Barbara D'Arcy

Barbara D'Arcy (1928–2012) was an American interior designer, noted as one of the most important visual merchandisers of the 20th century.

Early life Barbara D’Arcy was born on April 3, 1928, in Manhattan, the youngest of three children of Ida Marie and James J. D’Arcy. Her mother was an art teacher, her father a manager for a Manhattan moving and storage company. Her father's job made him a discerning judge of furniture. She graduated from the College of New Rochelle. European furniture designers were happy to find a new market in New York and Bloomingdale's soon began creating model rooms to display the merchandise.

One of D'Arcy White's best known showrooms, called "Saturday Generation", was in collaboration with Frank Gehry. This room encompassed a warm, monastic feeling by using cardboard as the only material. At the time, the use of cardboard was a surprising yet stylish use for an old, underrated material. Its popularity was founded on the practicality of the material in combination with the modernity of the shapes.

D’Arcy became a merchandising executive in 1975 and she traveled the world as part of a Bloomingdale's team of design scouts. She was among the first Americans to visit the People's Republic of China on business after its relations with the United States were normalized in 1972.

In the late 1970s Ms. D’Arcy directed the redesign of Bloomingdale's entire first floor, a three-year project. The redesign was completed in 1979 and the black marble and brass-look of the store has since become iconic.

Later life D'Arcy remained with Bloomingdale's until her retirement in 1995. She died on May 10, 2012, in Southampton, NY, at the age of 84.