Nature’s Muse

Nature inspired fabrics, furniture and accessories from Barry Dixon. Part of our series on top Virginia designers for your home.

Growing up, Barry Dixon and his family lived all over the world. He still travels for his career in interior design, but his main inspirations for the rooms he designs and his product lines come straight from his farm in Warrenton, where cattle, Angora goats and chickens also live.  

Dixon’s spiky “spore mirror,” in antiqued gilt and chalk-white versions, evoke cocklespurs that collect on his pants legs during walks through his property; his cantaloupe fabric, a cotton-linen blend in nine colors, derives from the outer surface of a melon grown in his garden and feels almost like velvet, he says. 

Dixon also reimagines classic furniture, such as the Albemarle wooden dining room chairs he found at an estate sale. Created now with cushioned circular backs, the chairs can be found as far away as a restaurant in Dubai.


This article originally appeared in our 2018 House + Garden issue.

Kate Andrews
Kate Andrews is a past contributor to Virginia Living.
April 26, 2025

Chesterfield Towne Center Carnival

Chesterfield Towne Center
April 26, 2025

Botanical Garden of the Piedmont Spring Festival

Botanical Garden of the Piedmont