Charlotte, NC-based designer Barrie Benson is perhaps best known for a style of residential design that gracefully blends modern with traditional elements. Her original approach has enabled her to transform residences, including her own 1950s ranch, into unique homes with timeless style.
On the flip side, her fresh take on European and American 20th Century furniture and art gives traditional homes a dash of youthful energy. Now, Benson is taking her talents to the home furnishings industry, where she unveiled her first furniture collection for Highland House at the spring High Point Market.
Home Fashion Forecast: Why do you think people are so fascinated by Southern style?
Barrie Benson: I think it’s because we cherish things from our families — we carry these things with us. I have very fond memories of my grandmothers, and I am very sentimental about having their things nearby — I love using their china, silver, monogrammed linens and even a few of their portraits. Sometimes these items can look old-fashioned, but I don’t want to get rid of them. So, I have learned to freshen them up and present them in a younger way. This mentality is typical of Southerners. In this era of globalization, we’re losing touch with community and some of our most important old stories and old collections. This is why Southern style is a little intriguing to people. It’s something we all want a little bit more of in this big modern world.
HFF: You’re celebrated for your ability to mix traditional and modern in your design work. How did your style come about?
Benson: We bought a modern house 15 years ago, and initially I thought I was going to have to use all modern furniture. But we inherited traditional pieces of furniture from our parents that I knew I was going to place in this modern house. This is how my style evolved: learning how to juxtapose and balance old traditional pieces in a modern environment. I wanted to keep those old pieces in my family instead of getting rid of them. They mean a lot to me and hold a lot of great memories.
HFF: Is the need to blend furnishings of different styles and eras an increasingly common challenge?
Benson: Many people are interested in this approach. Many young people inherit a lot of brown furniture, but they hesitate to use these pieces for fear of having dated-looking interiors. The challenge is how to make it look current. This is my passion.
HFF: As a practical matter, how do you do that?
Benson: You pair things. You put an old portrait on a modern wallpaper over a modern sculptural credenza. You put a modern fabric on an old French chair from your parents. You can be crazy with your flowers and your decorations, but you follow the guidelines about the linens and silver on your table. Some of the old Southern rules about setting tables add a good balance when you want to be a bit daring and creative.
I did a beach house for a friend who has very formal in-laws, for example. The large guest room, where we knew the in-laws would stay when they visited, had a few architectural challenges that made it necessary to have a built-in bed with cantilevered side tables. I knew this modular, modern look would draw skepticism, especially from the more traditional guests. We decided to use a pretty floral on the draperies and dress the beds in Leontine monogrammed linens. I knew this would be a fun surprise and a nice nod to the guests who may not have expected the combination. We put flowers by the bed and little notepads with pens. I love that I can surprise someone with those little touches. I know what to do, I know the Southern rules, but I bend them a little bit. That’s how you make things look current.
HFF: Who or what influenced your design aesthetic?
Benson: I’ve had different influences at different stages of my life. My first internship was with a talented designer who had worked for Ferry Hayes, the residential design firm that designed all of the old country clubs of the South. She taught me the orders and scale of traditional design — the draperies and trims were drawn out to the exact detail.
I then moved on to a firm in Atlanta, Hirsch Bedner Associates, that did hotel design, from Ritz-Carltons in the deep South to modern hotels in foreign countries. They wanted American travelers staying at their hotels to feel like they were getting a taste of the local culture. My first project was in Northern Germany — it taught me how to research, and the importance of understanding the background of the project before you start designing.
When I started my own business, that’s how I approached the families I worked with. Some people are very sentimental and tell me exactly what’s important to them and what’s not. With other families, you have to interview and do some research to learn about their background and encourage them to bring some of the older things to the forefront, even if they think it might make the house a little old-fashioned. This is what makes it fun for me.
HFF: Is your collection for Highland House also a blend of modern and traditional?
Benson: Everything in the High Point collection debut is new and on-trend, but I wanted the mix of old and new. There’s a very modern framework, but then I drop in some traditional pieces, such as Peggy, a French chair that has always worked well for me in my own house. It’s a good take on a Jansen chair with very generous proportions that look good with low, small-scale upholstery. It mixes well with modern.
HFF: Would you use the Peggy lounge chair next to your very modern Mary Jane swivel chair?
Benson: Absolutely. They work well together. The proportions balance each other. It’s about the juxtaposition. But you also need partners. Traditional needs traditional partners, and modern needs a modern friend — a modern lamp or cocktail table, for example. You can’t have everything all traditional and throw in one odd modern thing. It’s about the yin and yang, masculine versus feminine, traditional versus modern. I’m working for the balance.
HFF: Each of the 14 pieces in the collection has a bit of a Southern-sounding name — Flannery console and Blanche daybed, for example. Why?
Benson: I named the furniture after important Southern people that mean something to me. Some of the names are funny, such as the Dolly chest, because we all know Dolly Parton has a generous chest. The Clairee sofa and the Weezie chair are named for the funny characters in “Steel Magnolias.” The Johnny credenza is named for Johnny Cash, one of my favorite Southern singers. I named the swivel chair after my Mom, who always chooses to sit in a similar chair in my house.
