MEUBLES: Comfort + Style

Dean Farris Interior Design

I've had this pair of Louis XV style chairs for quite a while now and I wanted to mention how serviceable they are- especially for parties-  friends like to move them around and pull them up- This intimate grouping is providing another focal point in my Naples living room- And the pair of leopard velvet pillows are adding much needed pattern color and visual interest- here you can see how I placed the other pillow across the room-  keep moving your things around for an instant refresh!  DF

ARTIST: Cy Twombly, Jr.

Twombly studio, Rome

Like many of us, this artist Cy Twombly has always been a favorite, and I've always admired the look of his studio in Rome- It was only about eight years ago that he died there.  From reading about Mr. Twombly I learned that he married well and this helped to further his career- he was in the school of Rauschenberg and John's and being part of a historical group is also always helpful to make it big in the art world-  They like to categorize you in other words-  The prices for his work have become astronomical however one can still acquire high-quality reproductions-  Let art and the world of the artist enlighten you and lift you up to a higher plane!  DF

UPDATED TRAD: Meg Braff

Meg Braff Interior Design, Locust Valley, NY

It was very exciting to see the new "veranda"- with Meg Braff on the cover. Mrs. Braff is one of the best designers working in New York right now and I love to follow her work and I would also love to meet her in person as she's a fellow southerner- and so talented-

One of the things that struck me about her Long Island drawing room was the use of the gilt Sunburst as you know I have had one in my own living room for many years now- And very interesting the spread which was 10 pages in VERANDA showed a totally different mirror which I thought was Just as beautiful as the one shown here if not more so-

Another thing I admire about Meg Braff is that she has a decorating shop near her home and as you may know I used to have one too when I lived in Winston-Salem and it's where I picked up some of my best clients that I've ever had in my entire career many many old money families which had been written up in "town and country" and had used the famed Otto Zenke for their decorator prior to his death- You can imagine what a pleasure and a delight that was for me and I was still only in my 30s! My shop was very much influenced by Colefax and Fowler  - I had hundreds of beautiful English and French chintzes for the ladies to choose from as this was in the gilded roaring 1980s-  And of course as always I was inspired by their beautiful families and that's why I chose to post about Meg Braff today as you can see below she has a beautiful family of her own! DF

SASHA BIKOFF: Versace

Sasha Bikoff for Kips Bay Showhouse New York

I was reading the business of home on editor at large yesterday and came across this interesting article about Sasha -apparently Versace called her after seeing her show house room at kips Bay and flew her to Milan for the salon de mobile !  She is now collaborating with Versace and I'm so happy for her!  My associates at the Miromar Design Center, Ozzie Pancaro and Angela Orsini just came back from Milan and enjoyed the show very much they also picked up some new vendors while there.  Ciao ! DF

COLOR: Haute Couture

Jeffrey Bilhuber Interior Design

I saw this image featured again - on Heather Clawson's "habitually chic" -it's the Locust Valley Long Island country house of Decorator  Jeffrey Bilhuber- Which is currently on the market - Notice the bright apple green wall color very similar to what Mario Buatta used in Patricia's (Altschul) Charleston house- What this color does is to give antiques and more traditional furnishings a bright updated finish- a true Designers color choice, it is not often seen.  When I lived in New York I was told by good sources that Count Hubert de Givenchy launched Jeffrey Bilhuber into New York and international Society.  Apparently they met while Jeffrey was working at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan-

This fabulous color that Jeffrey used in his 17th century country house prevents the room from feeling old and tired -it gives it a fresh updated look and very much a designer look- And I'm sure that's why Mario chose it for Patricias house in Charleston especially since he brought existing furnishings from her previous Long Island home also on the North Shore-  And in the below image, Patricia was kind enough to share this picture of her Charleston Garden on Twitter!  Beautiful!  DF

ICON: Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor Interior Design

While I do lean in a classical direction with decoration and interior design I can still appreciate the point of view of a reconstructed modernist such as the late iconic Michael Taylor- Compare this interior by Michael with the one I showed yesterday in one of the homes of the late Richard Jenrette-
CONTRAST!  One of the elements of interior design that Michael Taylor promoted and enjoyed the most was the idea of contrast in textures and materials and he had a very architectural approach as well as an appreciation of classical furniture and antiques-
In a similar vein the designer Mimi London created a fabulous restaurant in downtown Atlanta called Mimi's which I saw back in the 1970s and it made quite an impression on me-
The clients that Michael Taylor left behind in San Francisco are still talking about him many years after his death -his legacy was one of great style taste and friendship.  Suzanne Tucker, Michael's former assistant, carries on the tradition of quality and luxury that began in the 1950s with Michael Taylor and his inspiration coming from Francis Elkins the famous sister of architect David Adler-
The best most informative book on the subject of Michael Taylor is by Stephen Salny and it is called Michael Taylor Interior Design.  Enjoy! DF

JENRETTE: American Classicist

Edgewater

While I never got the chance to meet the iconic collector Richard Hampton Jenrette, a fellow North Carolinian and New Yorker I did hear about him quite frequently from friends in New York- Especially the late Gordon McCollum.

Recently, the one year anniversary of Mr. Jenrette's death was acknowledged by Margize Howell, the long time partner in his Foundation - and I was reminded of the powerful legacy that Mr. Jenrette left behind- for all of us to learn from, and be enriched by-  R.I.P. RHJ. DF

Richard H Jenrette

WEEKEND: Pretty Fabulous

Dean Farris Interior Design

THIS Past weekend which was Easter and the beginning of Passover I was determined to make the most of it especially the beautiful April weather here in South Florida- So as usual for the weekend I hopped on my beautiful bicycle and headed out in a southern direction- So the first thing I saw was this fabulous beautiful woman who looked like Rose Byrne in "bridesmaids" she was walking her two little dogs one of which was a Pomeranian and she said happy Easter to me which I thought was very nice!  Did I mention the dropdead gorgeous weather?
WHEN I got down to the beach near Port Royal I walked all the way to Keewaydin Island and coming back I saw this family on the beach with a little boy (blonde) wearing a blue seersucker suit on the beach that was amazing a total Ralph Lauren moment- And I stopped to take a picture of the back of the Swanson's old house so that I could send it to my friend Julie Britt in New York- And as usual the beautiful private jets were coming in and departing overhead-
LATER Riding back uptown to my apartment in the Moorings section I saw this incredibly beautiful vintage Rolls-Royce Silver cloud speeding down Tamiami Trail as the sun beat down on it creating a fabulous spectacle- After lunch , a much-needed shower and a short nap I decided to check out the new Minghella film "Teen  Spirit" - starring Elle Fanning- it was Beyond my wildest expectations and I truly enjoyed it and I had the entire screening room at the Silverspot cinema to myself which only added to my pleasure- Zlatko Buric and Ruairi O'Connor were also amazing in this story of rags to riches- check it out!  That was all on Sunday- on Saturday I worked and then had a divine alfresco dinner with my dear William at DeRomo's in Bonita Springs- delicious!   XO DF

COASTAL CHIC: Living Room DFID

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

I was thrilled to have the chance to work with this client for the second time here in Naples- as I'm still associated with Gary David Designs, a very established firm  here and I had begun working with this lovely couple a few years ago on another condo here in town-

So, the big news here is that we installed a shiplap accent wall behind the sofa which we slip covered in white cotton duck- the sofa is one that I had chosen from the Gary David showroom- and the painting is one found by my clients after some trial and error- we first suggested a mirror there-

The low table with stone top is custom (DFID) and works beautifully with the other elements in the space including rattan chairs from Clive Daniel Home, sisal rug through Designers Rug Center, Naples, pillows from Home and Salvage, (a favorite source here) and new paint is custom mixed Benjamin Moore-

Accessories, clients own, and not shown in this shot are a Beautiful distressed finish French lantern over the dining table and a nice very tall fiddle leaf fig tree in the corner which is real not artificial- the client spends every summer in Italy, so they definitely prefer the authentic! DF

STYLE: Baby Newport

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

I've loved damask since I was very young when I was in high school and created a project for my home economics class which was a Neoclassic house conjured totally from my imagination and later when I attended the art institute of Atlanta under chairman STAN TOPOL (see earlier posts on Stan)-
I love damask because it conjures up images of Newport's gilded age- the "cottages" !

So, yesterday, while shopping at the Miromar Design center where I also work -I found this beautiful  damask pillow at Blaze interiors -one of my favorite sources in the design center-  Where I had also discovered this copy of an Empire style pedestal for my Maitland Smith bust- !

BLAZE INTERIORS is a great source for all kinds of furnishings always at reasonable prices- like a J F Chen only in Florida- and one of the salesmen at Blaze,  Rory, just moved here from Calabasas, CA ! Hoping you'll enjoy this holiday weekend and stay tuned for tomorrow's post showing progress on my most recent collaboration with Gary David Designs !

CLASSICAL: Edward Vason Jones

1124 Valley Road, Albany, GA

When I was a small boy I lived in Albany Georgia and my mother would always drive my brother and I by this pink house, the Shackleford home, on Dawson Road which was designed by Edward  Vason Jones, architect-  (see my earlier posts) EVJ Was also an early mentor to the connoisseur of classical architecture Richard Hampton Jenrette-

And here's another beautiful home that he designed which was built in 1951 for Ola Aultman, (whom my mother knew back in the 1950's- ) in Warwick Georgia -and subsequently moved to Valley Road in Albany Georgia-  I love the classical proportions and the refined details of this house and I can't think of a better place for an Easter egg hunt - !  While this house is not as grand as the pink house it certainly is just as elegant and beautiful ! DF

CHARM: Charleston

Roper House, Charleston, SC

I can't think of a better place to spend Easter/Passover than Charleston- above, the stunning Roper House- acquired by Richard Jenrette- for more check out his amazing book, Adventures With Old Houses - the anecdotes are disarming in the way Southern gents know how to tell a tale-  below- the garden at 8 St Michaels Alley- this is adjacent to the house I spent two wonderful years decorating for long time clients/friends from Old Salem-  have a lovely Holiday weekend! DF