Please note, this is a scheduled event and registration is required to attend.
Broaden Your Brand with Barry Dixon + Benjamin Johnston
RUE IV | SUITE 220
Aligning yourself and your company apart from the crowd can present opportunities for growth, making branding strategies paramount in today’s world. Hear from interior designers Barry Dixon and Benjamin Johnston on their experiences with honing their brands to attract licensing partnerships and how they’ve grown to increase revenue, diversify their portfolios and identify the right timing to jump into the world of retail, all while staying true to themselves. This lively conversation will be moderated by Kate Verner of Kate Verner + Associates. Kate is a to-the-trade creative strategist and luxury home business expert.
SPEAKER BIOS
BARRY DIXON
Inspired by acres of lush Virginia countryside, Barry Dixon is known for a distinct aesthetic that blends Western styles with global influences from a childhood spent abroad in India, Pakistan, Korea, New Caledonia and South Africa. With projects spanning the world, Dixon imagines interiors that infuse artifacts and antiques with present-day motifs – all while preserving the history and personality of the home’s owners and their treasures.
His exclusive, curated collections include furniture, lighting and accessories for Arteriors; showroom design and products for Fortuny; fabrics, trims and wallcoverings for Vervain; upholstery for Tomlinson; and The Naturals Color Collection by Barry Dixon for C2 Paint. In 2023, Dixon launched his 6th collection with Arteriors while also developing a new line of furniture and lighting with Iatesta Studio. This year, Dixon will unveil a new, bespoke fabric and trim collection with Vervain.
Dixon’s work is featured regularly in design trade magazines, global social media accounts, Instagram Lives, reels, blogs and beyond. His projects are also featured in several books including Barry Dixon Interiors, Barry Dixon Inspirations, Farrow & Ball: The Art of Color, Fortuny Interiors and many others. Dixon is currently working on his third book and will be featured in a publication devoted to Gracie Studio.
Dixon lives and works in his 1907 Edwardian estate, Elway Hall, located on nearly 300 acres of farmland in the heart of Fauquier County, Virginia’s horse country. His partner, Will Thomas of TTR Sotheby’s, and his precious wire fox terrier, Dinah, are his constant Elway companions.
BENJAMIN JOHNSTON
Benjamin Johnston sits at the helm of his eponymous firm, Benjamin Johnston Design, which is known for creating classic, curated, cool spaces that embody each client’s lifestyle, history, and aspirations. Ben shares his knowledge with the world through syndicated television appearances, international shelter magazine placements, speaking opportunities at industry events and conferences nationwide, and as a brand ambassador for numerous luxury brands. Ben’s passion and knowledge of form, function and design, coupled with his innate understanding of market needs, has resulted in three licensed collections to date: A furniture line for Chaddock Home, a collection of rugs for Madison Lily Rugs, and most recently, a fabric, trim and wallcovering line for S. Harris.
Known as the design industry’s “secret weapon,” Kate Verner heads up an eponymous firm that develops memorable products and resilient, sustainable businesses. Kate honed her understanding of design and manufacturing at Parsons and developed her business acumen working alongside Murray Moss and Clodagh. Her KV+A firm uses product strategy to strengthen brands and revenue streams. The firm’s clients include Arteriors, Workshop/APD, David Phoenix, Denise McGaha and Desiron.