Barclay Butera Toasts 15th Anniversary with Publishing Debut

The boyishly handsome celebrity interior designer, Barclay Butera, had good reasons to celebrate this holiday season. December 4th marked exactly 15 years ago that he introduced his first luxury showroom to Newport Beach. Bringing his taste and lifestyle direction to Orange County, to continue his brand and success, Los Angeles, Park City, and New York City soon followed. His high profile clients, to name a few, have included Barbara Streisand, Sharon Stone, Reese Witherspoon, Renee Zellwegger, the Simpson sisters, and Josh Groban along with some high end hotels and other renowned residences such as the St.Regis, Frank Sinatra Jr. and the Marilyn Monroe Estate.

The Newport Beach flagship store anniversary party was a vivid collage. The showroom, lavishly decorated with holiday trimmings and Christmas trees, had become a spotlight for fashionably dressed guests including Mr. Barclay’s staff, family, friends, clients and movers and shakers from the real estate and design industry. Actress, Lynn-Holly Johnson, a former Bond Girl, was spotted among the mass. They flowed from one packed room to another while enjoying their champagne and wine. Catered by his neighbor, Haute Cakes, an inviting display of smörgasbord was a feast for the tummy and eyes as the offerings were refined and colorful. The perfectly moist and flavorfully baked salmon took center stage and was clearly the crowd pleaser along with Cellar B’s generously donated wines. That whole entire fish was quickly consumed as it was quickly caught. It was also hard to resist the mini lemon bars, nut-filled brownies, and the cutest mini-me pistachio sprinkled pumpkin pie.

As guests partook in the warm and lively ambience, there was a beeline for Mr. Barclay to sign his first coffee table book, Barclay Butera Living In Style. Published in October 2008 by the French premier publishing house, Assouline, the $65 hardcover features Butera’s most iconic and celebrated work. “Fashion for the home” is his design approach and concept. Butera believes that “every room should have one truly fabulous establishing piece.” His inspiration is a mix of Hollywood glamour, European sophistication, and the exotic Far East. The 176 pages of visual journey are divided in five different lifestyle categories of Beach, Town & Country, Mountain, Desert, and City. If one can’t be furnished by Butera, at least one can smell like it. Available for purchase are The Barclay Butera Home candle line which reflects the five themed inspirations as a compliment to his five lifestyle line.

In the middle of the soiree, the anticipated 7:30 PM toast finally arrived after Ray Langhammer, Butera’s creative director, gained the room’s attention by clinking at his Champagne flute. The gregarious Mr. Langhammer began to thank all attendees for the evening’s very successful turnout. With appreciation, he shared the heartfelt story of their beginning, vision of their business, and future projects. The dynamic duo, with Butera stylishly decked out in a three piece Tom Ford plaid suit and his former lover in a John Varvatos velvet Nehru jacket, embraced and happily toasted each other for their achievement. The proud mother, Karen Butera, who is a local interior designer in Corona del Mar, joined in to bask in her son’s success. When asked how she felt about that evening’s celebration and all her son’s accomplishment, she beamed and simply said, “I am very proud of him.”

www.NewportBeachMagazine.com January 2009 Issue