CLASSIC: Louis Ghost

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

So, I had been yearning for years to have a small "child's chair" pulled up to my main seating group- and voila! Look what came into my life!  The Lou Lou Louis Ghost chair by Philippe Starck !  Just the thing to add a delicious twist to my "salon" here in Naples- (Florida) -  made in Milan by Kartell !  (Through Casa Italia at Miromar Design Center). Love this modern classic in a petite size!  DF

AMADEUS : Enlightened

Dean Farris Interior Design

I've always loved the movie Amadeus, with Tom Hulce- about the fabulous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-  The sets especially caught the 18th century  mood with the ethereal  lighting that I love so much-  and the Brunschwig Le Zebre on this small pillow reminds me of when I lived in Manhattan and I was going to FIT and I got an internship with Harry Schule and Ned Marshall and they had this apartment at the Volney  with mirrored walls and zebra skin rugs very 1930s -I loved it !  Baby Jane Holzer also kept a place at the Volney.

Harry loved me and wanted me to become a NYC socialite- he was a beautiful dreamer, and so talented- very much the Edwardian model of a New York gent, hailing from Buffalo originally-DF

CHIC: Stephen Andrew Jones

Stephen Andrew Jones, Hilton Head, SC 

While I don't know Mr. Stephen Andrew Jones, I just happened to discover him while looking through some other designer blogs- And this arrangement he created in his Hilton head home struck me as being outrageously creative and very beautiful-  He is extremely creative and imaginative and he is also a real estate professional on Hilton head should you be looking to acquire property there -

One of my best clients in Naples owned many properties on Hilton head and loved it for many years before coming to Naples- One of the more interesting properties that my client owned on Hilton head was a house which included a very beautiful French chandelier from New Orleans in the entrance hall- And as you know I'm very partial to an opulent elegant recherché look in interiors especially within an exotic island environment such as the barrier islands off of South Carolina- My Charleston clients once rented a beach house at Folly Beach east of Charleston and I remember how much fun we had there and the beauty of the dunes and the beach- Martin was a bodybuilder and very into his work out and he would strut around the house wearing absolutely nothing and we thought nothing of it- He's a magnificent man and we had a lot of fun together over the years including the trip to Paris and he has also visited me down here in Florida-

I especially like the way Stephen arranged his flowers using locally harvested materials mixed with roses and other flowers to create a very elegant and special look- Perfect for my post to kick off the month of April- ! DF

PS. It was such fun to run into Vivian, Martin and Bing tonight at Vergina on 5th Ave., South- the hostess Valentina is a fabulous looking chic lady and I always love seeing her plus Vivian is the epitome of Italian/Cuban chic and style. DF

HADLEY: A Touch of Gilt

Dean Farris Interior Design


As  mentioned before this is one of my favorite chairs and I love this close-up showing the gilt frames with the touch of  gilt on the painted surface of this Louis XV style open arm chair from my old friend Albert Hadley- plus pillow from dear Judith Auclair, and art by fabulous Emily James- In case you were wondering, I deliberately hung these pictures lower, so that the back of the chair would overlap them continuing with my layered look-  DF

COLOR: Gorgeous Green

Green green green I've always liked green especially the green beautiful palm leaves and the greens from nature-  Here's a random assortment of greens that I liked from my photo file enjoy!  DF

LAYERED: Elegant Comfort

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

I've always been partial to a layered look in rooms, especially a living room library or sitting room- And here in my own apartment I've chosen to layer many different elements which create a warm and inviting feeling of permanence- It's such a pleasure to come home to this room and to enjoy the peaceful and eclectic atmosphere- Perfect for a glass of wine and a moment of reflection- DF

FRESH: Flowers II

Dean Farris Interior Design

Here, you can see how the natural light combined with the use of fresh cherry blossom branches is completely transforming my space into an ethereal Swedish manor house/cottage-  Something about fresh flowers especially branches is extremely glamorous and so enriching- And I deliberately softened my window treatments a la Ann Getty, and after the boutique hotel in Paris I stayed in with Billy many years ago-  I was able to get this interesting shot by shooting into the mirror and I think it came out quite well-  As well, I created this small but charming arrangement using a few of the cerise carnations and some fresh palm-  Fresh!  DF

STYLE: Rolls Royce

Dean Farris Interior Design

One of the things I love about living in Naples Florida is seeing all the magnificent automobiles Ferrari Bentley Tesla Rolls-Royce Porsche Maserati Lamborghini etc.  Saw this one yesterday while out on the town and could not resist posting it- And check out this fabulous older model which I'm also crazy for!  DF

FRESH: Flowers

Dean Farris Interior Design

I picked up these fresh flowers as I was having a good friend over to celebrate his birthday and then we went out for dinner to true food kitchen which is a great place here in Naples- The roasted brussels sprouts and the ancient grains bowl is highly recommended-!  Try to get John as your server- he's  excellent and very informative-  He also brought me a fabulous Sauvignon Blanc with notes of Pear and honey!  Yum!  Steve, always the gentleman, brought me these incredible cherry blossom branches which I'm crazy for-  They read like sculpture in my small room and remind me of the glamour of the Fifth Avenue apartments in Manhattan that I worked on when I lived there in the 1980s à la bonfire of the vanities-  DF

RECHERCHÉ : Paris in Naples

Dean Farris Interior Design (designers own residence)

As I said before the natural light is making this new apartment really come alive with joy and esprit- And many of these furnishings were given to me by friends or are things that I've collected over the years-

One of my original inspirations was the film Barry Lyndon and the sets with their 18th century ethereal style and fabrics used in a very painterly way-  I think of it as a playhouse as well as a penthouse -it could be in Manhattan Paris Nantucket Palm Beach or Beverly Hills-

When I add fresh flowers to this room it really comes alive even more as you may have noticed in my previous post where I showed longstem white carnations A la auntie Mame and Christian Dior-  DF

TOPIARY: Faux and Fabulous

Dean Farris Interior Design

So, as you can see I'm really enjoying my new apartment and I wanted to mention these topiaries that I had purchased quite a few years ago that have really given me a lot of pleasure- Especially since they are artificial which is not something I would normally choose, However they work as sculptural elements whether I use them inside or outside and I never have to water them or maintain them!

Inspired by the New York designer Howard Slatkin, I plan to add more topiaries to my apartment in different sizes both the real and not real because I love their decorative charm and quality-

As I mentioned yesterday I'm totally in love with my new curtains which I pulled back -very French -and using the small chairs as the holdbacks which gives a delightful temporary feeling of charm -very recherché !  DF

CURTAINS: Recherché

Dean Farris Interior Design

Recherche' means luxurious elegance, and that is what I wanted for my new curtains in my new apartment here in Florida- And when Billy and I stayed in a small boutique hotel in the Marais I saw curtains done like this and loved it-  DF