HERE COMES THE STYLE

Morhauser makes her glass by a process called slumping. Shapes are cut from sheets of flat window glass. The edges are burnished and hand-painted. Color is applied and the pieces are heated in a kiln over a mold. The flat glass melts into the mold and takes shape. Then some of the pieces are given a frosted appearance by being sandblasted by hand. Each piece of Annieglass is signed and dated. Prices range from about $43 for a dessert plate up to about $300 for a cone vase rimmed in platinum. Big stars such as Barbra Steisand, Robin Williams, Gloria Estefan, and Oprah Winfrey own Annieglass.

Annieglass isn't the only upscale tabletop line at DuFrane Jewelers. When Barbara DuFrane opened her luxury jewelry shop in 1994 (after a 25-year career in the business in Minneapolis), she quickly learned that Naples shoppers and international seasonal visitors wanted more than wearable art for their bodies. They needed jewelry for their homes. When she teamed up with Bobbie Daniels (who had her own store for 15 years), DuFrane became the source for luxury plateware, crystal stemware, linens, giftware, even fabulous faux flowers in elegant metal or china cachepots.

"The flowers illustrate how our clients want one-stop-shopping down to the details," saiys Daniels. "They come in here and totally outfit their second or third homes all at one time. We even go to their homes to arrange the flowers on the table."

The brand names are bound to impress--Versace, Mottahedeh, Philippe Deshouliers, J.L. Coquet, Herend, Ralph Lauren, Pickard, Alain Saint-Joanis, Lynn Chase, Moser, Baccarat, Waterford, Heritage Wedgwood and many more. More than the haute inventory, the personal servicehelps clients put together an individual look when budget isn't a primary concern. There are place settings in the store for $1,600 each. What are some of the trends in the luxury tabletop category? Daniels gives a few:

* The charger is important. Use under a dinner plate or, in some cases, have the charger function as an oversized dinner plate or platter. Chargers are versatile and help set a glamorous table.

* Wine glasses are bigger than ever and stems taller.

* Beaded place mats.

* Homebuyers want bigger, European-sized silverware. The traditiona- sized American teaspoon is gone from the place setting and only makes an appearance on a saucer when coffee is served after dinner.

* Tangerine is a popular color in plateware.

* Luxury is definitely the quest du jour. China and stemware rimmed with gold and platinum are prized. But remember, any china pattern featuring cobalt or red is bound to be expensive. Those two colors are pricey and hard to do. The wider the band of cobalt or red, the more expensive the plate.

* Barbara Barry (furniture designer for Baker Furniture) has created a line of crystal for Baccarat that is hugely popular with clients who already have her furniture. The pattern, called Tranquillity, comes in clear and green. The clear outsells the color two to one.

* One of the new Versace patterns called Jungle is a hot seller. The blue-and-green leafy motif references a dress designed by Donatella Versace for Britney Spears to wear to the Grammy Awards two years ago. The dress inspired the dish.

DuFrane Jewelers

Promenade

U.S. 41 in front of Bonita Bay

495-9005

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Twice a year the intrepid furniture buyers and design professionals from Robb & Stucky in Fort Myers and Naples put on their comfortable shoes, pack their black slacks, and trudge off to High Point, North Carolina, to evaluate the latest and best in industry design trends at the International Furniture Market and to select new collections for the five Robb & Stucky stores in Florida. Their track record is nearly impeccable, partly because design director Kris Kolar, ASID, and her team understand how people in Southwest Florida want to live. It's as much about accurately defining the Southwest Florida lifestyle as it is about selecting objects to furnish a home, because the former dictates the latter.

Kolar reports that two collections the team identified last October at Market have been particularly prized by local homeowners. One is Lane Venture's Kingsman Reef collection and the other is E.J. Victor's Budji line. Both collections have a warm, sophisticated tropical feel and can be used to replace white or natural wicker when homeowners want to maintain a relaxed ambience but desire something richer and more international.

Kingsman Reef pieces are crafted of crushed bamboo and stained coffee-bean brown. The style is somewhat British Colonial-West Indies. Not oversized, the furniture isideal for a condominium with low ceilings or for a small room. One of the most popular and versatile pieces is the curved-front armoire that can be easily adapted to a home entertainment center. The six-drawer dresser is another big seller at $1,600.

The E.J. Victor Budji line pairs dark wood and coconut fiber with woven leather in a slightly Asian context. The pieces impart a Far East whisper to a room that is already contemporary or traditional. The entertainment center ($7,000) looks like three boxes stacked one atop the other. It has sliding doors, ornamental hardware and presents as Asian with a custom flair. "It's a lot of style for the price," says Kolar. "We've had to reorder both the Budji line and the Kingsman Reef since our initial purchase at Market. People in this part of Florida find both lines have the right blend of high style, casual sophistication, and just enough comfort for that vacation mentality.

"Most people here are furnishing a second or third home. They want a comfortable tropical or a casual Mediterranean look, and they don't want to spend a lot of time selecting pieces or waiting for delivery. They want to play golf or be out on the boat, not furniture shopping. That's where we really excel. Our designers are experts at zeroing in on just what our clients need to support the way they intend to live. Everything displayed on the floor at a Robb & Stucky showroom is in stock and can be delivered to a client's door within a week. We've dressed 7,000-square-foot homes in a weekend." Kolar and her fellow designers can also spot furniture and design trends in full bloom. Want to update? Then consider:

* Warmer, richer wood tones in furniture. Lots of coffee-bean brown.

* Deeper wall colors. Cinnamon is popular right now and so are gold and dark sage. Good-bye to peach, mauve, pastels. However, robin's egg blue is coming back and looks great with dark brown.

* Metallics remain strong for walls, ceilings, and furniture accents. Burnished or gleaming, they work in nearly any setting, from cool contemporary to warm traditional.

* Asian accents in the form of occasional furniture, art work, accessories such as lamps, vases, pillows, or rugs.

* Touches of black and red in a room for drama and sophistication

* Matte or distressed finishes on furniture. An Old World patina of age seems to be the most inviting. High shine for wood furniture is out.

Robb & Stucky

2777 Tamiami Trail N., Naples

261-3969

Robb & Stucky

13170 S. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers

936-8541