Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

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1 Antlers were Tony Duquette's signature of "nature's baroque." Here he is posing with some.

2 Here's one of Tony's table settings at his home, Dawnridge, a place where he held wild and extravagant dinner parties. He loved using "games of chance" in his setting - this one includes golden insects, birds, squirrels, and a sailing ship, along with rare porcelains and his signature malachite print table linens.

3 Tony was also an accomplished jewelry designer - here's a unique piece from the 1970s made with citrine, moonstone, and pink tourmaline, set in 18-karat gold.

4 A dining room at the Duquette Pavillion, set for a fabulous party.

5 The stair hall at the James Coburn house, with a custom-made chandelier (packed with a disco ball at its center), zebra skin, antique furniture (which he bleached), with coral railings and turquoise walls.

6 The drawing room is one of my favorite images in the book. I love the use of mahogany Moroccan grillwork at the windows and the black, white and coral color scheme - a Duquette signature.

7 I love the tented ceiling of this room, as well as the wire screens, metal mesh fireplace, and mirror studded with rare seashells.

8 This intimate sitting room looks so inviting and warm. The small daybed is made out of exotic carved wood from locales such as Bali, Thailand, India and China. I love the basket-weave stools - they're upholstered with real leopard!

9 The Treehouse Room in one of Duquette's homes was built after Tony purchased two elliptical leaded-glass overdoors from a restaurant at the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

10 Here's another room with a dramatic tented ceiling and an exquisite antique chandelier.

11 India cotton printed walls are the perfect backdrop for these four-poster beds adorned with capricious details, such as tassels.

12 After Tony died, his cherished friend and author of the "More is More" book, Hutton Wilkonson, purchased the Dawnridge estate. If any redecorating was done, it was done spectacularly and in homage to Tony.

"Book Friday's" have become an unofficial tradition on the Home Design blog, and I have been dying to share Tony Duquette's newest book with you all week.  "More is More" is part design, part memoir, and part scrapbook. I'm so impressed by how well this book documents one of the design industry's greatest legends. Everything from the foreword by fellow Tony worshiper, John Galliano, who describes Duquette as having the "Midas touch," to original transcripts from Duquette's lectures at UCLA in the 1970s is pure genius.

Tony's design aesthetic, which makes over-the-top seem like an understatement also translated to his lifestyle. In this book, we are regaled with stories of the famous dinner parties he hosted with his lovely wife, Elizabeth "Beegle" Duquette. We even come across a story of the day that he was introduced to Salvador Dali - shortly after meeting, he whisked Dali off to all of his favorite architectural landmarks in the city of Los Angeles, such as the Watts Towers, Angels Flight, and old Bradbury Building. It's no wonder he was mingling with one of the greatest surrealist artists of the century - flipping the pages of this book, one is reminded that fantasy was one of Duquette’s favorite motifs.  Along with the recurring use of malachite, rock crystal, and multi-layering.

This book is like a minefield of inspiration. Even the most minimalist designer will appreciate and love the spirit with which Tony decorated, and lived. If you can’t see yourself waking up to the overblown style of Duquette every day, there are certainly ways to incorporate it into your life.  To me, rock crystal equals Tony Duquette, so line your dining table with a bunch of rock crystal votives for your next dinner party. Or do what I did in my office and use a chunk of fool's gold as a centerpiece on your desk. Track down some malachite printed napkins to use during a luncheon. Mix the high and low. Most of all, remember to be fearless and whimsical. These ideas are what constitute the “more is more” philosophy of Duquette.