Saturday 4 August 2007

Barbara Barry

Barbara Barry is one of my all time favorite designers, so it's suprising how long it's taken for me to post about her. To me, she has a innate sense of timeless style that exudes grace and femininity. I have loved almost everything she has designed, from her beautiful interiors, to the products she has designed for a multitude of companies.
This particular project is a 12,000 square foot home in Piedmont, California. It's a french style mansion, built in 1922 and designed by architect Albert Farr. Barry says she was inspired by the work of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Paul Dupre-Lafon when re-designing the entire interior of the house, right down to the wine cellar. The house is furnished with a mix of french antiques purchased on a trip to Paris, pieces from her furniture collections with Baker, lighting from her collection with Boyd, and some custom designed pieces.

The grand facade.
To me this room is so classic, and I can't stop looking at it. I don't know how servicable it would be with all those pale colours though (but I'm guessing with that kind of money you don't need to worry about practicalities). Barry designed most of the pieces in the living room. Furniture from Baker, lighting from Boyd, and rug from Tufenkian. Fabrics from Cowtan & Tout.
Armchair is from Amy Perlin antiques in NY, fabric from Manuel Canovas.
I just adore this image, the room is just so beautiful. I love everything, from the drapes, to - well let's just say I love it all. Details same as above.
A 1961 Richard Diebenkorn painting sits above the sofa.
I love the colours of this room, it's very elegant, but also not too feminine. A 1940's Bagues chandelier sits above a custom table and chairs in the dining room, fabric by Great Plains. Vintage french wallpaper panel hangs on rear wall.
I think this is definitely the prettiest sun room I've ever seen. The walls are covered in a chinoiserie silk wallpaper. Upholstered pieces are custom, fabric on side chair from Scalamandre, sofa and club chair fabric from Cowtan & Tout. The colours in here are just so easy on the eye which makes for a very relaxing retreat.

The master bedroom is a medley of lavender and misty-greys. It has a very 1940's feel about it too, very chic. Furniture is from Barry's collection for Baker.


The same colour palette was use throughout the master suite, into the adjoining powder room. Very pretty indeed.


Classic kitchen, made a little less formal looking with the straw blinds. I love the contrast between the black and the white, together with the wood floors and the sandy coloured straw blinds.

10 comments:

katiedid said...

She is a classic, it's true! Maybe because I am redoing my kitchen right now, but I am really liking the kitchen photo, especially the La Cornue island!

Things That Inspire said...

Oh, what a treat, I have never seen these pictures. Were they from a magazine? Barbara Barry is one of my all time favorites too. I wish she would come out with a book!

Suzy said...

Katiedid - how exciting - have fun renovating your kitchen. I love this one.

Suzy said...

Hi Sarah - so glad you liked the post. She's a classic decorator and has such style. To be honest, I can't remember where I found the pics, they were in a pdf file I downloaded somewhere that had the full article. I'll have another look and see if I can find more details for you!

Suzy said...

For anyone interested, I think this article was published in Architectural Digest in Nov 2005.(But I still don't remember where I downloaded the pdf file....)

LIBERTY POST EDITOR said...

One of my all time favorite magazine ads is Barbara Barry - a women sitting on top of an armoire between two tall hedges. Do you know which one I mean?

Suzy said...

Hi Liberty Post - thanks for visiting my blog. I do know which one you mean - I think it was for her new collection for Henredon. There were a few others in the same series, and they are some of my favorites too - so elegant.

Benjamin Loewen said...

I'd love to know where to buy her lights. There's a candle light she made similar to what's at Restoration Hardware except so much better that I'd like to get for my dining room.

Suzy said...

Hi Pinkpowersuit - thanks for visiting my blog. I know that BB did a range of lighting for Boyd, as well as for Henredon and Baker. Not sure about the others though, but they are very stylish, aren't they.

Anonymous said...

Hello everyone...I'm Brent Smith. We import all of Barbara's products in Bangkok. Actually, I used to be the brand general manager of her company. :)

Our company is based in Bangkok and we launched the first Barbara Barry free-standing store in Siam Paragon.

Our website is www.chanintr.com

Really like your blog...great commentary and beautiful design. Thanks.