Monday, September 13, 2010

Lunch With The Boys

Shall we dash off for lunch with the boys today? They have invited us to their Portofino home for a little nosh.

The dining room
Flower murals by Michael Lin

Antique French chairs with Laviani table
Swarovski crystal waterfall chandelier
The only other one I've ever seen is in New Orleans HERE


We could have lunch in the dining room, or maybe in the kitchen, or even out of the terrace. The boys take their entertaining seriously. When they are at this holiday house, they regularly host a cast of rotating celebrities like you and me.


The boys in the kitchen
Venetian lanterns echo the colors of the mosaics

The tile pieces cover the walls and the floor



After lunch we could have a tete-a-tete, or maybe stretch our on the banquette for a little siesta in the poetry nook in the living room.


The poetry nook has walls covered with hand painted snippets of poems
I think there are at least three black Murano chandeliers
I die! Those leopard banquettes are divine!


Maybe if it gets too late, the boys will offer one of their guests rooms to us so we can spend the night in this paradise.

The zebra guest room
The walls are hand painted to match the chair and rug


The red silk covered room is referred to as "the Chinese room"
The pillows are silk screened with a portrait of Jim Morrison

"He's sexy", says one of the boys


You can put sexy Jim on your throw pillows too!
Go HERE


We'll have to arm wrestle for the gold bedroom
It's the room were all of the guests want to sleep


Time to say goodbye. We can stroll through the beautiful sea side garden and bid a fond farewell to our hosts, who tell us, " Growing up, my family never had much money. We are so grateful for all we have, but we don't live for this. There are houses that you enter, whether they belong to a young person or the rich, and there is a feeling that's bellissima. You say to yourself, In this house there is amore, love. It doesn't matter if everything is real or fake, or the furniture is from the flea market or designed by a famous decorator".


Stone pathways in the garden designed by Giorgio Fornari


The boys, if you haven't guessed are Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. This is their Portofino home, "Villa Olivetta" featured in the current September 2010 issue of In Style magazine.

Their runway to room style is noted. It seems so many fashion designers segue into interior design effortlessly.

A new book is coming out: The Council of Fashion Designers of America and Assouline are publishing "American Fashion Designers At Home.' Written by Rima Suqi, a contributor to T and The New York Times.

Diane von Furstenberg's home
Featured in "American Fashion Designers at Home"



"The coffee-table book ($65, which benefits the CFDA Foundation) looks at the homes of 115 CFDA members, from heavyweights like Diane von Furstenberg and Kate Spade to relative newcomers like Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg. The interiors, which range from luxurious — like Eva Chow’s gold-leafed Los Angeles living room or Tory Burch’s opulent, surprisingly conservative Manhattan apartment — to industrial-funky, like Rachel Comey’s Long Island weekend house." Read more HERE

Heavyweight Diane von Furstenberg at home


Very few interior designers venture into fashion design. You would think it would flow both ways, decorators doing fashion, and fashion designers doing decor.


Jonathan Adler jeans




Jonathan Adler did jeans, not much of a fashion design really.

Adler tells us HERE the collection--which includes three looks for men and three looks for women--was inspired by "my favorite destinations, especially Capri, Palm Beach, and Big Sur. I wanted to create the looks that I would want to see a girl rock in any of those locales." His signature bright color palette and whimsical prints adorn tunics, polo shirts, and skinny jeans, which the designer admits isn't too far a cry from wallpaper and ottomans: "Honestly, design is design. I took some of my signature motifs and patterns and thought about how to make them work in fashion. It was fun and easy."

Is design design as Adler says? What kind of fashion design would Gerrie Bremermann do? I could see Kelly Weastler doing fashion, and maybe Phillipe Starck. What ID would you like to see design a line of fashion apparel?

16 comments:

Carrie Waller Watercolors said...

Oh, that Swarovski waterfall chandelier, I think I'm in love!!!!! How spectacular and the murals in that room are amazing. Such a terrific post. The artist in me loves so many of the eclectic fun things in the rooms. The designer side of me always struggles with how to make these things look elegant in a room. Great to see a post that incorporates these ideas. Loving your blog:)

Kalee said...

Oh swoon- well done boys! How fabulous is that room in the divine DVF's home? So inviting. Great post!

Renae Moore said...

I am so there for 'lunch with the boys'!
xo

pve design said...

Sounds like good food for thought. I would love to see what Eddie Ross design a line of clothing. We know it would be happy and chic.
I also would love for Thomas Paul to design a line of clothing.....
pve

Mona Thompson said...

I just returned from a fun beach trip with my sister where I poured over In Style magazine and both of these stories. I never seem to find the time to read In Style, so it was so much fun. I was really inspired by both of them.

Unknown said...

I think Lulu DK would do an amazing line of fashion --- and then she could model them herself, she's so stunning!
xoxo Elizabeth

MFAMB said...

i saw this spread too and thought GAAAAYY!!!!!!!!
all the WAY gay. that gold room left me speechless!
and i would love to see KW's collection. i am sure it would be just as over the top expensive as her other shit. but still interesting..

Sketch42 said...

They are over the top and AMAZING!

So, I did a post like this a few months ago, except I focused on fashion designers who tried their hands at interiors- none of them were that great.

And those JA jeans SUCK. Just flat out ugly and unflattering. I think KW would make an AWESOME jewelry designer.

Unknown said...

I love that mosaic dining room. Over the top and fabulous!

Anonymous said...

hi, valorie,

much though i like the rest of the portofino house, walls and all, i somehow don't think i could cozy up to that waterfall thingie from swarovski. instead of being lite or funny, it is just too much, like a stuffed bear in the room.

would clothes by andree putman look too much like dagney taggart did them? what clothes would mr baldwin have done for cole porter's wife, linda? or for francoise de la renta?

people who do interiors do them for specific people or spaces, where clothing designers, even at couture level, often work in an abstract way from a form and with a multiple in mind. some of the thought process has to be different.

i wonder if jack lenor larsen, so gifted, ever did a dress, or even piecegoods for clothing. of course, his things could be used, but did he ever have that intention?

alberto and you and cholo have a good weekend? m

michael/bagelbrookefarm

Rachel said...

You said it - I die.

I think my mouth would just be agape and only stupid words would be able to escape my mouth - I don't think I could put those rooms into intelligent descriptive words! Those rooms are just so over the top!

Thanks for sharing!

La Maison Fou said...

Love that zebra guestroom....ooohhh wee!!!
Nice.
L.

cotedetexas said...

have you seen Rob Pattinson or Kristen Stewart yet? I am dying!!! KStew is filming in NOLA and he is there visiting. Go find him and tell him I'm at home waiting for him to come over and do the, well you know what. hahahah

designchic said...

Love the kitchen!! Those lanterns and mosaic tiles are amazing...

Renée Finberg said...

the poetry nook is fabulous.
xx

Unknown said...

wow! to thaty saworski waterfall!!!!

*kiss kiss*
Erika
~Tiptoe Butterfly~