BDC's Fall Market and Charlotte Barnes

This post is not sponsored by any of the following: Boston Design Center, Charlotte Barnes, Quadrille.

The Fall Market at the Boston Design Center is an annual event filled with new product introductions, seminars, presentations. I attended two afternoons and found it to be under attended which worked well for me since I can get a little anxious in a crowd, but I don't think the vendors held the same opinion.

This market gave us two first evers, a new name and a Trunk Show. I don't get the name change, Fall Market 2014 Reimagined as Boston Design Market 2014. The Trunk Shows, however, were a huge success (with me).

My approach to market days is to drop all my design biases (doesn't always work) and try really hard to look with an open mind. If I were in the Design Center sourcing for a client I might have breezed by the Charlotte Barnes Collection, instead it was one of the highlights of the Trunk Show.

New to me and to Boston, Charlotte Barnes is chic, warm and friendly. It was a pleasure to meet her.

Charlotte is a master of refined eclecticism with no fear of mixing pattern. Her traditionally shaped sofa takes on a bit of a boho feel once we look close enough to see that it is an embroidered linen.

close up of Quadrille's Zebra Embroidery on the sofa

A high style deco inspired table accompanies a very English and very comfortable slipper chair. Wouldn't this be a lovely place to sit, read, sip a glass of wine? Yes.

Claudia Slipper Chair, Addison Drinks Table with Lucite top

A liberal use of brass can easily transport us to the '70s but under Charlotte's deft hand the effect is time defiant.

This beautiful black bar with inlaid brass is tailored elegance. Sophisticated.

Covetous.
Quadrille's Melong Batik wallpaper

The interior is done in admiralty blue, but Charlotte will do any color that suits your style.

These two seemingly disparate pieces work so well together. The sharp geometry of metal and hard stone side by side with the soft curves and warm wood grain of a linen chair. No worries about matching finishes either, the nail head trim looks like burnished or antiqued brass, the table is polished.

Jojo side table, Edwina Chair in Walnut

Then Charlotte mixes in a little chinoiserie and French Directoire with a mosaic wallpaper. 

Quadrille's Persia wallpaper

Charlotte's design philosophy is chic, warm, comfortable. Her collection left me with all that plus casually elegant, curated but not overly so, electric but not messy and tailored enough to bring out the chic but not to the point of being stuffy.

Her mantra,

"an interior must stand the test of time, but not look as if the decorator just left" 

is advice well worth following. 

See more of the Charlotte Barnes Collection and Charlotte's portfolio at Charlotte Barnes.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading,
Linda Pakravan