B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

The Interior Design Showroom of Ann Dennis at the Stone Mill Design

Center, Costa Mesa was transformed into a salon celebrating the

decorative arts last week as local society met and mingled with a very

prominent member of the international design world, Murray Douglas.

A graduate of Skidmore, Parsons School of Design and the Attingham

Program, Douglas, who is senior vice president of the renowned

international textile firm Brunschwig and Fils, entered the showroom with

her local staff members Michael Petrie and Richard Smith.

The showroom is in fact a series of room vignettes created by Ann

Dennis and her staff, reflecting a very serious eye with a decidedly

European slant. French and English period pieces (both original and

quality reproductions) are blended with American style and more than a

small share of Oriental influence.

As the sun set and the light of many artistic lamps illuminated the

space, the showroom became a fabulous home awaiting guests for the

evening repast. Hostess Dennis, with her husband Bill and her staff,

greeted local Newport Mesa members of the Decorative Arts Society

including Bonnie and Gerald McClelland, Elena Donovan, Marianna and

Arthur Jeppe, Sharon Henwood, Cecilia Knott and Katie and Dave Alderman.

As Chardonnay was poured and scrumptious crab cakes on silver trays

were passed by the wait staff, the showroom took on the marvelous feeling

of an old-world salon gathering, where people with differing points of

view came together to share cultural, artistic and intellectual

experiences.

Douglas delivered electric energy into the small yet sophisticated

crowd. She is, after all, an authority on historic textiles and

wallpaper. Douglas came to the Newport Mesa community to share insight on

the subject during a specially planned lecture sponsored by the

Decorative Arts Society.

Well known world wide, Douglas’ homes and gardens -- she is a world

class gardener who spends most of her free time cultivating the country

garden she shares with her husband in New York -- have been featured in

national publications including House Beautiful and Town and Country.

The subject of her lecture for the Newport society was “The ABCs of

Toile de Jouy.” Douglas, who is a direct descendant of the French family

that founded the firm she so proudly represents today, is well versed in

the history of toile, and how the development of copperplate printed

designs took the world by storm in the 18th century.

Sharing cocktail conversation in the Dennis salon, surrounded by the

textiles she knows so well, Douglas met local design aficionados

including Jamie Shepherdson, Lois and Kae Ewing, Carolyn and John

Garrett, Lois and Dave Tingler, Maureen Madigan, Joan Sammis and Julia

Jennings. The crowd was impressed by both the credentials and the

lifelong journey that Douglas freely shared over a second and then a

third passing of the fabulous crab cakes.

What was especially endearing was the aura of humility that was so

apparent in this gracious lady of significant worldly accomplishment. She

may be an expert in the fabrics of the French kings, but she also is

clearly the kind of women who regularly rolls up her sleeves and goes to

work on any number of projects.

The crowd knew that they were in the presence of someone of

considerable talent. Douglas was generous in sharing her knowledge;

answering every imaginable question directed at her concerning the world

of textiles and design. The private Ann Dennis reception was a prelude to

the Douglas address the following day for the entire assemblage of

Decorative Arts Society.

A fashionable luncheon at the French-inspired waterfront estate of

Diane Johnson, a respected kitchen designer and notable Francofile who

has filled her home with wonderful French architectural design elements,

completed the wonderful Murray Douglas experience on the Orange Coast.

The Decorative Arts Society is a financial support group that sponsors

the work of New Directions for Women Inc. New Directions is a nonprofit

organization dedicated to providing addiction treatment for women with

alcohol, chemical and other substance abuse difficulties. Their goal is

to help women return to a healthy lifestyle based on a legitimate and

lasting recovery.

Murray Douglas ended her whirlwind visit to Newport Beach leaving her

own very special lasting impression. Another most interesting event

sponsored by The Decorative Arts Society.

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* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.