Evolution

This is the Picasso painting, First Communion, painted in 1896.

This is the Picasso painting, Dora Maar au Chat, painted in 1941.

This is Renoir's Artist's Mother, which he painted in 1860.

This is Renoir's Dance in the City, 1883.  

I bet you're wondering where I'm going with this.  I've been thinking about how we evolve over time, and how our understanding, study, and learning help us to grow and refine our ways of thinking, creating and living.  Barbara Barry is one of my favorite designers and her star-quality was apparent even in 1988,

  

when Remodeling Ideas magazine published a renovation project that she completed for her own home.  Thank you to the dedicated Michelle Morelan from A Schematic Life for archiving this.

Barbara Barry's style has become more refined, more graceful and more beautiful.  When you think about your own style evolution, how have you changed?

Some of my favorite inspirations from Barbara Barry:  "If you want quality in your life, you want it in everything.  You want it in a cup of coffee, you want it at dinner, whether you make it yourself or buy it in a restaurant.  You have a standard, and you appreciate the differences.  Luxury is not about style or trends."

"Nature is my biggest inspiration—mesmerizing and elegant. My garden is where I begin each day."

"It is the most restorative thing to climb into a bed of crisply ironed sheets. I feel like a princess, and I’m grateful for all that I have."

"Style has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with how you feel about yourself." 

 "I'm searching for calm all the time—that's why people come to me—and life is already a pattern. We create it with the shape of the furniture, the windows, the doors, the pillows, what we wear and the stuff we have. Unless you have a sure hand, adding a print to that can just make for more visual noise."  

"I love subtle shades of colors because they are soft on the eye and soul."

"My home is my haven, and it is a testament to my work—fresh and clean and calm."

"Clean out your closets.  Throw out what you have around your kitchen sink:  The grungy sponge, the ugly soap dispenser with the label on it and the dead plant on the windowsill.  Replace them.  You can tell so much about a person when you look at their sink."

"Solitude is probably the most vital thing that restores my spirit. I don’t watch television or listen to much music. I like silence…in fact, I require it."

"When I see things artfully presented, it reminds me that the simplest job done with intent can be food for the soul."

  

"I love tea. The art of preparing it, the beautiful ways to serve it, the healthful benefit of it, and the ritual of stopping to enjoy it."

"I love to put up whatever inspires me on a bulletin board. I see a connectedness in the way all beautiful things seem to relate."

My favorite Barbara Barry quote is this one:  "Life is hard enough, but it can be balanced with beauty and gentleness."

4. Traditional Home 5.via Architectural Digest November 2005 6. via Remodeling Ideas Magazine and Michelle Morelan of A Schematic Life  7. via Renovation Ideas Magazine and Michelle Morelan of A Schematic Life  8. via Remodeling Ideas Magazine and Michelle Morelan of A Schematic Life 9. via Remodeling Ideas Magazine and Michelle Morelan of A Schematic Life 10. Town and Country Magazine 12. Veranda magazine July-August 2011 13. Town and Country Magazine 14. Town and Country Magazine 23. Traditional Home magazine 24. Town and Country Travel magazine