Barclay Butera's In The House

We had a celebrity in our midst today. The surf-haired L.A. designer Barclay Butera hosted a little show-and-tell lunch in our boardroom to introduce H&H editors to his big new fabric collection for Kravet. It was his first time in Canada and we were thrilled that he squeezed us into the agenda (along with a pitstop at Holt Renfrew!).

Butera's one of those does-it-all designers. He creates residential and commercial interiors, designs rugs and textiles for Kravet, manufactures a full home line including pillows, upholstery and furniture, and sat still long enough for the esteemed Assouline to publish a lush book about him last year.

You've may have heard of his showroom and design clients? Renee Zelwegger, Reese Witherspoon, Barbra Streisand and Michael Bublé.... If you read those other magazines (just kidding: we buy 'em all too!), you've probably seen his traditional interiors, which he updates with a modern twist, in House Beautiful, Veranda and House & Garden (RIP).

Check out that toile. Clearly, Butera loves the classics. He's lived in Bette Davis's old house and ditto Frank Sinatra Jr. This is a young guy who can do old Hollywood glamour in his sleep.

Love the dimension added by the wall treatment (and check out those old-school karate-chopped pillows!).

I can almost feel the warm breeze off this sitting area. Sigh.Today, Butera was all about textiles. His line for Kravet includes luxe velvets, pretty damasks, and gorgeous printed linens. One thing that sets this line apart is the prints are on linen instead of the usual chintz.

Love the classic blue and whites in his Beach line. These would be perfect outdoors (which, he let slip, will be added to the line in spring 2010).

Other collections include Town & Country, Mountain and Desert.

"I had to have my dog print!" Butera said when he unfolded this one. Two of the pups are his, Carson and Ashton, and the third belongs to the artist who sketched the dogs.

I heard much oohing and aahing from the troops as each new sample was unfurled. We were equally impressed with the prices. As Hilary Smyth, our deputy editor, pointed out, this is a very well priced collection for the quality (starting at $70 and up).

Almost forgot: he also does gorgeous rugs, which are top-sellers at Kravet.

Thanks for stopping in, Barclay, and hope you enjoyed your first browse through Holt Renfrew!