DALLAS, TX.- A special collection curated by John Phifer Marrs – the noted Southern interior designer known for an elegant, fresh and inviting design method called the New Southern Style – will be sold in a two-day online-only auction planned for the weekend of April 2nd and 3rd by J. Garrett Auctioneers of Dallas, at 10 am Central both days. Nearly 700 lots will come up for bid.

“Pieces from John's own collection will including fine European and American antiques and fine art,” said Julie Garrett VanDolen, an officer with J. Garrett Auctioneers. She added, “John has selected wonderful items that are perfect for creating a strong foundation for collecting antiques, fine silver, European art and unique decorative pieces for the home.”

Mr. Marrs’s work has been regularly featured in local and national publications, to include Architectural Digest, Traditional Home, Texas Home and many others. He just released his new book, Interiors for Collectors, and stays busy with design work and author appearances. Marrs will sign copies of his book at the April 1st auction preview.
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In addition to Mr. Marrs’s selections, items from several private estates will also be sold, along with a superb collection of fine jewelry. The collection includes top designers such as David Webb, Tiffany & Co., Piaget, Elizabeth Gage, DeGrisogono, Chanel and others. Estate-fresh pieces, many fine diamonds and rare gems will all be available to the public.

Three stunning jewelry pieces certain to excite bidders are as follows:

• A 3.52-carat diamond ring in white gold, set in a 14kt white gold diamond halo style ring, H color, SI2 clarity, appraised at $66,000 (Day 2; est. $25,000-$35,000)

• A papillon style collar necklace in 18kt gold filagree with approximately six carats of diamonds, sold at retail for more than $28,000 (Day 2; est. $15,000-$25,000)

• A properly marked Elizabeth Gage multi-strand necklace of fluorite beads and diamonds in 18kt yellow gold, originally $20,000+ (Day 1; est. $8,000-$18,000)

Italian furniture will feature a 21st century Italo Valenti bronze faux tusk cocktail table, stamped, with oval galleried glass on two cast composite resin tusks with trompe l’oeil rope mounts in bronze, 70 inches long by 39 inches deep; and a pair of 20th century Italian classical style parquetry commodes, each with inlay of ebony, satinwood, cherry and walnut in geometric patterns, having a rectangular case with two drawers, oval escutcheons and square tapering legs.

From France is a large 19th century Louis XVI style giltwood mirror from the Beaux Arts period, having a crest and pendant with urn, putti and floral swags, a divided oval frame with cabochon cartouches and beveled mirror plates, 64 inches wide by 44 inches wide; and a pair of 20th century Louis XVI style giltwood console tables, each with a brown marble D-end top, a blocked skirt with guilloche and garlands, fluted legs and a large flower basket centering the stretcher.

Offerings from Victorian era England will include a pair of mid-19th century japanned collector cabinets, each with gilt floral sprays and rectangular cases with 14 graduated drawers on stands, both 41 inches tall by 43 inches wide; and a 19th century tortoise and abalone sarcophagus form tea caddy, with restorations to the fitted interior, having small losses but it still presents nicely.

Rounding out this short list of expected auction highlights are a large painted paper panel in the Summer Harvest pattern by Gracie, depicting a landscape with a tea house, bridge and garden, 87 inches by 73 inches, the top of the panel frame drilled to hang; and a pair of 19th century green painted Venetian giltwood lanterns in the Baroque taste, with triangular cases, fitted with glass panels, foliate scroll terminals and ball pendant, each lantern 24 inches tall and 13 inches deep.

John Phifer Marrs’s interiors reflect his Southern roots and combine a sense of the past with comfort and convenience. His projects include major residences, vacation homes, executive offices and even the official residence of a United States Ambassador. In 2014, DMagazine named Mr. Marrs one of “The Dallas Dozen” – a salute to the city’s 12 most important players.

“I think everyone should collect something,” Mr. Marrs once said. As an interior designer and purveyor of antiques, he helps clients build their collections and also design walls, rooms and wings in high-end homes to display their objects. His book Interiors for Collectors showcases the homes of people passionate about collecting and his talent for displaying nearly anything.