HIGH TRAD: Bill Eubanks

William Eubanks Interior Design

I was just revisiting this house in Palm Beach which belongs to Ambassador Mary Ourisman, and it won a Ballinger award for the remodeling where they added a beautiful loggia- designer Bill Eubanks created an opulent setting for her dining room which I think is very beautiful in the palette as well as the use of chinoiserie decoration - kudos to Bill and Mary!  DF

PAIRS: Sublime Symmetry

Dean Farris Interior Design

Here, I used my favorite pair of Louis XV style chairs upholstered in olive suede with nail head trim flanking this 19th century American mahogany Console table- plus four pairs of decorative Objet' - I waited a long time for the pair of silk damask pillows as one was given to me years ago -and then I just  discovered the other one recently-  And yes, I could've put a flat screen television here but chose not to in an effort to preserve what's left of the art of conversation between people one loves and cares about-  so important!  DF

LIGHTING: Opulence

Strauss Lighting, Miromar Design Center

When I was very young and spent a lot of time in New York City even before I moved there for my further education,  I would pass by these glamorous shops such as Nesle' and Charles Winston-

These shops were very dark and yet filled with the most glamorous crystal chandeliers, Empire style chandeliers and lanterns but mostly crystal chandeliers which screamed opulence-  Giving a mere tourist a sense of the grandeur of New York apartments looming above the streets -such as Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan-

I was always very impressed by the shops and one of my mentors, the late George Clarkson, could not even go into Nesle' because he loved so many things in there that it became very overwhelming for him-  He was certainly not one to waste a minute of precious time!  Below, a shot of the Strauss showroom at Miromar Design Center-  visit soon!  DF

PILLOWS: Decorative Impact

Dean Farris Interior Design

I've been working with these throw pillows for quite a while now I'm trying to get them exactly the way I want them a la Tom Britt - he was famous for stacking pillows on the sofa to get the look he wanted - which was dramatic and high style- pillows are important! DF

DFID

BEAUTY: Old Naples Beaches

via Pinterest

Endorphins! I am completely drenched in beauty from the natural world and all of my exercise this weekend- the weather was magnificent- Balmy breezes sunny in the high 80s and Naples if you haven't been here is one of the most beautiful places in the United States- It's also one of the most affluent coastal towns in Florida and is well known for many years for attracting an affluent patronage-

Founded in the late 1800s it began as a small fishing village and was not easy to get to in the beginning- I came here over 20 years ago and it has changed greatly since then- While I found this image on Pinterest under "the worlds most beautiful beaches"- I couldn't really give you a picture that would show how beautiful it is here -it's beyond any description- And I suppose I'm glad that as I head into my golden years I live here and not in Southern California where I had planned on living after I left New York City-

There's a quiet wealth here and even though people participate heavily in charities they don't really talk about it very much -you just see them in the magazines at all the fundraisers-  And in my humble opinion not only do we have the most beautiful beaches but we also have the most beautiful people -the kindest most giving generous and genuine people one could ever hope to meet!  DF

MIXED: Silk Damask

Dean Farris Interior Design

MIXED - Just the way I like it a combination of 18th century elements both old and new both antique and reproduction in a chic blues and browns palette with touches of apricot- pillow fabric- Scalamandre'. Chair seats- Brunschwig, Slipper chair in Robert Allen.

This eclectic assemblage is a good example of how one can take a very small space and make it feel larger by using more furnishings and objects rather than less-  And while I keep saying to Billy that I'm done with this room for some reason I keep seeming to add more to it- As they say what ever floats your boat!

The reproduction rock crystal chandelier has been with me through the last three or four moves you'll notice it in older posts of mine here on Dean Farris Style- One of the things I like about it is that the light is filtered through the shades so it's never too bright however at some point I may have some red pleated silk shades made for it especially if I have the walls lacquered a dark brown!  That was a sensational combination I had in my Manhattan apartment in the East 60's off Fifth Avenue -it was such fun to come home to- It glittered like a little jewel box!  DF

STAN TOPOL: Town and Country

STAN TOPOL ASSOCIATES

STAN TOPOL Was my first interior design mentor back in 1975 -when he approved me for the interior design program at the Art institute of Atlanta- I've always been very inspired by Stan and his work along with his associate Reynolds Brown and I found this Video of Stan talking about the room he did in one of the designer show houses-  I really like the contrast between the city apartment above and the country house, below, which is in Newnan, Georgia -where Stan lives on a beautiful equestrian estate-  I still have fond memories of the many dinners we had at Stan's apartment in Buckhead as well as at the Peasant restaurants which he designed for Richard Royston- And once many years ago Stan took me into Richard's apartment in Atlanta and it was an explosion of 70's style - lacquered walls, collections, and an inlaid black and white chevron VAT floor -truly a Manhattan tour de force in Buckhead!  The guest room had walls upholstered in sort of a paisley type woven fabric which was stunning - I don't think I'd ever seen anything so chic in my life as this apartment and Richard's Rolls-Royce was parked in the garage below -the icing on the cake!  I remember even going shopping with Stan at ADAC and looking at fabrics -he was amazing as he spent a lot of time with his students in his capacity as chairman of interior design at the Art Institute of Atlanta-  I am sure that there has never been anyone quite like him and there never will be again- BRAVO STAN !!
DF

CURTAINS: Inspired

Dean Farris Interior Design 

This post is inspired by The Glam Pad - there was a fabulous post there today on couture curtains-
Above, a luscious tied back panel for a tub -  below a simple edge treatment for some recently installed family room curtains- (cream on blue and white) and pinked curtains via The Pink Door, Greensboro, NC - DF

INTERIOR: Twilight Glitter

Dean Farris Interior Design (c) 2019

I came home after another busy day, poured myself a scotch and lit these Ralph Lauren "Upper Fifth" candles and put on some music and then I took this picture which I thought I would share with you- !  Enjoy!  DF

GHOST: Baby Chair

DFID

I'm having a lot of fun playing with my new lulu Louis  ghost in the small version in this lilac color which I adore-  , I'm using it as a small table with books and flowers -I placed the flowers in a porcelain cup  by Marie Daage, the French designer- it's Limoges, and I love everything she designs
and thought how fun to put it with the Philippe Starck chair- the book on chair seat is "Sister Parish Design".   DF

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