Those Baroque Style Doors: Nicky Haslam

This image, courtesy of super designer Nicholas Haslam, resonated with me, reminding me of the fabulous Dorothy Draper. What a statement of high chic they make, and don't you love the very clean, uncluttered, yet still highly dramatic look here? The proportions are perfect, and notice the high contrast in the paint work. All very well done! ENJOY! DF *****

La Dogaressa: Peggy Guggenheim

La Dogaressa Suite at Hotel Gritti Palace, Venezia

Peggy Guggenheim

Madame Rubinstein

A fabulous lady, who retired for the last 30 years of her life to Venice, I have her at the top of my list of interesting persons from the past, who live on today in the legacies they have left behind. I can't wait to return to La Serenissima, to visit the palace, that was her home, and now is a museum of modern art, which has an emphasis on the legendary JACKSON POLLOCK, a painter I've always enjoyed - Peggy would have loved this Marie Laurencin portrait of Madame Helena Rubinstein too. ENJOY ! DF *****

Room of the Week, Richard Mervis

This beautiful New York City townhouse salon, in the home of designer Richard Mervis, was recently seen on NYSD. I am mad for the Jansen sofas, and the sophisticated palette he used.

This house was extensively remodeled by Mr. Mervis, and is located on the Upper East Side, my old New York neighborhood. I so enjoyed my brownstone studio at 11 East 66th Street, and sometimes, when I am in the city, I'll walk by my old place and look at it just for old times sake. See more of this beautiful Richard Mervis home on New York Social Diary. DF *****

Inspiring Book: Over The Top, by Suzanne Slesin

Paris bedroom by JANSEN

In this amazing work, published in 2003, Suzanne Slesin documents the story of a truly inspiring woman, Helena Rubinstein. (1870-1965) In 1960, Suzanne's mother, Niuta, married Roy Titus, the elder son of Madame Rubinstein...and Suzanne was drawn into a fabulous world of wealth, art, fashion, and originality. This book has been in my collection since it was published, and I refer to it often for inspiration and ideas. Madame, you see, was a total iconoclast, a self created persona, and a force to be reckoned with. Since she was worth about 100 million in 1928, she was able to collect major art, wear major designers, and have glamorous homes all over the world. (at age 94, she attended YSL's first show, and bought one of his most major ensembles) She created all of this from scratch, in one generation! I find her endlessly fascinating, and she was a major contributor to many charities, as well as a competitor of Elizabeth Arden's. She hired Jansen and David Hicks, she loved elegance, fashion, and richness, plus art, and living the good life. What a woman! What a force! I can only imagine how fabulous she must have been in person. I hope that if you didn't know about this book, this post will pique your interest, and perhaps find some of the other books about Madame as well...check out her profile on Wikipedia too, most interesting. ENJOY! DF*****

Bentley Rolls Party

Looking forward to attending the party for the third anniversary of our Naples Bentley dealer, here's a 2012 Rolls Ghost "the baby Rolls" listed for $281,000 and suitable for self driving without looking like a fool. I love it, and I also adore the Bentley Continental Ragtop. I test drove one and fell in love with the smooth 12 cylinder performance, and the massage in the leather seat feature.

It's iconic glamour, even though I call Bentley the Toyota of Naples since you see so many here.

Ever since I heard that James Galanos, the fashion designer, keeps a black Rolls parked in front of his white regency style house in L.A. , I've been obsessed with how elegant they are (Rolls) and love their ridiculous sense of over the top luxury. Enjoy this post! DF *****

Venice by Visconti, 1971

One of my all time favorite films, Death in Venice, 1971, Luchino Visconti, features actors Dirk Bogarde and Bjorn Andresen, with music by Gustav Mahler...If you've never seen it, YOU MUST! Here is a pastiche of stills from the iconic cult film, based on the novella by Thomas Mann. ENJOY! DF *****

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kpJehOi2p4

Just for Kicks: Gucci Python Loafers

I found these GUCCI loafers, in riviera blue, made of python...how unusual! They are not allowed to be shipped to California... I wonder why? $980 may seem like a lot, but you certainly won't see yourself coming and going in these babies. These would be great to decorate the shoe section of your closet...just for fun. I don't think I'd actually wear them. Unless I had a fun gallery opening or something like that. But they are unique, and I do like them, even though they have a slightly sinister vibe, as we have thousands of pythons now in our Everglades National Park here in south Florida. These would look great with a pair of white jeans, a pink shirt, and a blue blazer. Just my sartorial thoughts... ENJOY! DF *****

YSL Fragrance Pour Homme

Dean Farris Int. Design

I thought I'd show you this beautiful package design, for YSL men's fragrance, following yesterday's post about my friend Sashy and how he used to do all the hair for the late Yves Saint Laurent. Check out this YSL ad on the fragrance www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQYW4SjNKaU&feature=relmfu Billy and I had a blast at the Academy Awards party our friends Charles and Gene threw last night in Chuck's 18th century French style apartment here in Naples. The food was sublime, all variations of seafood mousselines, shaped in molds in classic french cuisine style! We started with a dry french champagne (is there any other kind?) and ended with exquisite mini cherry cheesecakes from Baby Watson. Today, Billy and I went to see "Iron Lady" with Meryl Streep, at the SilverSpot Cinema and enjoyed it very much. I have always been a huge fan of La Streep. ENJOY! DF *****

Hair by YSL

Sashy, my hair stylist, came to Naples from Nuremberg, Germany, and lived in Paris, working for L'Oreal and he was chosen by the late Yves Saint Laurent to design all hair for the YSL runway shows! His salon is a trip, done in high camp Sacha Baron Cohen style, like a caricature of a european hair salon in Beverly Hills. Here I am, shot by Billy, showing off my new Sashy hair cut. Cashmere sweater, Ralph Lauren, shirt, bespoke, mini dog tag, David Yurman. Enjoy! DF ***** http://www.sashyhairdesignclub.com/

Model Perfect in Naples

Our firm, Interiors by Design West, here in Naples, recently completed this amazing new home in Aqualane Shores (between Old Naples and Port Royal) for Stiles-Sowers - located at 790 18th Avenue South. Here's a shot of the Living Room... Have a great weekend! DF *****

A Chair for Miss Rose

I found this interesting HICKORY CHAIR model today, from the James River Collection, called the Kit Chair...it exudes a kind of belle epoque vibe, which I adore. I would use this Rose Cumming chintz on it, called Charlotte...here is a picture from 1960 of Miss Rose's drawing room, which I love for its iconic glamour and old school decorative mystery. I think that this whole airport lounge look is a bit boring, and that we need to find the lost romance in beautiful rooms, created by talented and creative decorators, for discerning and cooperative clients! Please do remember, your designer (decorator) is NOT A PURCHASING AGENT! We are not here to beat internet pricing, and we are not to be abused by clients! A designer is a person who is 100% committed to his or her profession, and they should not be underestimated, nor taken lightly. As Ruby Ross Wood once said, "Don't forget, we make the beds" (paraphrase) and we do know where all the skeletons are hidden. Just a little note of advice from someone who knows. See the work of Zajac and Callahan for more exotic Belle Epoque influenced looks.

ENJOY! DF *****

Focus on Lighting: Lanterns

I love lanterns! Lately, there's been a huge trend toward overscaled lanterns, among the designers in the know. This post is about a sub-cat of lanterns, the English bell jar, also known as a hundi - Price Glover in New York has the best selections of reproduction lanterns of this type, and I also found a sort of modern interpretation from a source called Murray Feiss, which has a collection called Salon Maison, which I am specifying for a condominium residence here in Naples. I have always loved the 19th century elegance of these lanterns. I am not sure whether they originated in the 19th or the 18th, however, they are the epitome of understated classic elegance, and I would like to see a revival of their use, somewhat like the huge popularity of swing arm lamps fostered by design icons like Billy Baldwin, Arthur Smith, and Mica Ertegun -Don't you just love this amethyst colored model from Price Glover? I certainly do. DF *****

Price Glover 59 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021 (212) 772-1740 http://www.pricegloverinc.com/