Bloomingdale's main bank of windows on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan is about as coveted as retail real estate gets. Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Jean Paul Gaultier fashions are the typical eye candy showcased there.
But next Monday, the windows will be filled with furniture: wood-banded sofas, oval dining chairs and chic white lacquer boxes by Barbara Barry. The Los Angeles designer familiar to celeb clients, such as Michael Ovitz and Molly Ringwald -- as well as avid readers of glossy shelter mags -- is about to take a bow before a larger audience
Next week Bloomingdale's, including stores at Tysons Corner and White Flint Mall, will introduce the Oval Collection, an exclusive line of furniture, accessories, rugs and lighting by Barry for the department store crowd: $400 for a silver-finish table lamp with a linen shade and $1,299 for a streamlined slipper chair -- prices a notch below her earlier designs.
"We all need access to good design," says Barry, speaking from her hillside home in Hollywood. "I think I can speak to lifestyles in a larger way."
Barry's reputation rose through her seven years of furniture designs for Baker Furniture, as well her crystal barware for Baccarat and sophisticated bathroom fittings for Kallista. Her shapely Oval X-back chairs for Baker are now a recognizable trophy in the homes of investment bankers and film moguls.
For Bloomingdale's, Barry created a small number of pieces in a limited choice of fabrics to keep costs down. According to the Baker Web site, the least expensive Barbara Barry sofa starts at about $4,800, not including fabric. The two Barry Oval Collection sofas will be introduced at sale prices of $2,999, and will be available only in ivory silk or taupe basketweave. The difference, says Barry, is that the Bloomingdale's sofas are off the rack, as opposed to couture.
"Her designs are timeless," says Joe Laneve, Bloomingdale's senior vice president. "She has an incredible feel for elegant, classic styling that I think transcends the label of modern. Yes, it is contemporary, but customers can mix and match the merchandise with traditional furniture or antiques." The store plans to introduce Barry's new sheet collection in September.
The California-born Barry, 52, started her design firm in L.A. 20 years ago and is now routinely included on Architectural Digest's list of 100 top designers. Her color palette is restrained: green tea, ivory, and dark woods, accented with flashes of glamour, such as white lacquer dressing tables and nickel-silver-finish bathroom fixtures. Often pictured wearing cashmere twin sets and pearls, she is famous for her exacting insistence on detail: tables set precisely right, towels folded just so.
About a year ago Barry left Baker, although her 100-plus designs are still available. A new collection of 95 pieces for Henredon Furniture called Barbara Barry Realized will debut at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C. next month. In late summer, the Henredon showroom at the Washington Design Center will open a Barbara Barry "showroom within a showroom" to the design trade.
"Barbara is one of the glamour stars of the home furnishings industry," says James. F. Caughman, vice president and general manager of the WDC. "She knows how to make the connection with the affluent customer."
Her own much-photographed home reflects the principles she espouses to her clients: shades of celery, avocado and chocolate brown, a mix of furniture from various periods, a calming environment and polished sense of order.
"I have always designed for the way I want to live. I haven't followed trends or fashions," says Barry. "I like fixing the world around me. I think I've found my niche."
