At Home with Barry Dixon ~ Upstairs

Yesterday, we looked at Barry Dixon and Michael Schmidt's first floor. Let's venture up the stairs to second floor. There are several bedrooms and baths. The baths all had free standing tubs large enough to comfortably hold a linebacker. Any one of them would offer a fabulous soak. Let's begin.....
Beautiful window seat as one climbs the stairs.
The upstairs hallway was lovely. When I got to the top of the stairs and looked side to side, I thought, 'This is going to be good!"

A Guest Room.....



Guest Room fit for a princess.....


Guest again... this room has some contemporary elements to it.... lovely...



Twin bed Guest Room.....


Master Bath to die for.....






I believe this is the Master Bedroom.....








Cozy masculine Guest Room.....

Grand Guest Room.....







Another sweet Guest Room....

I simply guessed at about the rooms purpose but Barry and Michael live there with their dog so they have plenty of places for friends and family to stay! I loved each room for different reasons. I enjoyed his use of color and mixing of materials.

If Mr. Dixon ever grows tired of his interior and product design gig, he and Michael can open an exquisite Bed and Breakfast. I would be the first to stay there!

At Home with Barry Dixon

The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) Washington, DC Chapter and Barry Dixon hosted a lovely party at the home of Barry Dixon and Michael Schmidt, Elway Hall, in Warrenton, Virginia. What a event. All invited were treated to wander around their magnificent home and take a hay ride to their barn. If was a rainy Fall day. The grounds were splendid ~ vivid colors everywhere. My camera did not shoot well in the evening rain or I would show you. Upon entering the front door, all senses came alive as they had roaring fires in every fireplace and there were many.


Beautiful front door. Karen and I came in expecting to be late for the 'tour.' There was no tour. Everyone was milling around enjoying wine and conversation. Oooo and ahhhs over the home were abundant. Michael, Barry's partner, was the first to greet us. He thanked me for the kind words I wrote about Barry when I met with him at the CharityWorks' Green Show House. "It was my pleasure," I told Michael. I asked him if he and Barry wander through their home much ~ it is enormous! He confessed, "No, we mainly live in this room (pointing to the adjoining room) and the kitchen." Funny! I'll bet we all live mostly in two rooms in our homes. I do ~ kitchen and family room (if you don't count my studio). Barry's studio is in their home as well. We didn't get to see that ~ too many design secrets. We'll just have to wait for them. We could take as many pictures as we wanted. How wonderful! I took about 130. I'll share almost half. I know that is a lot of pictures but the ideas you'll find are grand. The entire home is grand ~ inside and out. My friend and photographer, Bob Narod, was also there shooting for Home & Design Magazine. It was fun seeing him. We were also treated to a delicious dinner. We could eat anywhere! They must have wonderful house cleaners or house staff as I am sure there were typical spills and mishaps that occur at any party. Today and tomorrow, I'll show you the pictures. Enjoy!
First, the molding throughout the entire home was spectacular.
Game room. I can see playing chess or cards in this comfort.

The next few pictures are of the library.




This group is from the formal parlor and piano room. All of the branch cuttings you see in the photos are from their grounds.
The detailing throughout is amazing.




This is a hallway between the kitchen and the foyer.

This cozy room is perfect to read quickly and enjoy a good cup of tea.


The kitchen. Note the wallcovering generously used. The motif also lines inside the covers of Barry's book.


Barry signing his book for a fellow designer and fan.

This room is just off the kitchen ~ the eating nook and storage pantry (there were two pantries as I recall ~ one was full of their preserves)



This is the room Michael said they live in. The other side of the room boasts comfortable sofas and ottomans ~ that picture (below) did not turn out as well.

There is Michael in the back parlor. This front room is just off the foyer.

Tomorrow, we'll venture up the stairs to the second floor. The bedrooms and master bath will knock your socks off! Stay tuned!



It was outside when I finally caught up with Barry.....


I thanked him as it was my interview with him that made The Washington Post's 'pick to click.' Bob was trying to take pictures of Barry and I (the ones here Karen took). That made me nervous. It hard to look natural when you know your being photographed. This sweet lady heard me thanking Barry for the "Green House." She asked, "When do we get to see the green house." Barry and I attempted to explain that the green house was not at his home but rather the CharityWorks' Green Show House. I'm not sure she fully grasped that.

Why is it that I look better as a black cat than a colleague standing next to Barry Dixon? Must be the martini!
My friends Vikki and Jean with me.
Jim, Lauren, and I. Lauren was a pink leopard, I was a black cat and Jim was the Animal Catcher (skunk hat and all). Thanks Tammy for a fabulous party!

I wonder if Barry and Michael wore Halloween costumes??!! Oh how I digress.....

Women in Hollywood

I read a story in the Washington Post last week. It was entitled Women & Film. The premise of the story is that movies made about strong women don't do well at the box office. It reports that women aren't supporting films about strong females. Films starring women that are financially successful are more about groups of women and relationships versus strong women and their accomplishments. This scares me. It furthers states that men were more comfortable than women thinking about a woman in the oval office when they discussed a TV show about just that. Hmmm??!! How can this be? Is it a confidence issue among women? Do women see themselves as sexualized objects even more than men? Do women spend more time thinking about breast size and wrinkles then men do? I think 'yes.' I believe we are socialized to do so and propagate it ourselves. I wonder what advertisers spend their time talking about when they are developing a campaign for night cream. I doubt it is about portraying a strong woman in a corporate setting leading a strategic planning meeting. Look at these lovely ladies.....

All photo credits The Washington Post

Do you know who they are? They are film directors; Lone Scherfig and Jane Campion (The Education and The Piano respectively as well as other wonderful films). Highly accomplished, wrinkles and all. Don't get me wrong... I like to look good and have a variety of lotions and potions to attempt to keep my skin taut. I just believe that intelligence, knowledge, confidence, strength, creativity, stamina ~ aka building of the mind ~ in tandem with love, support, encouragement, faith, respect ~ aka building of heart and soul ~ will take any woman further in the long run than mere physical beauty. It's the beauty on the inside ~ mind, heart, and soul ~ that are the building blocks of a strong woman.

Additions?? Thoughts??

Las Vegas Market Trends as by Vicente, Laura, and Timothy

You read and saw my thoughts from what I was able to see at Fall High Point Market.

Here are three Ahead of the Curve videos from Vicente Wolf, Laura Kirar, and Timothy Corrigan on trends they saw at the Las Vegas Market in September. Enjoy!