The Dean's List 06-18-10

The Dean's List for Friday, June 18th, 2010

Having a fashion point of view

People with dogs

Collecting seashells

Drinking good wine

Surf Shack Chic on WIJW blog

Coming home from a Summer holiday

Living without clutter = luxury

Not appearing to try too hard

Real Housewives of New York City

Beaux Arts Architecture in America

DF*****

Classic Rolls-Royce 1960-1987

1965 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III

1973 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

1976 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

1987 Rolls Royce Corniche II

I love this one - a 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II

Who could not love the romantic beauty of these classic old "motorcars" ? Impractical as they may be for a daily driver, the idea is that suddenly, running an errand becomes a thing of great glamour and pleasure ! These cars were all made before BMW bought the company, and I love them from the bottom of my very soul. Naples does have a Rolls-Royce club, and I look forward to owning my first RR and becoming a member... I love them all ! I have had so many clients who own Rolls and Bentley, that I suppose it's rubbed off on me, plus several of the designers I've known over the years had them, including Pat Plaxico,(High Point) T. Gordon Little, (Atlanta) and George Clarkson (New York). Rolls-Royce represents the ultimate in quality, prestige, and elegance. That is why I want to own one. It's about making a statement, not about how much is the cost of a gallon of fuel. It's not green, surely, but perhaps just driving slowly on a Sunday afternoon would be permitted ? DF *****

That Stripped Down Summer Look

I've always loved the look of Summer rooms... abandoned by the owners, or pared down to keep things cool. Slipcovers, sisal mats, blue and white porcelains, and slowly revolving ceiling fans are elements that come to mind. Here, I took the toss pillows off of my small white settee to give a more "Summer" look. One of my old New York friends, the late Gordon McCollum, always had Summer slipcovers for his double drawing room in the townhouse he lived in in lower Manhattan, all white, with lots of multi colored pillows. Outdoor rooms are great too, especially by a pool or the sea. Have some lemonade or an iced tea, find a good book, and put your feet up and RELAX ! Enjoy ! DF *****

Beauty in the Bath

I was delighted today to see that Mark Till had hung the new mirrors in the newly remodeled master bath that Bob Lenahan and I created for Mary Edelman here in Naples. Cabinets and mirrors are from Restoration Hardware... lighting is through Gavin Oihus at Light Bulbs Unlimited... Benjamin Moore paint "yellow iris".... DF*****

Source: Mark Nelson Designs

I've known Mark Nelson since my New York days, and he's always been a good friend and a great colleague. When I first met Mark, he was working for Rosecore carpets, and now he has his very own firm for finer carpets called Mark Nelson Designs http://www.marknelsondesigns.com/ and I couldn't resist sharing some of the beautiful samples he recently sent to my librarian here in Florida. I especially like the star pattern, silk/wool blend. Enjoy ! DF *****

Designer Profile: Chuck Fischer

Billy and I had such a nice time reconnecting with Chuck Fischer, while in Fort Lauderdale for a Summer holiday. It was such fun to meet Bill, Chuck's partner, and Dinah Shore... an amazing little dancing doggie ! I LOVED Chuck's new apartment at the elegant new Sapphire Condominiums in North Fort Lauderdale on Ocean Drive. He used a lot of white, beige and quite a few of his own designs for Lenox, and Brunschwig, and we had a lot of fun remembering the days of the Hamptons and Nicholas Pentecost, Mrs. Parish, and of course, dear Albert. Thanks again Chuck and Bill for a lovely evening in your new home ! DF*****

Summer Respite

All work and no play makes Dean a dull boy !

William and I are heading back over to the east coast, and I'm taking a much needed break from WORK, WORK, WORK !!! Will check back in upon our return. Have a great week ! DF*****

Roche Bobois

I like this chair very much...

More AD !

I like this very much

I fell for this chic bean bag chair...

Gotta love these lips !!!

Artist Alexander Lafayette with Gary Shanabarger

I wonder why my trousers look so rumpled ?

Gary Shanabarger in a Swarovski belt...

Our friends at Roche Bobois...

Here I am posing in front of Clive Christian, another fave resource

Billy and I had fun up at the Miromar Design Center last night, celebrating the recent appointment of our friend Philip Rowe as general manager of the newly relocated Roche Bobois, Naples. It was fun to run into local design stars such as Gary Shanabarger and Matthew from 50/50 and to see John Garvalia and meet some local artists we had not encountered before. Previously, Philip was the manager of Gregory Alonso, Naples ,a local design trade source based in Ohio. Elizabeth served us a lovely chilled Prosecco and I toured the showroom with William and Gary. Gary just returned from the Washington, D.C. Roche Bobois as he designed some of the showroom there along with Philip. Gary is also in the midst of creating a new cigar bar at Mercato, Naples, to be called "Burn" ! Burn baby, burn ! Looking forward to sharing a Cohiba with him soon at Burn, then toasting our success at Blue Martini, Naples (also located in the trendy new Mercato) Smoke follows beauty ! DF *****

Paige Rense

My client John Brennen puts on this great show...

Spotted at the Naples Antiques Show this year...

A very "AD" inspired shot of my drawing room...

I read with some interest that Paige Rense Noland is retiring ! Architectural Digest has always been one of my fave reads, and I have met Paige a few times over the years. She was kind enough to publish two of my letters, and most of the designers I worked for in New York were published as well. Paige is a sweet, very charming person, and she has worked hard to make the former Knapp publication into the Conde' Nast star that it is today. Enjoy your new life Paige ! I hope we meet again soon. DF *****

Luxury Summer Fragrance

A delicious treat from Jo Malone London

Amber Lavender by Jo Malone London

Jo Malone candles in Farrow and Ball colours !

Florida butterfly from Naples Botanical Garden

I was remembering how much I really enjoyed some Kiehl's talcum powder pour homme when I impulsively dialed up Saks to inquire as to its availability, and alas ! It's been discontinued ! It had the most subtle delicious scent ever. So, I came up with Jo Malone as an alternate, a departure from my usual Summer scent, Vetiver by Guerlain... I chose Amber Lavender, which is under the "spicy" category, although they offer some that sound positively seductive as well, such as Verbenas Provence... For the last two years I had been wearing an unusual fragrance called "Carthusia Uomo" - only available from Capri, Italy. It was a little too heavy and spicy for me, so I wanted something fresh, clean and very light for Summer 2010, and this JM I just purchased comes in a handy 1 ounce size, perfect for air travel. http://www.jomalone.com/ I slept like a baby in my Italian cotton sheets with just a hint of amber lavender on my skin ! Those sheets have become very soft from lots of laundering, and I fell alseep reading a 1973 edition of "Miss Elizabeth Arden - an unretouched portrait" ! What a life she had ! DF*****

Naples Botanical Garden

In the gift shop

Inside a chickee in the River of Grass garden

In the Carribean garden

Entrance to the gardens

In the Carribean garden

William and I had a wonderful time yesterday at the recently opened Naples Botanical Garden. http://www.naplesgarden.org/ My new client lives nearby, so we just had to visit the NBG, and I took some fun shots there. NBG is incorporating the latest sustainable technologies in their water management, including solar energy to power irrigation. Do visit the garden, located at 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. DF*****