THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 25, 1994 TAG: 9412220160
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mary Ellen Riddle
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
It took only 17 days for Richard Fentress to turn a concrete 10-square-foot space into a lush interior of silk upholstered walls, silver-leafed ceilings and black, high-gloss, custom cabinets.
It was an interior fit to showcase jewels in an Aspen, Colo., shop, and the concrete was tough to work with. ``It's very hard to anchor into anything,'' Fentress said. But the 46-year-old interior designer says the outcome was exquisite.
In the past it was not unusual for Fentress to work day and night to complete a job. ``It was nothing to start at eight in the morning and work until 4, 5, 6 a.m., then get a couple of hours' sleep,'' said Fentress, recalling the time he redesigned the children's department at the Galleon in Nags Head.
Customers may remember the huge mechanical gorilla he hung from the ceiling in a two-story cage, or the swimming pool filled with floating animals. ``All that was nothing but visual merchandising,'' says Fentress. But the Kill Devil Hills artist says it was an absolute blast.
Fentress has been challenged not only by fabric colors, textures, patterns, accessories and furniture, but also by odd-shaped interiors. He's draped $20,000 worth of silk in a turret room and designed the inside of a private airplane. He even tackled a yacht, which he said was particularly difficult.
``Everything was so out of synch,'' he said. ``No straight lines. Everything is different.''
Today Fentress concentrates solely on window treatments. He is burned out on the high-pressure, full-interior jobs. But his workload remains intense.
And with the death of his 13-year business partner and companion, Bill Muenster, from an AIDS-related illness just over a year ago, Fentress has had to continue the business alone.
Tasks that were shared or done solely by Muenster, and especially the pair's creative comaraderie, have now become a solo act.
``Bill was phenomenally talented,'' Fentress said. ``His gift of being able to use his hands to do hair extended to his ability to do wonderful detail work in design. He was a phenomenal inspiration to me.''
The thrill of creating has become more of a chore these days as Fentress grieves, but healing is in progress. ``You know you have to get back to work. You know you have to produce something. Work is a phenomenal healer,'' he said.
Fentress continues to put forth unique and oftentimes light-hearted designs that grace many an Outer Banks home, vacation condominium or business.
From scratch, Fentress cuts, drapes, stretches and shapes fabrics into one-of-a-kind creations. He constructs cornice boards and drapes of all shapes, colors and sizes. Given almost a free reign by local companies who contract his work, Fentress imparts an ornate, elegant or fanciful look to area windows.
His three dimensional children's treatments have been a big hit. Colorful, authentic-looking sailboats complete, with cleats, screw eyes, ropes and pulleys, float above windows.
``I wanted to knock their socks off,'' Fentress said.
Hidden in Outer Banks homes, cruise ships pass across cornice boards, and cowboy motifs come to life warming glass panes. Lush fabric encircles bamboo rods or PVC piping.
``Lord, I could plumb the entire beach with the amount of PVC I've used,'' said Fentress. ``I like a person to say I've never seen such a thing before.''
While new fabric arrives on the design scene each year, Fentress says there really are no new ideas or colors. Design is cyclical. It all boils down to improvement, improvisation or altering, he said.
Currently, Fentress enjoys designing with dark jewel tones, which lend warmth to a room. Pastels are quickly becoming passe. And Fentress is entirely ``mauved-out.''
``I think mauve should be banished from the face of the earth,'' he said.
Blue is a tough color for Fentress to work with. ``It's unfeeling, cold,'' he said. ``This is the first year I've been into red.''
As Fentress moves from the more delicate pastel shades into rich, dark shades - more warm, comforting hues - he continues creating. But since Muenster's death, some designs have been laid to rest.
As Fentress continues to put one foot in front of the other, with each step he takes, he knows he is fortunate. ``I have been granted by the grace of God to be healthy. Basically out of respect for him (Muenster), I will not give up. This business was his and it needs to remain.''
Fentress looks toward his Christmas tree, another expression of his creativity, covered in antique ornaments. He thinks about where each ornament has been, the many families that have enjoyed them.
``It is a tree of many people, from so many different families,.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
Richard Fentress carries on the business started with his partner
and companion, Bill Muenster, who died over a year ago.
by CNB