It’s official: Barry Dixon‘s new line of fabrics for Vervain has officially launched — in the form of a feature in Traditional Home‘s latest issue, a launch party at Charlie Palmer Steak last night, and a presentation in the J. Lambeth Showroom of the Washington Design Center today.
First, the mag:
And last night, he posed with Judy Langenfelder, the Mid-Atlantic territory manager for Vervain, S. Harris, and Fabricut, all of which is sold through J. Lambeth.
Notice the fabric behind them, which was inspired by Barry’s grandmother’s cocoa tin:
This pattern hangs in Barry’s own family room, as you see here from shots taken during the photo shoot for Vervain about a month ago, which Barry’s partner, Michael Schmidt, kindly provided:
Here’s another behind-the-scenes shot from Michael, which is magazine-worthy in itself, and it was also taken during the Vervain shoot.
And THESE are the advertisement photos that resulted:
Getting back to his inspirations for pattern in the new line, they include the images and lines from his transferware:
They haystacks on his grounds in Warrenton:
And even the texture of a cantaloupe:
You can read more about Barry’s fabrics from the press release right here.
In the meantime, I want to show you more of Michael’s behind-the-scenes shots taken at their home. First, here is the ad:
And now, here’s how the ad was composed:
Notice how the green candlestick in the foreground above is moved into the shot below, as Barry makes some final adjustments.
One of the things I love about Barry is that his knowledge of architecture and design runs really, really deep. He is so passionate about every object and pattern he uses in his fabric and furniture — and in his clients’ houses — that he can hold forth for 30 minutes on the history of a single shape on a chair back.
His fabric collection is no different, and the influences for his patterns, as you see above, are intensely personal. I’ll leave you now with a couple more shots of his house where his fabrics are displayed, compared to the pictures now visible on Vervain’s Web site.
Mike’s shot:
Vervain’s photo:
Just look at the details of the sofa upholstery — all the lines and shapes woven right into the fabric.
Mike’s shot:
Vervain’s photo:
Yes, these patterns and colors will have me dreaming sweet tonight. And I’ll deliver more on Capital Design Days from the Washington Design Center tomorrow.
Jennifer Sergent. Native Washingtonian. Former editor at Washington Spaces magazine and HGTV. Currently searching for – and writing about – DC’s design voices. Write to me @
The fabric inspired by cantaloupe looks delicious. They are all stunning and love seeing how they decorate Mr. Dixon’s home. Hearing what inspired his designs, I find very intriguing. I’m enjoying all the photos.
I love the back story and the fabrics are just gorgeous. Seeing the inspirations for the patterns was one of the highlights for me!
Simply divine Barry!
I love the way Barry weaves so many disparate influences together so seamlessly. Bravo!
Oh, I am loving the print with the grays and yellow…so boldly beautiful!
Janell
They are all heavenly. It is amazing how the inspiration comes to him from every where, there seems to be a detail he does not miss…..”intensely personal” for sure. I loved seeing the fabrics and trims, handling them, feeling their depth, texture and warmth. Seeing them applied, it’s pure eye candy. xo
There are so many words to express all my feeling about what I just saw…in summation…divine!
Jennifer – Wonderful presentation, thank you! The photographer who took the shots for Vervain is Erik Kvalsvik. His shots are far superior than mine (that goes without saying) and I feel I need to give him some credit – ha! Of course we’re over the moon with the positive feedback. The full collection can be viewed and at the J. Lambeth showroom in DC and at various showrooms in major US cities. Thanks all!!
Brilliant! It’s truly extraordinary to see how Barry is able to translate a vision into exquisite, tangible products. Thank you for sharing the creative process with us.
Barry is a master of theory it is re-freshing! The de satuurated hues create that harmonious tonality..the transiton from tone to intense chroma is seamless! Congrats..look forward to using these in my color theory class.
I am so glad you’ve posted these. I haven’t been able to make it down to any of the events downtown this week due to being down for the count with a combo of some stomach bug and a sinus infection….so I really appreciate the glimpse in!
Thank you for your post.Such a wonderful collection.I didn’t have the chance to attend his presentation at WDC.
I saw his collection at the WDC. I really liked them. I ordered a few memos for some current projects ~ I think they will be wonderful.
Paula Grace ~
i love how personal the collection is to him—- there are fabrics & china patterns that I remember from my grandparents’ homes on both sides that I still think about. memories are tied so deeply in pieces like those from our childhood.
My grandma used pieces from a bunch of different china sets on a daily basis in our family’s lakehouse. 15 years after she died, every piece of my favorite pattern (wild thistle) had been broken except for 1. I took that piece & was able to find it on replacements.com and I ordered 8 place settings. Looking at it & using it today just gives me the best feeling. Serving my 2 yr-old the same soup she used to make out of the same bowl…
ok, TOTALLY off & way too long of a comment but I really love what he’s doing here & it’s just so special.
xoxo,
lauren
Paula, you’ll have to send us pictures if you use them for a client! Thanks for writing.
I was very moved by the selection of the products in the photo with the mural. I used it as an inspiration for a space that combines the old with the new. I was curious about the mural itself. Can u tell me it’s origin? Id like to find a similar one….Rachel septimus
I was recently flipping through my old Traditional Home magazines, and came across this article. I don’t know how I missed it when it was new. I absolutely adore the cocoa tin and fabric it inspired. Poking around online, I eventually discovered that it is a Huyler’s Cocoa tin. I bought one from an online auction site for a very affordable price.
Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos.