Barrie Benson’s Fresh Southern Style

Known for her fresh take on Southern style, Charlotte-based Barrie Benson is a master of pattern-mixing. She’s developed a reputation for being able to infuse modern style into traditional homes, and vice-versa, and her projects have appeared everywhere from Domino to Architectural Digest. Here, she shares a few recent projects, along with her Chairish favorites.

SHOP BARRIE BENSON’S CHAIRISH FAVORITES >>>

You’re known for updating both modern and traditional homes while honoring the original architecture. Every space is unique and has its own mix of modern and traditional elements. How do you go about achieving a distinct sense of place in each project?

Our goal is for each project to be a reflection of the style and personality of the people who live there. Many of our clients come to us after purchasing a home, whether it’s modern or traditional, wanting to infuse the opposite style into it—if it’s a more modern house, they’re looking to mix in their antiques and family heirlooms, if it’s a more traditional house, they’re hoping to add in modern elements and a youthful sensibility. At the beginning of the project, we really work to get to know the clients, so that by the end when you walk inside it is the best expression of the family that lives there and that it gives each project its own distinct look. We try our best to never do the same thing twice and are fortunate to work with clients who each have their own great sense of style.

In a world where Instagram can tend to homogenize trends and interiors can start to look the same, your work feels so refreshing. What inspires you, and how do you keep each space feeling fresh without repeating what you’ve done before? 

Instagram can certainly be a great source of inspiration, but oftentimes it shows us what is being over done and what we want to stay away from. We never want to just copy what’s out there, that goes against our ethos as designers. We also look to our clients, who are each unique and have their own style. Our job is to help define and curate that style, creating a space that is a reflection of them.

How does living in Charlotte influence your work? Does it influence your approach to color and pattern, does it inspire you to gravitate toward historic design elements, or does it encourage a certain way of thinking about homes? 

Charlotte architecture is predominately traditional. While we do work on many modern projects, we also work on many traditional ones. Consequently, we are often working on houses that are very formal, with clients hoping to make them feel more youthful and fun through design. Charlotteans are not afraid of color, and pattern, and entertain often, so our job is to infuse those elements into their homes in a way that they don’t tire easily. We are always looking for bold fabrics that don’t feel trendy and can withstand the test of time. We often look to the historic design elements for inspiration and push ourselves to reimagine them in a way that feels fresh for today.

You have collaborated with Highland House, Modern Matter, and Schumacher. What do you love most about designing furniture and homewares, and what are some of your favorite lines you’ve created? 

All of our furniture and hardware designs are inspired by vintage pieces or something we have seen and loved, but cannot find again. These pieces are often the perfect scale and size to work well in multiple rooms and we found ourselves unable to source them again, so we decided to have them made. Studying unique vintage pieces, rather than trying to tweak what already exists also keeps us inspired. We are always on the hunt for beautiful new leg details or sculptural pieces that we have not seen before.

Peg Norriss, however. is a completely different process. We begin by identifying artists whose work we can see translating well into the home. We take their existing past work or they create new work and by changing the scale, creating a repeat and playing with the color story, we create a collection of wallpapers and fabrics. So many fabrics and wallpapers are inspired by art, we wanted artists to be a part of the creative process while also supporting them financially through these creative collaborations.

I cannot pick a favorite, but I thrive on change so I am always falling in love with the newest one we are working on!

Tell us about your approach to vintage and antique finds. How does that come into play when it comes to layering patterns, colors and styles? How do you like to incorporate vintage/antiques?

We are sure to mix in antiques early as a part of the foundation of the design, but we also like to leave about 25% of a project until the install, when we go and source antique or vintage pieces to layer in. Found objects and sculptural antique pieces…these are what give the project a unique, collected look. We thrive on making things feel different and incorporating vintage/antique pieces is one of the best ways to achieve this. 

ON CHAIRISH & VINTAGE

What do you find most compelling about Chairish? 

The fact that we can find antiques from all over the world from our office! The thrill of the hunt is fabulous in person, but it’s not always practical to travel, so Chairish has really revolutionized how we shop. It takes a trained eye to understand proportion and scale, which is a reason why hiring a designer can be so important, but it is amazing that we have the opportunity to find antiques and are able to purchase these vintage pieces we otherwise wouldn’t have access to.

How does sustainability factor into your design choices and love of vintage?  

I think it’s very important to reuse and reimagine vintage pieces. There is so much opportunity when working with vintage, whether you change the fabric or paint the finish, rather than buying something brand new. We love a little patina that sometimes only comes from a vintage piece. Sometimes we have to create custom pieces to fit a space, but I never hesitate to reuse a perfectly good sofa or bed when possible, or if it’s not, we make sure that it’s going to a good home in need. 

A FEW DESIGN FAVORITES 

Favorite way to create a statement-making moment in a room? We love to play on the unexpected…for instance you may typically find a beautiful de Gournay wallpaper in the dining room, but we may imagine it in the kitchen. Or we will study paintings in a museum or book to see what unusual colors play off each other but live well together. We are always pushing our clients just a little bit outside of their comfort zone through our use of color.

Favorite paint color? So many. Farrow & Ball Setting Plaster, Peignor, and Bancha. Benjamin Moore Santa Monica Blue and Pleasant Valley.

Favorite piece of decor in your home? My art collection.

Favorite style icon? Francesca Ruffini and Sophia Coppola. 

Design destination every creative should visit at least once? There are so many, but to name a few Seville, Jaipur, London, Milan…

A FEW LIFESTYLE FAVORITES

Favorite small museum? Picasso museum in Paris.

Favorite Instagram accounts to follow? Leah O’Connell, Rebecca Birdwell,Tori Mellott, Palmer Weiss, Redmond Aldrich.

Favorite restaurant? River Cafe London, Quentin Madrid.

Favorite vacation destination? Anywhere I can relax and get inspired. Recently it’s been Mexico City, Madrid and Egypt. 

Favorite hotel that’s inspired your work while traveling? Santo Mauro, Madrid.

Lead Image: Interior Design by Barrie Benson, Photography by Francesco Lagnese.