Barbara Berry launches bedding at Bloomie's

The launch of the Barbara Barry Dream Collection of bedding is the second step in the California interior designer's home furnishings portfolio that will be offered to retailers.

The formal launch occurred at Bloomingdale's in New York last month and will be featured during the High Point market, along with 12 new pieces in the furniture collection.

The bedding collection follows by a year the launch of the furniture and home accessories collection, also introduced by Bloomingdale's, and fabrics and trimmings from Kravet.

The four bed collection "completes my vision for the home," Barry said. "It's a natural extension and reflects all the small things that add up to a subtle impact on the senses. It reflects the Barry credo of understated elegance; "it's not heavily traditional or heavily contemporary, but more things that go together with ease, not over-decorated."

"I'm trying to be anti-fashion, designing things that are easy to live with."

For Joe Laneve, senior vice president, home at Bloomingdale's where 16 stores are scheduled to have the program "the great part of Barbara's work is that it is very classic, timeless, simple but very elegant. She spends a tremendous amount of time on minute details and quality like the size of a stitch or a hem."

Laneve compared her approach to that of designer Giorgio Armani whom he describes as "nobody more simple in design but look at the details — seaming, buttons." He added, "I love the different movement of patterns, simple designs with subtle treatments."

For Barry, "the bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the home. It's the place for renewal, calm and restoration."

While the initial rollout is four beds that also include Dream Silk, a silk charmeuse scallop design in coverlet, shams and decorative pillows, "we will add to it significantly to the degree stores will support it," explained Michael Bernstein, CEO of DWI Holdings, the licensee for the bed and bath collections.

While the collection is yet another entry in the designer bedding arena, Barry pointed out she is the only home furnishings designer among the group. For Bernstein, the collection is designed "for a fairly broad audience with products that are attainable, at the higher end of the department store price point, expensive but affordable."

Bloomingdale's has the exclusive for the four beds for the spring season, and Bernstein plans to offer it to better department stores and high-end specialty stores, as well as Barbara Barry designer showrooms. It also will be made available to furniture stores that carry her furniture that is produced by Henredon.

Coming later this spring is the launch of the Barry dinnerware from Waterford Wedgwood.

Eucalyptus, the only print in the collection, is a subtle monochromatic massing of small eucalyptus leaves on cotton.