6.3.11: Brett Beldock | New York Social Diary

6.3.11: Brett Beldock New York Social Diary
great interview! DF *****

Classique-Fit Small Plaid

Classique-Fit Small Plaid
I love these Faconnable chemises, and my friend, designer Joe Rosen was wearing a beautiful PINK one last night at his cocktail party. Joe has homes in New York City and Naples, Florida. Great party Joe! Loved those medallions of "saumon"...thanks again! Dean

Vista Royale, Naples

Vista Royale, through realtor, Michael Lawler

Dean Farris Interior Design, Naples

Table, Spencer Ott, New Orleans

The view of Vista Royale from my residence

Looking northeast from my residence

Old Glory

Enjoying this beautiful weather, I had my morning coffee out on the dock, and then, my cocktail hour glass of red wine - the breezes! The sunset reflecting back onto the bay was majestic. I caught these shots as well as some in my new living room, to share with you, dear readers. Have a fantastic weekend! Having drinks tonight with friend and designer Joe Rosen, who once lived on the site where Vista Royale now stands (see these pics) - these townhouse units each have their own elevator, pool, boat dock, garage, and are gated as well, with magnificent long bay views up Moorings Bay here in sunny, gorgeous Naples, Florida. Enjoy! DF *****

Pauline and My Party

One of the most beautiful rooms I can imagine...

Wearing hot pink Elton John style glasses from The Party Store

Had those batik napkins for YEARS!!!

Those roses again...

Dining "al fresco"

You gotta love having fresh roses in the casa!

The late beautiful, striking Baroness Pauline de Rothschild, nee Potter, was an elegant arbiter of style and taste. One of my favorite room shots is from when she had a flat or "set" at the Albany, in London. It just exudes European beauty and sophistication. My old late friend and mentor Tice Alexander, who worked for years as a decorator at the former Parish Hadley decorating firm, admired Pauline very much, and once bought Liz Shean's Pauline inspired settee from her Kips Bay showhouse room...which he then placed in Fred Bricker's upper Park Avenue apartment where he was living at the time. Funny, tonight I saw his old friend Peter Dunnam on the new Bravo show called Million Dollar Decorator! They all seem to have British accents...as does dear Peter. Friend Charles Robert Mills of Atlanta shared this (de Rothschild) image with me, which DFID now has in its files.

*************************************************

I wanted to share a few shots from last nights casual dinner party Billy and I threw for some good friends and clients... there was a wonderful breeze last night and so, we enjoyed lovely al fresco dining, nestled between the pool and the beautiful Moorings Bay. I loved every moment, and received some very nice host gifts too. Sleep well tonight! XXOO Dean *****

Stay Tuned for June!

Stay tuned for exciting updates! DF *****

Post Holiday Dinner Party

I thought it would be fun to kick off the start of Summer with a small party here at the new place. The menu is very light, quiches, two salads, some tea sandwiches, chilled asparagus, fruit salad, and a key lime pie for dessert...one of the salads is new from Jacques Pepin...here is the recipe.

Jacques Pepin's warm bean and bacon salad

(from "Essential Pepin" Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 2011)

8 ounces slab bacon or pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)

6 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped

Two 15-1/2 ounce cans navy beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all - mix well, serve warm or room temp!

Designer Sketches/Memorial day 2011

Original sketch by Dean Farris, DFID

The posts I found very much like my pre-existing sketch!

I admire the proportions of these doors

Stunning Seagate drive, Naples, Florida

I enjoy sharing my life with you, and a funny thing happened yesterday, I had made this sketch for the new luxury estate I'm working on in South Carolina, playing with the name for the house I came up with, SURIJEDA...when very serendipitously I then came across this very similar entrance post situation here in Naples (see photo) Imagine my surprise and delight to find something so similar already executed, when I had made the sketch BEFORE finding this house! Today, the weather is absolutely gorgeous! Low humidity, cool breezes, and hot sunshine! I've already seen several boats pass by my windows this morning. Enjoy the day, wherever you may find yourself. DF *****

Old Glory on the Bay

Mitt Romney

All photographs by Dean Farris

Memorial day weekend is here! Hard to believe, we're coming up on the half way mark for the year 2011...I went out at about 6 am this morning and caught these shots, there was a delightful slightly cool breeze (it rained last night) - we needed the rain since huge fires have been burning in the east, out in the Everglades National Forest...and while I don't normally get political on this blog, let me just say that Mitt Romney would be a great presidential candidate for 2012...I think if I have to try to survive another four years under this current non leadership, I'll just join Rush Limbaugh and become an expatriate! Thank God it's a free country and I can say whatever I think... and I do think that Sister Parish would agree that the flag is quite decorative! Enjoy the weekend! DF *****

Jacques Grange

Interior by Jacques Grange

I had the pleasure of meeting Monsieur Grange many years ago, in New York, and have admired him and his work ever since. Here is an intriguing shot of a library in Paris he designed...my eye was drawn by the overscaled sconce (also known as a chandelier in France) which adds a wild romanticism to the image. Enjoy! DF *****

The Drawing Room

Original sketch by Dean Farris, DFID

Digital photograph by Dean Farris, DFID

I thought it would be of interest to start showing more of my designer sketches...while unpacking yet another box, I found this one from 2006...its a concept for the look I like for myself, in some future home. I also was delighted this morning to catch a gorgeous sunrise out my front door - this is what I see when I step out of my new apartment. I think I definitely like this better than being hit in the face with the ruckus of First Avenue in the sixties where I lived in NYC! Enjoy the day dear friends! Dean *****

Morning Beach Walk

First I look at the bay and check out the boats and the fish...then I walk over to the beach and walk about a mile or so...

Always enjoy looking at the various shells...

Came back via the street for a different route, love this signage for the Southern Clipper

Now its time to take a dip in the pool... tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!!!

It's great having the beach right across the street, and I can go there any time and walk, run, play in the surf, look for shells, and just soak up the sun and the beauty of nature. What I find interesting about the gulf is that its different from one day to the next...calm, rough, colors changing from black to aqua to green, low tide, high tide! It's very beautiful and very relaxing. Here I took the camera with me and recorded some images I wanted to share with you, dear readers and followers. Enjoy! DF ***** PS Got plans for Memorial day weekend?

The Jockey Club, Miami

Jockey Club Lobby

Very vintage decor, elevators lined in coromandel screens!


Magnum lounge in the piano bar

John in front of Biscayne bay, North Miami

On Palm Beach, my favorite!

Billy and I had a great time visiting friends in Miami, at the Jockey Club, on Biscayne Bay. Our host, Mr Jansen Perry, was very charming and gave us a tour of his apartment. We then took old friend John Herr up to Palm Beach, to shop for some antiques, as he had not been there. Had a wonderful lunch in Pompano at Rotelli, and a delightful dinner at the nightclub called Magnum Lounge, back in North Miami, known as NoMi... Jeffrey, the owner at Magnum always treats us very well, and we enjoyed our torch singer performing selections from Michael Feinsteins Great American Songbook! As they say, "Work hard, play hard" The high point of the day for me was of course seeing Amanda Church at Cedric Dupont Antiques in West Palm...that would be hard to beat! Enjoy these snaps I took along the way. DF *****PS Yesterday I enjoyed a delicious brunch with Mary Hill here in Naples, at Bricktops, Thanks Mary! XXOO D