We are thrilled, dear Hadley Court readers, to be bringing you Part 4 of our series on the *Inspiring Studios of America’s Top Designers* featuring an interview with – and the interior design studio of – iconic American interior designer, Barry Darr Dixon. A gracious southern gentleman through and through, (he was born in Memphis), the work of Barry Darr Dixon has been synonymous with the ultimate in sophisticated Southern design, infused with a global sensibility, for over 30 years.
The images you will see in this post, of Barry’s inspiring design studio located inside his beautiful 1907 Edwardian home, Elway Hall, located on 270 rolling acres in the horse country near Warrenton, Virginia, (seen below) have never been published before.
They were taken and edited by Barry himself, and we are deeply grateful to he and his team for the behind the scenes work that went into making this post possible.
For those of you not yet familiar with Barry Darr Dixon, get ready to have your breath taken away by the sheer beauty of the work in his portfolio. Barry has designed the homes and showrooms of many global luminaries, including the home of Diane Sawyer and the showroom of the revered Venice, Italy based textile manufacturer, Fortuny, a favorite resource of Leslie Hendrix Wood.
As a child, Barry lived all over the world with his parents, who were also both collectors, and his designs today incorporate global motifs, easily seen in his licensed collections for brands like Vervain Fabrics, Arteriors, Avrett, Tomlinson and others. Below are a few examples of Barry’s design work, to whet your appetite for what you will see on his website, linked to at the end of this post.
And now we present the inspiring design studio of iconic American interior designer, Barry Darr Dixon, and his answers to our interview questions.
Hadley Court: What does your office and/or workspace look like? How is it laid out?
Barry Darr Dixon:
We have a series of offices that open off of a long (160’) “Resources Hall” up on the top floor of Elway Hall, my home. These rooms were originally the servants quarters for a staff of 9. Now we service our clients from these rooms.
Hadley Court: How do you set the mood for client presentations?
Barry Darr Dixon:
We are often presenting in the field, since our clients are scattered across the map. When we’re presenting at the studio in Virginia, I try to make everyone feel at home. We serve southern fare, iced tea – and cocktails when we’re finished. And fresh flowers are a must. I truly want our clients to feel welcomed and considered.
Hadley Court: What branded presentation materials do you use?
Barry Darr Dixon:
We use our “BDI” bags and tagged boxes and file baskets, and we tag each fabric and wallcovering to keep our client’s informed. Our floor plans are also labeled.
Hadley Court: How do you keep your library organized?
Barry Darr Dixon:
We have file drawers where all of our samples are tagged and stored, and we also have a large design library in our hallway.
Hadley Court: How do you utilize online tools in your office and presentations?
Barry Darr Dixon:
We employ “Studio Designer” for our office organization…though we don’t really use it for presentations. I’ll often earmark certain images ahead of time and show them on my laptop during a presentation. Or I might print images of other relevant rooms or projects to get my message to the client. A picture does indeed paint a thousand words!
Hadley Court: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Barry Darr Dixon:
We appreciate our clients who make what we do possible, and appreciate receiving gracious presentations and handwritten notes from our vendor friends, too.
Dear readers, we hope you’ve enjoyed this never before seen look into the inspiring design studio of Barry Darr Dixon.
On every level, Barry Darr Dixon’s dedication to supporting artisanal manufacturers and craftsmen, combined with his innate Southern graciousness, have given us one of this century’s great interior designers.
And just one more of Barry’s constant companion Dinah, his precious wire haired fox terrier, that is never far from his side.
~~~
Leslie Carothers
for
Leslie Hendrix Wood
Leslie Hendrix Wood Interiors
Interior Designer
Midland, Texas
We invite you to visit the website of www.barrydixon.com