M I A M I design dist/Wynwood art dist 10/15

Soyka, Miami

Lunched at Soyka...I had a chardonnay by Starmount and a pizza margarita.. very good...

Seen at Soyka, Miami

Miami Design District

Mecca ! Miami Design District

Designer Steve Matable, Miami Design District

Versace boutique, Miami Design District

Louboutin boutique, Miami Design District

Miami Design District

Miami Design District

Billy at Wynwood Arts District

Poster boy for Miami, Johnny Depp

Shopping as an athletic event..."power shopping" as Steve calls it...we had a ton of fun...!  DF ***** (I think we hit about 16 boutiques, many of which have only recently opened)  See the site link for more info (yesterday's post)

J McLaughlin

J McLaughlin, Third Street South, Naples

Another of my very favorite boutiques in Naples, is called J. McLaughlin.  With two shops in town, it's always fun to pop in and see what's new...

J McLaughlin, Venetian Village, Naples

Check out this gorgeous, classic interior design at the Village location~ Elsie de Wolfe would have adored it !  The husbands can hang out in here while the wives shop...or the husbands ! :)  And speaking of interior design, (below) here I am in a funny candid shot in Troy Cardwell's apartment in Park Shore, where his furniture is matching my J. McLaughlin "Dean" shorts in ikat printed linen and cotton.  Shirt, also linen, by Ralph Lauren.

Dean wearing his new "Dean" shorts, J. McLaughlin

Looking forward to the Fourth of July weekend!

 

Leta Austin Foster, New Book !

via Amazon

Of course, I was thrilled when I began to hear stories from Leta about another book coming out, this one featuring her work exclusively! 

It's a long story, but, many years ago, Leta had expressed an interest in possibly hiring me, right out of design school~which meant I would have had to move down to Palm Beach, which at the time I just wasn't quite ready to do.  I do plan however, to attend her talk and book signing, on Monday November 30th, at the Society of the Four Arts...  Congratulations to dear Leta on this wonderful tribute to a true talent in the world of design! 

One can also buy from LAF at her charming small boutique in Via Mizner North~ she has the best of everything in terms of sheets, accessories, children's clothing, china, etc.  Enjoy!  DF *****

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Kelly Sweeps Floors, And So Do I...!

We've been in a heavy mode of Carolinas influenced design lately, having just come off of the High Point Market, returning as well from South Carolina for a client in Greenville, and our long time clients in Charleston have listed their South of Broad house on the real estate market.  And, fellow designer and South Carolina native, Kelly Wearstler, lately of Los Angeles, has been on our minds too!

Continuing in the vein, our Charleston clients are using Brunk Auctions, of Asheville, NC to dispose of their collection- which they have spent their lives amassing.  Andrew Brunk recently left his post (after five years) at Christie's New York as head of American Decorative Arts, to return to Asheville and work in his family owned auction business.  Designer Kelly Wearstler, shown here sweeping up for her One Kings Lane sale this past Summer, is a great natural talent, and her mother also owned a business dealing in antique furnishings.  Sometimes, if you want something done, it's better to just go ahead and do it oneself!  Any good decorator knows this, and I've seen the best of them get down and dirty, and I am no different.

                                          Andrew Brunk, Brunk Auctions, Asheville

Here's the Charleston drawing room in its latest incarnation.

Here it is as we first designed it, and we had submitted it to Architectural Digest, but decided to not publish it, and it was also submitted to The World of Interiors... That's Lord Byron over the mantel, the house dates from 1830, and is on Saint Michael's Alley, behind the famous church which had its steeple blown askew by hurricane Hugo.  The man who straightened it back upright was our contractor on this extensive remodeling and restoration project, which took over two years.

While shopping in Monaco, at the biennale des antiquaires there, we saw this beautiful paint colour on some shutters, and were able to order the same paint from a French source for our shutters...

Here again, is beautiful and uber talented Kelly Wearstler, a native of Myrtle Beach, SC! Kelly recently launched her own clothing line, and has built a very strong brand for herself, comparable to Tory Burch.  I'm thrilled that Naples is getting its own Tory Burch boutique.  Don't you just love this shot of KW?  Kelly, aka Mrs. Brad Korzen, also has four design books published, one of which I show below, she is a tour de force of talent, as well as the mother of two sons!  Can you say "Steel Magnolia" ?  Enjoy!  DF *****

Boutique of the Week: BR Uno, Naples

Bruno Dhaine, proprietor, BR Uno

I have always enjoyed shopping in small, smart shops, known as BOUTIQUES. One of my favorites here in Naples is called BR Uno, on Third Street South, and my good friend Jerry is the manager there. BR Uno carries Hermes', Baccarat, Ice watches, Keith Haring, and Jonathan Adler, as well as delightful decoupage and elegant jewelry...today I picked up a small package of Caspari paper cocktail napkins, in a leopard print, for only five bucks, so not every thing is terribly dear and damaging to the wallet - follow BR Uno on Facebook, or stop in -they are located across from Sea Salt restaurant. DF*****