as a designer and friend is that life is for living. This extended to his rooms, which were pure joy. He was a magician pairing aubergine with cornflower blue, lemon yellow with watermelon pink. He also understood the importance of comfort, something he often lamented that many of today’s 'curated' interiors are missing. But what I will most miss is his sense of humor—another one of his secret weapons, which earned him legions of friends, fans and clients.” — Emily Evans Eerdmans, co-author of Mario Buatta: Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration

DESIGN BOOK: Jennifer Boles

I'm very excited to see the new Jennifer Boles book , "Inspired Design, The 100 Most Important Interior Designers of the Past 100 Years" due out in October- by Vendome Press.  Congratulations to Jennifer!

via Bettie Bearden Pardee, Newport, R.I.

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PASSION and FIRE: Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor, personal residence, via Architectural Digest

Keeping the fires of passion burning- when I think of what this means, I often turn my thoughts to the late decorator, San Francisco's Michael Taylor …. his Sea Cliff house had a rustic, masculine, elegance not often seen. 

 

While MT is most often associated with the very glamorous, chic, "California Look" - a modernist pastiche of wicker, stone, and white Glant textures... he was also very much of a classicist and loved the world of fine art and antiques...here, you can see also how he would almost always incorporate the use of natural plants and trees into his décor- and he was a fore runner of the taste for the high and the low, mixing inexpensive wicker pieces from Cost Plus with the finest French furniture with wild abandon!

 

Always "hands on" he once used cardboard packing boxes in a Manhattan apartment to create a mock-up of his furniture plan- in three dimensions-!  Needless to say, he landed the job.  Like all good decorators, many of his best clients became great friends- and when I connected with Pat Montandon, a former MT client, she shared with me the time they rode into Napa in a convertible while eating fried chicken!

 

Rose Tarlow, another dear friend of his, wrote a fabulous background and intro to the book on MT by my friend Stephen Salny- a very revealing portrait of a man who knew what he wanted and usually got it. When she showed him a house she had fallen in love with and bought, he told her to tear it down, and she did!  Read more about this here !

 

DF *****

 

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BOOK : Thomas Britt

About This Book

This first book on the famed designer, renowned for rooms with bold color palettes, strongly graphic style contrasts, multicultural allusions, and stylish innovations, is a sweeping survey of his fifty-year career. Ever since Tom Britt opened his New York-based firm in 1964, he has been creating dramatic environments for his high-profile clients on multiple continents. His masterful design palette, with a wonderfully exotic slant, includes plush upholstered furniture, boldly patterned carpets, seductive lighting, and an elegantly theatrical use of mirrors. The resulting spaces are perfect for luxuriating and entertaining. From a chic pied-a-terre in San Francisco and tantalizing rooms at New York's famed Dakota apartment building to suburban manses in America's Midwest and a palace apartment in Jaipur, Britt's inimitable style merges saturated colors with an easy luxury. This book is necessary reading for anyone interested in the modern masters of interior design.

STYLE: Pauline and The Pink Door

 The Baroness Pauline de Rothschild

So, my very kind friend, Ted Glasgow, the super talented interior designer- sent this image to me recently.  It reminded me of how I've always been inspired in my imagination by this icon of style, Pauline de Rothschild . 

Ted works with The Pink Door in Greensboro, NC and is a decorator who is aware of past designers such as Otto Zenke, and later, The Zenkes.

Check out this amazing video of The Pink Door here !  I first discovered this chic emporium years ago while visiting my parents in Winston-Salem.

Our friend, the writer Mitch Owens, is working on a book about the Baroness, and just told me that the new very high style book on Thomas Britt that he's working on is now in the captions on images stage, so you know I just cannot wait for that one to come out!

I imagine that the Baroness would approve of Tom's new book.  I forgot to mention in my previous post, on Carleton Varney, that he'd made a point of reminding the HSN viewers of the importance of fantasy in our lives and in our homes, while selling very beautiful sheets and bedding.  I couldn't agree more!  "Mr. Color" promotes the use of bold palettes and has an international point of view.  He also has a new book out,  "Decorating On The Waterfront" Click here to view/order.  Enjoy!  DF *****

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TIMELESS, Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney

What fun and excitement too, to have famous Carleton as a friend and an inspiration!  An iconic figure in the interior design world, he's written over 30 books- and has appeared on HSN (television) as well as fathering three sons, and running the oldest design firm in America, Dorothy Draper, Inc.  (and prestigious) - a true man in full!  

Speaking of Home Shopping Network, I just this morning purchased some of the famous CV sheets, in the "Versailles" pattern- inspired by D. Porthault!  Click here to read more on fabulous and inspiring Carleton Varney!

Carleton Varney

Carleton on HSN

Carleton Varney

Carleton's Palm Beach residence 

Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney "Growing Wild"

Carleton Varney

Carleton at MP Interiors (Naples, Florida)

You can also find Carleton by the yard at MP Interiors, in the Miromar Design Center, tel (239) 498-9074 or
www.mp-interiors.net

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ROSE CUMMING: 100 Years of Elegance and Style

Thomas Britt, via Architectural Digest

Kudos must go to Chuck Comeau, of Dessin Fournir , for saving one of the most iconic and fabulous fabric houses of all time- ROSE CUMMING ! 

One hundred years ago , Miss Rose came to the United States, from her native Australia- and the interior design world has never been quite the same since!  Above, you can see my friend and mentor Thomas Britt's work- using the iconic and beautiful pattern known as "banana leaves".   Tom also used this (metallic) gold over taupe colorway in his own New York apartment- where I was first exposed to the grandeur and high style of his work- and the beauty of Rose Cumming's legacy to him, as he had been a personal friend of hers. 

Actually, I had first purchased yardage of banana leaves myself, in 1976, in the taupe colorway (sans the gold) for my Mother's home in Winston-Salem, NC.  She still has some of the pillows we made and loves them!



"Photograph courtesy of Dessin Fournir Companies" 

Ashley Comeau of Dessin Fournir, was kind enough to send these high resolution images of some of the most popular designs from Rose Cumming- and you may be interested in reading some of my previous posts on Miss Rose as well.  This is such a dynamic pattern, and it's been used by many top designers over the years. 

I had also installed the wallpaper version in my design studio bath in Winston-Salem, in the camel on black colorway, which was so striking and dramatic.

Rose Cumming "Photograph courtesy of Dessin Fournir Companies" 

Here's another very chic pattern, called "Sabu" - animal prints being something we never tire of!

Sabu by Rose Cumming, "Photograph courtesy of Dessin Fournir Companies"

Sabu in green, image via google

And here is "Zebrine"- another very popular and exotic but modern and current design, demonstrating how ahead of the times Miss Rose was.

Zebrine by Rose Cumming, "Photograph courtesy of Dessin Fournir Companies"

Zebrine wallcovering, Rose Cumming, via House Beautiful

I want to thank Ashley Comeau for her assistance with providing information for this post.  As you can see, we barely touched on this subject- one can read more about it in the beautiful book on Rose Cumming and Dessin Fournir here !  DF *****

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via Amazon books

 

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BOOK: Michael D. Devine

via Miromar Design Center

MICHAEL DEVINE: here next week!

via his site

MORE exciting news! Author , designer, textile creator, Michael Devine will be here next week, at the Miromar Design Center, Naples, Fla. for a presentation and book signing!  An Invitation To The Garden is a look into the Kinderhook, NY based designer's world... and what a magnificent world it is!  See his Instagram too!  DF *****

Tommy Hilfiger on his memoir ‘American Dreamer’

Tommy Hilfiger on his memoir ‘American Dreamer’: Iconic designer 65 talks about the evolution of his label and why there is such a thing as being too popular

I'm really enjoying the new bio on designer Tommy Hilfiger, called "American Dreamer" - it's a real page turner, and gives fantastic insight into the drive and determination to succeed that took Mr. Hilfiger all the way to the top of the fashion world, a world where the word ruthless takes on a whole other meaning. 

Read more about Tommy here !  A true American success story, and a great inspiration to all of us.  DF *****

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BEAUTIFUL, BY MARK D. SIKES

Mark D. Sikes

Fantastic news!  One of my favorite gents, designer-writer-inspiration, Mark D. Sikes, has a new book coming out, called simply, "BEAUTIFUL" !

via the MDS blog

This book promises to be a forever inspiration, covering over 16 of his projects as well as his favorite styles and looks...Enjoy!  DF *****

Ready for the Beach? New Book benefits the Naples Historical Society

Available through MP Interiors (239) 498-9074

Robert and Carole Leher did a fantastic job of researching and photographing some of the iconic estates along the Gulf of México, here in sunny Naples...proceeds from sales benefit the Naples Historical Society...

Former Swanson estate, Naples

You may recall I had posted about this house (above) which is included in the new book.  I sent a copy of the book to old friend Thomas Britt, since he had decorated the Swanson house...

From Naples Beach Homes

Artist Paul Arsenault was commissioned to render beautiful images, one of which was used on the cover of the book.  Enjoy!  DF *****

Vintage Tom Britt !

Thomas B. Britt (via Arts by Karena)

Exciting news!  Tom Britt, my one time mentor, and forever friend, is coming out with a monograph on his life's' work, the creation of the most amazing, high style rooms ever.  Mitch Owens will work on this project, in conjunction with Rizzoli ~ !  DF *****

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Society of the Four Arts, PB

These stunning gardens, at The Society of Four Arts, Palm Beach, were so soothing, and made a spectacular entrance to the building where Leta Austin Foster gave her talk on her new book, "Traditional Interiors" with Brian Coleman.  A very nice presentation indeed!  DF *****