This post was written by Cheryl

Anne Gelbard is a name mostly associated with the Paris Fashion scene, but she has recently transitioned to the Interior Design world. While she still designs fabulous fabrics for Christian Dior and other famous clothing designers, she is wowing the interior design field with unusual feather panel screens, lampshades, and wall panels.

I toured her studio in Paris and was struck by the beauty of her product. I was also inspired by her business acumen. Anne Gelbard is one of the few designers who has successfully competed in both fields. While I was there, one of her artists (maybe artistic lab technician is a better term) worked on dying swarovski crystals on fabric to give the fabric a shimmery, tie-dyed effect. They were infusing the crystals with color, and the effect was indeed stunning.

Stunning also was the feather fabric panels she was designing. Purchasing yards and yards of the fabric would be very costly, but a small piece framed makes an exquisite piece of art. I could just imagine a home with that hanging in a dining room for texture and visual stimulation. Imagine having a one of a kind piece of art by a modern day fashion designer! The fabrics were exquisite.

 
For an even smaller purchase, the fabrics were transitioned into a lampshade. Modern day art and texture, rolled into a practical purchase make the perfect gift. Anne Gelbard has accomplished turning a piece of fashion into affordable art for the home.

For more information on Anne Gelbard:  http://www.annegelbard.com/interior-creations/feathers-wallcovering/

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Moraya Bay is a private beach club of just 72 exquisite residences on Gulf Shore Drive in Naples, featuring spacious and well-appointed floor plans and five-star amenities.  For more information please call 239.514.5050

 

Coastal Retreat Model
3,942 SF of Living Space
 
11125 Gulf Shore Drive
Naples, FL 34108

3rd Floor, #304  

Cozy Coastal Retreat

Take a personal tour of Moraya Bay’s newest condominium designed by Renee Gaddis of Collins & DuPont. Renee created an inspiring coastal retreat, blending color palettes of the beach, the Gulf of Mexico and nature, all in full view from this spectacular third-level unit.

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   The newly refurbished and renovated main clubhouse at Bonita Bay in Bonita Springs is now open, featuring new interior design by Collins and DuPont. The 55,000-square-foot facility has several other upgrades, including a reconstructed entryway with waterfall, new driveway pavers, outdoor seating areas and enhanced landscaping.

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  This luxurious 6,008-square-foot home on Gulf Shore Boulevard in Old Naples with interior design by Collins & DuPont will open soon for you to tour. You’ll want to make time to see the fabulous interior design by Kim Collins, Lana Knapp and Alina Olinger. Construction is expected to be completed in April.

This post was written by Cheryl

Cheryl Draa and Patrick Frey

Exclusively Pierre Frey (by Cheryl Draa)

Recently I was privileged to tour the Paris France design studio of Pierre Frey.  They are by nature a fabric and furnishing house but have an eclectic selection of prints and woven fabrics. .  By their own admission, Pierre Frey studios get their inspiration from a fable, a building in Paris, a mythological animal or a window display.  They specialize in damasks, jacquards and moirés  using luxurious  silk, elegant linen  and even cashmere.  Most of their fabrics are still made at the company’s own production unit in Northern France….which guarantees exclusivity.

My tour started in the public design studios….where anyone can walk in off the streets and ask for samples, or help making window treatments.  Seems this is the norm in Paris.   They are assigned a designer from the local studios that can help them once they find their own fabrics.   (Dangerous if you ask me…because while everyone thinks they are a designer….we all know they are not).  Patrick Frey, Pierre’s son who now runs the show, met my group personally at the door with coffee and a warm “Bonjour!”  He proudly showed us the new line of fabrics that they just released for 2011 and gave us a brief history of the company, and their vision for the future.  The selection in the studio is fabulous, and I was excited to see the new colors and patterns of the future.

2012 Fabrics

I happened to be in Paris during one of the transportation strikes, so we walked everywhere that day.  No worries, temperature was in the 70’s and not a cloud in the sky, and it was Paris!  Patrick led us down the street several blocks, guiding us through the maze of close streets proudly proclaiming the beauty of Paris…and it is indeed a beautiful city.   Since many families have owned the buildings for hundreds of years, the owners by law are required to make continual updates to their buildings…pressure wash, fix tiles, anything that needs done, every 15 years.  The major cities of the US look dirty to me by comparison now.  Patrick himself led us from the public design studio to where the magic takes place.   His private offices and archive studio.

Patrick Frey in Paris

Since 2003, Patrick and his staff have collected over 30,000 documents dating from the 16^th century.  They are contacted by museums all over the world for information on colors/fabrics.  It is here in the archive studio that Patrick’s passion for fabric, and the designs on them really came to light, and I was most fascinated seeing all the fabrics and hearing his stories.   We discussed how the design on fabrics way back when had actually been drawn free hand by a small tool holding the colored inks.   Then other less skilled artisans colored the design in by hand.   Imagine how time consuming to get 21 yards of fabric that all looked the same!   The most famous is perhaps the tree of life print…which started out as a tree with many branches stretching up….when they reached a certain point, the branches just stopped, and the artist started drawing another tree at the top.  Imagine 120”panels today and the trouble with a repeat design on the fabrics.   So to recreate the pattern for usage today, Patrick himself designed the transition, and uniformity of the design…then the artists in our computer age work with proportion, and colors on their computers to make sure when you receive that beautiful new print, you are not worried about the repeat matching or uneven patterns.

Patrick told stories of when Napoleon came into power, and how he changed everything in France from a Fleur-de- lis to the bumblebee….so all the fabrics had to be redone in the Palace at Versailles.  Because of the time involved in doing all that by hand, Napoleon’s rule of 12 years was not enough….the fabrics were still in the workroom!   Sometimes I hear concerns about how long it takes to get panels fabricated…..but certainly never 12 years!

Archived fabrics

 Next we ventured into Patrick’s private offices where he showed us one of his personal favorites of the archives: a book dating back to the 16^th century holding swatches of fabrics.  Plaids, dots, patterns….all looked vaguely familiar to me, with just a color variation.   It was then that I realized,” there is nothing new under the sun.”  There are color changes from historical periods, such as the belief during Marie Antoinette’s time that emerald green walls in the bedroom are most soothing.  But don’t some of you still like that bumblebee look?   Or maybe you’ve seen the fleur-de-lis?   Patrick’s artisans use the historical patterns for new inspirations, and I was privileged to see some of the latest versions of his new patterns.  The new colors are set for 2012 and beyond….and the books are being laid out…fabrics coming together for new inspirations….and these exclusive patterns and colors (which are available here in the States) are available ONLY through your designer!

16th century fabrics with Stylus used to add color

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Curtains billow like ball gowns, framing the picturesque Massachusetts countryside. Gold-plated mirrors reflect the summer sun into every corner. Exquisite Tiffany lamps grace every tabletop, along with priceless Baccarat vases — all reflecting a time of gracious living at Blantyre Estate.

 Nestled in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, Blantyre is one of America’s only Relais and Chateaux properties. Once a private home, the castle now serves as an exclusive inn that I was fortunate enough to visit with a dear friend this summer.

 Called a “cottage” by the original owners in 1901, the home was meant to be a less formal version of a vacation home. Designed by architect Robert Henderson Robertson, the estate’s main building is replete with towers, turrets and gargoyles. The house was modeled after his mother’s ancestral home in Blantyre, Scotland.

The Music Room at Blantyre

 In 1980, U.S. Senator Jack Fitzpatrick and his wife Jane fell in love with the abandoned Blantyre and purchased it for their daughter, Ann Fitzpatrick Brown, who became the eighth owner. Within one year, Ann had opened the inn.

 We spent such a lovely and idyllic week at Blantyre, soaking in the atmosphere created by Ann and her innate sense of style. Many of the rooms have been restored to their former splendor, with pieces from the original owners. Every architectural detail from the interior mouldings, plaster cornices, pristine white ceilings, and darkly paneled walls was inspiring.

Kim Collins

 Having visited this elegant estate once, I feel the need to return sooner than later. Mud Weeks in the springtime sounds fun. Perhaps I’ll take a class with Chef Christopher Brooks.

This post was written by Cheryl

Barclay Buttera and Cheryl Draa

Living in Style, the Barclay Buttera Way

By Cheryl Draa

Barclay Buttera has always been an Interior Designer that I have admired for his classic taste in home design. He works out of Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Park City and New York. I recently bought a cabin in the mountains, so I’ve poured over pictures of some of his work in Park City for inspiration of my own. I am always pleased when I look at the body of work that he performs for his clients. They are cohesive looks pulled together with his own fabrics, accessories, upholstery, and careful placement of furnishings, art and rugs. The designs always inspire.

Kravet Fabrics has recently partnered with Barclay Buttera to have an exclusive line of fabrics available to designers. They launched his new book “Living in Style” and an introduction of the fabrics with a seminar led by Barclay and held in their showroom. I was privileged to attend the seminar and speak with him afterwards. Barclay titled his speech, “Keeping Clients For Life”…and I like him even more now. He stressed that if we do a great job with our clients, they want to keep working with us as their designer. So in theory, when a client moves to a new home, or downsizes, or right sizes…for whatever reason (and there are so many reasons) they will still come to their same interior designer for help on that next home. We build relationships with our clients that tend to last through several generations, and it becomes a mutually beneficial experience. I know personally, I have several clients who signed with me in their “starter home” and now 3 or 4 homes later, we all appreciate each other even more for what we can do for each other, and also how GOOD interior design can influence and change a home and affect the personalities that reside in that home.

I had a chance to ask Barclay Buttera what he was most proud of in his career. I really think he could have told me about one of his recent installs, or his licensing agreements, or his latest book. His answer impressed me with him as a businessman….”Having a company that feels like a family, and keeping that family in tack for over 20 years.” Here is a man who practices what he preaches. Not only do his clients have loyalty to him, but so do the people that form his business team. That is actually living in style. Surrounding your self with good people and good design to promote a mutually beneficial life.

Check out Barclay Buttera’s Book, “Living in Style” for more inspiration and beautiful fabrics available through Kravet, and your own personal designer. Form a relationship with that designer, to promote a stylish home for yourself. Take care of the people around you, and along the way, go out and live the good life!

 Barclay Buttera has always been an Interior Designer that I have admired for his classic taste in home design. He works out of Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Park City and New York. I recently bought a cabin in the mountains, so I’ve poured over pictures of some of his work in Park City for inspiration of my own. I am always pleased when I look at the body of work that he performs for his clients. They are cohesive looks pulled together with his own fabrics, accessories, upholstery, and careful placement of furnishings, art and rugs. The designs always inspire.

Kravet Fabrics has recently partnered with Barclay Buttera to have an exclusive line of fabrics available to designers. They launched his new book “Living in Style” and an introduction of the fabrics with a seminar led by Barclay and held in their showroom. I was privileged to attend the seminar and speak with him afterwards. Barclay titled his speech, “Keeping Clients For Life”…and I like him even more now. He stressed that if we do a great job with our clients, they want to keep working with us as their designer. So in theory, when a client moves to a new home, or downsizes, or right sizes…for whatever reason (and there are so many reasons) they will still come to their same interior designer for help on that next home. We build relationships with our clients that tend to last through several generations, and it becomes a mutually beneficial experience. I know personally, I have several clients who signed with me in their “starter home” and now 3 or 4 homes later, we all appreciate each other even more for what we can do for each other, and also how GOOD interior design can influence and change a home and affect the personalities that reside in that home.

I had a chance to ask Barclay Buttera what he was most proud of in his career. I really think he could have told me about one of his recent installs, or his licensing agreements, or his latest book. His answer impressed me with him as a businessman….”Having a company that feels like a family, and keeping that family in tack for over 20 years.” Here is a man who practices what he preaches. Not only do his clients have loyalty to him, but so do the people that form his business team. That is actually living in style. Surrounding your self with good people and good design to promote a mutually beneficial life.

Check out Barclay Buttera’s Book, “Living in Style” for more inspiration and beautiful fabrics available through Kravet, and your own personal designer. Form a relationship with that designer, to promote a stylish home for yourself. Take care of the people around you, and along the way, go out and live the good life!

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Top 10

Thou Shall Not…..

1. Work without a plan, both strategic and architectural.
2. Forego a set budget on a whim.
3. Design by committee (sorry girlfriends).
4. Covet possessions just “because” you have it.
5. Use “inferior” products to save money.
6. Forget to consider Lifestyle to use.
7. Omit the principles of scale and proportion.
8. Overcrowd. Less, is often best.
9. Forget to honor “dual purpose” and embrace function-ability as one.
10. Overlook the positive effects of ambience lighting. 

 Whether your interior design project is of a large or small scale, please keep these top 10 guidelines as part of your process and consideration…not just at the start, but throughout the process to keep you on the road to success. You’ll be glad you did when your project is complete!

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Harwick Homes and Collins & DuPont Interior Design teamed together and were inspired by the California countryside in creating the Calascio model. Located in the upscale Naples community of the Estuary at Grey Oaks, you will find it nestled on the 5th hole of the Estuary championship golf course offering panoramic views of the lake. This spacious home offers 4 bedrooms plus den and 4 ½ bathrooms under 4942 square foot of air conditioned space and over 7300 total square feet. Outdoor living is grand for entertaining family and friends with over 1200 square feet of covered lanai complete with a summer kitchen, fireplace, swimming pool and raised spa.

The Calascio is offered furnished and available for immediate occupancy. For more information please contact the Estuary Sales Center at 239.261.3148. For your new construction, remodel or renew of your home, contact Collins & DuPont to assist you in turning your space into timeless designs of gracious living at 239.948.2400.

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Naples Casamore Broker Grand Opening Event

June 9th kicked off the first of many planned Broker Happy Hour events at the all new Naples Casamore. The developer team for Gulfshore Development II, LLC are Daniel Whitefield, Grigory Levinzon & Ryan Lang, who were all in attendance for the broker grand opening event on site located at 1754 Gulf Shore Blvd North just south of the Edgewater Hotel in Olde Naples. Also in attendance along with Collins & DuPont Interior Design were Rothchilds International Realty the project and marketing agents, BCB Homes the builder, and Stofft Cooney the architect for the private enclave of 12 detached grand estate homes, each with it’s own private boat slip and in-ground pool and spa.

The Collins & DuPont model at Naples Casamore will open in February 2011 and will feature a Luxury Coastal design theme. This theme fits the community and its location in the heart of Olde Naples. The model is the largest of three floor plans available and will face the canal and boat slips. Pricing starts at $3,995,000 with total square feet of 5941 to 6413. For more information please contact Rothchilds International Realty at 239.687.3226 or visit the web at www.naplescasamore.com.