Barbara Berry: Chanel of interior design
Coco Chanel once said: "It is hard to put a woman dressed in a bright in a bad mood." Several decades later, we find the same principle, only applied to interior design, used by Barbara Berry, a designer who is often compared to the legendary Coco. In Barbara’s bright, sunlit interiors it is almost impossible to be in a bad mood, really.
The favorite experience of Hollywood stars and American politicians of the first magnitude, Berry is stylistically similar to Chanel. Not to Coco-the-revolutionary, shocking respectable audience, but to Coco-the-trendsetter, the arbiter of taste.
Berry’s interiors never disturb one’s eye. Remember Chanel’s "excessive originality can lead to a masquerade." It’s the same here: harmonious, smooth shapes and soft shades.
Barbara Berry’s favorite shape is oval. Soft geometry, bringing peace. The shape of pearls and the shape close to the human body: a palm, a face, a female breast, a pair of eyes...
And when this soft geometry is interrupted by bold straight lines, we get truly world-famous masterpieces like the Oval X-Back Side Chair.
Colors in Berry’s arsenal also predominantly soft and elegant. It's the colors of her beloved California, intoxicated by ocean breezes, special light shining from behind the mountains. Light sand, muffled almonds, sea waves at sunset, ivory, soft pink and soft blue, all shades of gray and silver, shimmering mother of pearl. And, of course, the classical (again a reference to Chanel) combination of black - white.
Barbara Berry’s interiors are very feminine, but they make men feel comfortable at the same time. Barbara admitted in an interview: "Women have told me many times: your designer furniture was chosen and bought by my husband, but I like it too." Sounds like the story of Chanel, doesn’t it? It’s Chanel, whether it be perfumes, clothing, accessories or jewelry, that men give to women with pleasure.
And another important parallel with the style of Chanel. Two quotes from Coco: "Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury" and "Luxury is when the reverse side as beautiful as the face" are just as applicable to the works of Berry. Faithful to California chic, the designer creates interiors, which are not just luxurious, but extremely utilitarian, comfortable and cozy. And, of course, their reverse side is just as perfect, and the quality is undeniable.
Barbara Berry works with many outstanding interior design brands. However, perhaps, her manner reaches its zenith in the collections for Baker, Henredon and McGuire. All of this can be found in Decoroom salons, as well as Barbara Berry’s carpets for Tufenkian and her own lamps for Visual Comfort & Co.
Berry’s interiors have no extra prettifications, which allows them to be not simply elegant, but also timeless. Her style is classic and contemporary at the same time. Her interiors are a story about people, who appreciate the inner harmony, as well as the external, are able to love and enjoy every moment of life, lit by the sunlight. "The essence of my work is to create a comfortable living environment, natural and beautiful as the light of the sun," – the designer says. And she’s truly one of the best at this job.
