Barry Dixon’s work is featured in Barry Dixon Interiors and Farrow & Ball: The Art of Color and Barry Dixon Inspirations and Fortuny Interiors. Dixon lives and works in his 1907 Edwardian estate, Elway Hall, located on over 300 acres of farmland in the heart of Fauquier County, Virginia’s horse country.
“A room should start a conversation before people actually start exchanging words.”
– Barry Dixon
Why do you choose Ironware?
I love the mix that Ironware offers. I see so many aesthetic influences in their collection that span multiple cultures and periods. The variety of finishes offered along with custom variations allow me to create something new every time. And I adore the crafted nature of Ironware’s finished pieces. I can see the human hand in each creation…the art of craft.
Name a designer you admire and tell us why.
John Saladino. He is a master at melding past with present, as well as a superb aesthetic editor.
Favorite travel destination?
Home.
Current favorite color to use in projects?
I am in love with jades and blue-greens at the moment. Also, deep browns and warm
greys.
How would you best describe your style?
A mix of old and new, clean and complex…I like to pull favorite pieces from different
periods and mix them in a fresh, modern way for life in the 21st century.
Most memorable design challenge?
Completing an extremely large new private residence in Beijing several years ago in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It involved bi-monthly trips over the North Pole to China from D.C. over a long period of time. We prefer our projects a bit closer to home.
What is your favorite moment when designing a space, from start to finish?
Laying out the space plan of a home is my favorite part of the job. It’s the first time we start to see how the rooms will come together. And of course, installation day…the day the new rooms become a 3-dimensional reality.
What informs your aesthetic direction?
The rich history of our aesthetic past, the cross-cultural influences and confluences of
East and West and the views from the windows of a home.
Name three things you can’t live without besides family, faith and friends?
Dogs, antiques and coffee.
Describe a favorite piece in your personal home.
I am in love with anything and everything that I have in my home. Either for sentimental or personal reasons or just because I think the piece is beautiful. I am especially fond of a 7th century Chinese ceramic tiger “pillow” and a 13th century Asian “Scholar’s Stone” on its original wooden stand.
Other Barry Dixon projects:
To see more Barry Dixon Inc. projects, visit www.barrydixon.com.
