Features
The 25 – Barbara Eberlein
Award-winning interior designer Barbara Eberlein has built a national reputation for expertise in the restoration of significant historic structures of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Throughout her career, she has championed the Classical tradition while working to educate, advocate, and lead those dedicated to the preservation of past interiors and historical architecture.
“I like to approach the creation of interiors with the knowledge that, one day, these spaces will become part of the fabric of history,” she says. “I’m a lifelong learner and inveterate traveler who is constantly seeking to absorb and learn from the history and aesthetic richness of the world.”
Secretary of the national board of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, Eberlein has received numerous awards, including a Palladio Award, the ASID Designer of Distinction Award, 15 International Design Awards, and four Institute of Classical Architecture & Art Trumbauer Awards for interior design as well as the AIA Award for Historic Preservation and several Preservation Alliance Preservation Achievement Awards.
“I hope that my work has helped others discover the long line of history expressed through the evolution of cherished buildings as we discover how they can respond to our changing needs,” she says. “These interiors listen to us and respond to us—and we to them; it’s a true privilege to be part of this conversation. This is the secret to our iconic buildings maintaining their vibrancy and relevance for generations to come as they are pivotal characters in all our lives.”
