22/09/11

Veranda, Barry Dixon, and a little Fortuny

Is it any surprise that our good friend Barry Dixon is in the press once again? Featured in the October 2011 issue of Veranda, he describes a number of unique pieces from his collection. Barry works primarily from the Virginia countryside, but he is known for his cosmopolitan taste, and a global flavor is apparent from product to product. The top ten Barry Dixon products include pillows covered in Fortuny's Papiro fabric, utilizing the techniques of trapunto and quilting to add a sculpted, three dimensional structure, giving them more depth and adding another level to how our fabrics play with the light. We love the updated look!

Read more about Veranda’s top Barry Dixon products here.

In their October 2011 issue, Veranda has also covered Barry’s work on the renovated family home of former Tennessee Senator Bill Frist. The article, “Beyond Classic,” describes Frist’s 1920s estate in Nashville as a “Greek Revival manor house” archetypal of prewar architecture in the South. Frist and his wife, however, wanted a more modern space.

Barry and renovation architect Daniel Lee updated this classical mansion by expanding it further - with a two-and-a-half-story living room addition, as well as a family room addition with twenty-two-foot-high ceilings. How does one make such a classically-inspired, sprawling space into an intimate and modern home? This is where Barry’s eclectic style comes into play. By juxtaposing antique pieces and millwork with light, creamy colors and richly-patterned upholstery, his penchant for mixing traditions enabled him to create something new and unexpected, yet beautiful and timeless. “If a room defies definition by period and place, it approaches a timeless realm,” says Barry.

Some of the designs Barry included in the Frist home are Fortuny fabrics. Below, from left to right, are chairs upholstered in Fortuny’s Lucrezia yellow & silvery gold, Canestrelli rust & beige, and Caravaggio antique green & beige. Their plush patterns and textures add to the modern elegance of this manor. (Click on the images to see larger versions.)