Design Bloggers Conference - Interview with Barbara Barry and Kravet - Part 1

Barbara Barry with *me* and Beth Greene of Kravet Inc / Blogfest 

Has someone ever moved you, made you feel true emotions, simply by reading out loud to you?

This was my experience while listening to the soft and eloquent voice of Barbara Barry while speaking last week at the Design Bloggers Conference. As part of the great selection of keynote speakers, brought in part by the collaboration between the team of DBC & Digital Sherpa and that of Kravet Inc. and Blogfest to the lineup of this year's conference.

Barbara during her talk, took us on a journey through her view of the world of interior design, sharing her thoughts, and emotions and stunning visuals that are all part of her new book: Around Beauty.

Barbara Barry

In this two part interview, I hope to share with you some of the moments from this talk, Barbara's collections with Kravet, and the moments that left me feeling inspired and eager to come back to New York and spend my days bettering myself as an interior designer as well.

"..within every small story is where things live..we often overlook things ~ we need to really look" - B. Barry

So after the conference, I reached out to Barbara and asked her to share a little more in detail with me some of the

Photo:  Dining room*, Piedmont, California residence
(photo from Around Beauty – credit David Meredith)

DAP: Could you share with us a few examples of how your daily inspiration and design come together and become a reality. 

BB: "Inspiration (from Around Beauty): Sometimes the colors of a room are predetermined. My job is to show up, look outside, and observe a decision that has already been made, usually by nature. The colors of this room come from the view right outside the tall French doors that open wide onto a great stone terrace. And walking out, the first thing I saw were the colors of a towering redwood grove. Decision made. The rich brown veneer of the dining table and drinks tray recall the trunks of the trees, dark in shade, softer in the brighter light. Dining chairs and doors draped in mellow mustard wool are evocative of the faded seeds and pods scattered on the terrace. Dappled around the room, in pillow and porcelains, is the deep blue-green of redwood fronds."

Photos:   Mexican Fig Tree/Living Room*, Pacific Palisades residence
(photo from Around Beauty – credit David Meredith)

BB: Inspiration (from Around Beauty): …as soon as I entered [the home’s] light-filled courtyard, I was spellbound. Standing in the middle, in its own dappled light, was a huge Mexican fig tree, its lively green leaves twirling like castanets. Upon moving closer to its thick and sensuous trunk, luscious layers of shadowy, nuanced color became visible. In that instant, I gained my inspiration for the project. All the colors I needed for both inside and out were right there on that tree trunk in soft tones of sage, butter, cinnamon, and celery….

Photo:  Agave / Dinner Plates* (photo from Around Beauty – credit David Meredith)

BB: Inspiration (from Around Beauty): Connections inspire designs; they also point to what’s there already. Colors and shapes seduce me daily…anywhere, anytime, all the time.

"...design is not static .. it's an experience, as you travel from one room to the next ~ feeling the mood.. "

Around Beauty - Rizzoli

" .. when i got around to writing a book, I wanted to write about what was underneath design   wrote my book about BEAUTY ~ "Around Beauty" as I have been circling around it my whole life" - B. Barry  

"like in nature - cool is balanced by a little warmth"

"... allowing our eyes to rest, to give it some beauty and calm to rest upon .."

 "..our emotions don't need an education, we know how we feel .. "

"...it is almost like painting by numbers.. cracking open some California pistachios and voila ~ Color!"  

"... it's so wonderful to be a designer and realize a vision! .. an honor" 

So I hope you enjoyed some of these snippets from Barbara's talk, beautiful images of her book, and feel inspired yourself from these words and images.


On tomorrow's post I will delve a little deeper into how Barbara takes cue from her finds, and daily  inspiration while creating collaborating on the product collections, such as the one for Kravet, among others.
You won't want to miss that, especially as we have a few special sneak peaks!

In the meantime ~ want to know more about Barbara Barry, her design team, what the office looks like and a lot more about her inspiration? Sure you do!
This great interview by Traditional Home's Jenny Bradley (who also happened to be one of the speakers at DBC) shares some great insight!








Image Credits: Thank you Barbara Barry for sharing these images with me from your book and your online portfolio of images here.

Please note that all photography from Barbara’s book is credited to:  Photo by David Meredith, from Around Beauty (Rizzoli NY) by Barbara Barry

High Point Style Spotter: Splash of Color

High Point Spring Market has come and gone, but let me tell you... it will not be easily forgotten!

As an official Style Spotter for this Market, I was given the task of walking the 10,000,000 square feet of showroom space to find a maximum of 25 - yes, only 25! - pieces that stood out from the rest.

I have to say I wore out a few pair of shoes, giving it my very best effort.

Today and tomorrow, I will share with you my finds, beginning with the few that struck me as a fantastic way to introduce a Splash of Color into our homes this year!

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So how do you VOTE??
It's easy - all you need to do is following the links of the item(s) you like and Repin or Like them onto your own pinterest boards..

Help me win a trip back to High Point in the FALL ->>

Tomorrow, it's all about the neutrals!

Architectural Digest Show - Art Recap - Royal Stamp

Visiting the Architectural Digest Show this time around, came at a really fantastic time for me as I was on the hunt for art and artists for a new design project I am working on.

Over the course of my career, both in Portugal and now in New York, having strong solid relationships with artists has really been one of the key elements that I have been able to bring to my work.
Perhaps having had a beginning in art & antiques, somehow I always find that I want to give my clients a great look with as much emphasis on the design as is on the art and artistic collaborations.

One gallery of note that you should all reach out to if you need any consultation is Kenise Barnes Fine Art, based in Larchmont (and an ex-Christie's girl too!). Kenise always has great art to bring to my projects.

Walking around the Architectural Digest Show I was amazed at how many were artists that I had not yet come into contact with that were either new exhibitors this year (great for us!) or had new work that struck a chord with me this time around.

At the beginning of my tour, I encountered this stand. Although some may find it a little "quirky" to hang a rug on your wall, the Stamp Rug  collection stopped me dead in my tracks and I cannot rave more about them!

I stopped to speak with Richard from Stamp Rug and was thrilled to find out that the QUEEN herself actually has one of the pink ones ( pictured left) and officially approved these to not only be used as wall hangings but that we "may walk on them as well".

Don't you love that?

The detail in the hand made custom rugs made from 100% New Zealand wool in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal, are a true representation of the original Royal Mail Stamps, in size and proportion, and they are the only company allowed to produce these.

So of course, I bought one!

Having lived and studied in London, I confess I do have a special soft spot for The Queen and am so excited to be able to participate in celebrating her Diamond Jubilee.

Above left: Rochard of Stamp Rug, Sample of colors

A little history about the portrait of the Queen for this stamp:

The Queen: sculpted head by Arnold Machin via

The first official sitting with Queen Elizabeth wearing a tiara, by photographer Dorothy Wilding, was in February of 1952, about 3 weeks after the death of her father, King George VI. However, a 2nd session happened in April, where The Queen wore the diamond diadem made for George IV in the 1820s. and this shot was approved by The Queen on 5 May, but with a little retouching - the tiara was too far back on her head and needed to be pushed forward.

All British definitive stamps bore this Wilding portrait from 1952 until 1967, when it was replaced by the sculpted head by Arnold Machin although the Wilding portrait was still incorporated into all commemorative stamps during this period.

A rare treat came on to the auction circuit as in 2009 2 rare plaques of the Machin, who died in 1999, relief came under the hammer, the 2nd outselling the first for over 18,000 pounds. He cleverly used the bas-relief method, which is a form of sculpture which projects slightly from the background, and then took the casts of a mould before having it photographed.

This attention led to a third finding it's way onto the market, at the auction house Cuttlestones, based in the historic Staffordshire market town of Penkridge as part of their September 2010 Fine Art sale.

So whether on the floor...

or on the wall..

Have a "jolly good" time with these!

Wishing you a fantastic weekend and see you all on Monday with a week full of Art recaps headed your way.