Design Date with Barbara Barry

The work of award-winning American interior designer, Barbara Barry, is international in scope and sophisticated in mood. Her collaborations with such renowned companies such as Baker Furniture bring exquisite design to everyday living. Barbara Barry is a guest speaker at the Focus/11 lecture ‘Barbara Barry in Conversation’ on Tuesday 27 September at 3pm.

What is your earliest ‘design’ moment, the one that perhaps set you on your path?
 I would say  watching my mother do so much with so little probably set me on my path early. To see her move furniture around and paint the walls with colour fostered in me the desire to do the same thing. In college I was always rearranging my friends’ rooms and doing a lot with very little.

What is the most inspiring room/building you’ve ever experienced? The one that stands out in my mind is Rodin’s home in Paris, which is now the Musée Rodin. What I love about it is the way it sits in the garden, the scale of the rooms and the wonderful wooden boisserie walls. For an older building it has modern proportions and the rooms are filled with light.

You are renowned for creating understatedly elegant furniture. Do you have a less-is-more style check? The best element in the design process is reflection and that takes some time, but it’s time well spent. When you can stand back and really observe what you are working on you can always take something out. It is a whittling away, not unlike, I imagine, the way a sculptor works, trying to reveal something’s essence.

Describe your perfect day… On flat, clear water in a rowboat alone.

Design Lecture Ticket Information:
Booking Hotline 020 7352 1900 www.dcch.co.uk Design Lecture: £15                                       Location: SPACE, Third Floor, South Dome