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About Me

I think my time in this world was meant to be about 50 years ago,” says Barclay Butera, “or that I’m here now to bring back to society the attributes of that time.” Southern Californian Butera’s take on classic design is much influenced by the glamour—real or imagined—of the movie industry. “I’ve been inspired over the years by an early Hollywood era,” says Butera, meaning up to and including 1958’s Auntie Mame (and its cocktail hour). “Even in old sitcoms you see how people really did enjoy their homes. I’m talking about going back to that simpler time when we weren’t so concerned about what other people had but maybe enjoyed what we had instead.”

Butera hopes people will enjoy what he has in his retail stores and in the Barclay Butera Home line of signature, class-to-the-masses furniture. “I’m trying to create a collection that guides people. With too many choices, they become paralyzed. I want to help them enjoy their choices.”

Fashion is an important design inspiration for Butera. “I might look at Gucci one year and Dior the next and interpret the looks for the home,” he says. “This past year I did this whole fashion-oriented Moroccan feel for High Point and shocked the [design] world. It was so funny; I didn’t re-create the wheel.”

Member Since

Feb 22, 2006

Sites

• Elements of Living
• Barclay Butera