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FLORIDA DESIGNTHE MAGAZINE FOR FINE INTERIOR DESIGN & FURNISHINGS VOLUME 20#2

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140 FlORaJA DESIGU VOl 20 NO 2

FEARLESSFANTASY

Designer Doug MeyerFashions His OwnDream Home - A PlayfulSouth Beach EnvironmentAwash In Vibrant Hues

DESIGN Doug Meyer, Ooog & Gene MeyerStudio. Miami, Fl. and New York, NYTEXT Tamara Mosco\vitzPHOTOGRAPHY Mark Roskam"New York. NY

LEFT: Cottoo candy colors mixed withmid-2Oth-cenlury fumishings define lheliving area, where designer Doug Meyer,above, custom designed Ihe area rug10 mimic Ihe back wall's ceiling liles_A hanging sculplure by Cristina LeiRodriguez adds whimsy along wtthaccessories collected over the years.

A pink resin elephantfrom MaMa heads a longline of circus folk on thecocktail table, while aFrench 19th-century

miniature picture framefrom Christie's incorporates

an Old World element.

ABOVE: Accessones match !he home's color scheme and lend an alf ofeccenlnclty, such as In Ihe Ir~ng area, where -Kaleidoscope House: aneon PleXiglas dollhouse designed in 2000 by arnst Laune Simmonsand arcnnect Peter Wheelwrighl, IS filled vnth a ModernlSl mi, of oons andfurn~hlngs by lop designers and artists of Ihe 70s and '80s, '

ABOVE RIGHT:In lhe dlmng area, 1920s LouIS XV-style chairs from Solheby'sIn lavender leather from Ubra Leather feature backs in a vintage floral-printvln~ Meyer painled Ihe 19505 Heywood Wakefield chesl purple 10 match.

SITLIATED ON A PENTHOLISE LEVEL WITH BREATHTAKINGviews of Biscayne Bay and Downtown J\1iami lies designer Doug Meyer's fantasyhome - "a labor of love" that reflects his unique style of mixing mid':Wth-centuryfurnishings in playful fabrics and colors. Already a resident of Miami. Meyer realizedhis dream of Barbie meets Barbarella by designing a 1,1OO-square-foot pied-a-terrea getaway from his main house that doubles as living quarters for visiting friends

Three clements unify the space: poured epoxy on the Floors. painted Plexiglaspanels and a palette confined to white, purple and pink - three of Meyer's favoritecolors since early childhood. An open expanse bathed in sunlight, the home exemplifies

"Plexiglas is sleek and reflective with retro and modern styles that give anunexpected yet dynamic look set against vintage antiques," Meyer says.

Meyer's approach to designing interiors "as a site-specific installation where [ repur-pose familiar objects and furnishings to make it my own," says the designer, whorefashioned pieces from the 1950s to early '70s to his exact creative vision.

Starting from the entrance, the eye is drawn to the living area's center wallcovering of three-dimensional squares, actual ceiling tiles from 1970 rescuedfrom an old bank in Miami, that Meyer had sandblasted, painted and backedwith purple-colored mirrored Plexiglas. The raised "Mod Pod" area rug, designedby Meyer and brother Gene for NIBA Rug Collections, is in the exact same scale.A pair of 1970s chrome occasional tables, topped with vintage table lamps withsilver shades, flank an original Florence Knoll sofa from 1954 clad in whiteleather and accented by velvet pillows that the designer purchased in Morocco.

ABOVE: Purple mirrored Plexiglas panels in the master bedroom frame a leather-upholstered wall thatacts as a headboard for a West Elm bed. A bench covered in Knoll fabric adds a rustic element to themodern space. Personal touches include a 1970 paper-rnache woman from Andy Warhol's collection, aLarry Rivers lithograph placed on a stack of books, a photograph by Meyer from his BOD series thathangs on one white wall, and Gene Meyer's fashion drawing displayed on the mirrored Plexiglas.

144 FLORIDADESIGN VOL 20 NO.2

An armchair covered in leather-embossed snakeskin and anacrylic chair upholstered inwhite flokati complete thegrouping and pull up to alimited edition cocktail table,custom designed by Meyer inchrome and mirrored mosaics.

Meyer used the French-influenced decorative processof eglornise to paint the wallcovering of mixed silkscreenseashells on the back of whitePlexiglas - a nod to thesilkscreen images of Zodiac

Meyer's fantasy home

is "a labor of love"

that reflects his

unique style of mixing

mid-20th-century

furnishings in playful

fabrics and colors.

symbols created by PieroFornasetti and Cio Ponti for asuite on the luxury liner SSAlldrea Doria - which wrapsaround the living area and intothe dining area. Here, sheerdrapery fabric filters the sun-light and provides a back-ground for sculptural furnishingsincluding a 1969 eyeball lightfixture by artist Nicola L. thatwatches over an original 1956Eero Saarinen-designed pedestaltable. Faux Bois pottery fromthe late 1950s and a Muranoglass vase decorate the table.

The only enclosed space,the master bedroom displayspersonal art for familiar touches.Using purple mirrored Plexiglaspanels flanking a white-leatherheadboard, Meyer introducesanother material, a wood bench,to create interest. "I found thatwhen I am in Miami, I spendmore time in this condo," says avery pleased designer com-menting on the fruits of hislabor. "It's like a vacation."

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