A Tour of Barry Dixon’s Brain

Since I could never afford to hire Barry Dixon to decorate my own house, I like to go hear him speak as often as possible, so his ideas will make me smarter. Barry was at the Washington Design Center the other day with Ann Maine, editor in chief of Traditional Home magazine, where he talked about how people should work with an interior designer.

Ann Maine and Barry Dixon

Even though Ann must be approached by every notable designer in the country to publish their work, she didn’t hold back on Barry: “You are my knight in shining armor,” she told him in front of a full house at the Niermann Weeks showroom. “I owe you big time.” Presumably, she owes him for the wonderful projects he’s brought to the magazine.

His slide show, of course, was sumptuous — and he was kind enough to pass along some of those pictures to yours truly. I know they’ve all been published before, but I can never get enough, especially when he explains his approach behind each room.

Virginia Farmhouse

He first took us through this 18th-century farmhouse near Charlottesville, explaining how he brought the rolling hills and corn fields into the decor inside:

All farmhouse photographs by Edward Addeo

There's a magnolia tree outside the library that the owners love, so Barry brought those colors inside, with a glossy green finish on the walls and the suede-y brown from under the leaf on the furnishings.

“You have to look through the window sometimes to learn what to do with the interior,” Barry said.

He moved the dining table and chandelier to the side, closer to the huge windows looking over the hills. That opened room for a more informal seating area for tea on the other side of he large dining room. The dogs are the best part!

Here's where the lady of the house takes her tea. I love the horse head and the custom cabinet in the corner, which holds her collection of cream ware.

The "casual" den off the kitchen is like having khakis made by Chanel: Look on the left to the quilt on the sofa back -- it was de-commissioned from a textile museum and bought at auction.

“To live with a museum-quality quilt like this, thrown across your sofa, is a very luxurious thing,” Barry said. Indeed!

A real Chanel bag makes its appearance in the dressing room. Haute country living at its best.

"I used lots of beautiful, subtle fabrics that didn't take my attention away from the view," Barry said. But the details are exquisite -- from the panel over the canopy to the carved edge around the mirror to the rustic finish of the headboard.

Georgetown Bachelor Pad

The look and mood is quite different int he city, where Barry took an historic row house that “was very serious, very stuffy” and, with DC architect Jerry Harpole, turned it into a place that was comfortable for a young bachelor — one with impeccable taste, a healthy inheritance of both traditional and modern art, and a fondness for horseback riding. I can only guess how many women want to come home with him!

The living room, whose neutral tones make the art pop. All Georgetown photographs by Gordon Beall

Barry had three arched entries cut out, so more lights come in from the hallway, and it also makes the living room feel bigger. Note the striped Gene Davis painting peeking through the left arch.

Gene Davis makes another appearance in the den. I love the black globe and lampshade, and how the orange throw picks up from the colors in the painting.

This is referred to as the dressing room. I think I might never go anywhere else. Barry uses the room as an example of how you can incorporate color through accessories and art, rather than in the furnishings and finishes.

The bathroom.... of my dreams.

Barry played to his client's equestrian tastes in the bedroom, with suede walls and horse bits as curtain-rod finials.

North Carolina Chateau

This enormous home in North Carolina was new construction, but the owner purchased elements, such as doors and wall paneling, from authentic French chateaux to make the interiors look authentic. Barry helped them realize that vision. With 16-foot doors, 22-foot-high ceilings, and a fireplace that Barry (who is 6-foot-5) can walk into without bending over, he said, “It pushes me out of my comfort zone as a designer.”

The entry, furnished to make it not seem so cavernous. All North Carolina photographs by Erik Kvalsvik

The dining room, with paneling saved from a burned-down chateau in the Loire Valley.

Looking into the "nook" of the enormous dining hall -- Barry had the ceiling plastered to define the space, along with the Scalamandre drapes "falling from Heaven."

"It's hard to humanize" such a vast interior, he said, "and make it feel like you're not in an airport lounge."

"There was a storybook magic that the lady of the house was looking for," Barry said. He got inspiration for this vent hood from the pictures in Old King Cole.

The other side of this storybook kitchen, with custom bar stools by Niermann Weeks.

Truly, a bed fit for a king and queen.

This master bedroom has equally regal sitting areas:

Now for the best part — the tub, topped with a boar’s head. “That boar makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable,” Barry said. “I don’t know if I would want to be naked, soaking in that tub with that boar bearing down on me, but they loved it!”

Barry spent the rest of the talk with Ann discussing how you should go about looking for a designer. “It’s not any easier than going out and finding the perfect outfit. You’re going to have to try on a few clothes,” he said, emphasizing that you shouldn’t hire the first designer you talk to. “Our favorite clients are the ones who have worked with a few designers — then we’ll know what to bring to the party.”

Ask lots of questions, he said:

Can you stick to a budget?

How do you find things?

What is your thinking behind various rooms you’ve designed? (And if he or she answers, “well, it’s just so pretty!” then stay away!)

At your first meeting with a designer, he said, “give us all the little things that you like, and it’s our job to pastiche those things in a manner that is appropriate to you.”

Ann asked him what his very first project was. He had two answers. The first whole-house project (with local architect Russell Versaci) was in McLean, 13 years ago. The young kids are now in college, and a photo from that house is on the cover of Barry’s recent book. “It proves my point that good design is timeless.”

His first project ever was when he graduated from college in Jackson, Miss. A “little old lady” who was a nurse, who had spent her life helping people, he said, asked him to redo her apartment on a VERY small budget. “What she wanted was a haven in her apartment that she could come home to.”

When she saw the final result, “she broke down crying,” he said, and that’s when he knew he was in he right line of work.