TheSource.com caught up with former music executive turned interior designer Antone Barnes to discuss his new business venture with pro bowl TE Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers). Modern Class Design is a full-service fine arts and interior design company co- founded by Davis and Barnes. In this interview Barnes explains how his natural appreciation for fine art inspired him to leave the music business to tackle the interior design industry with the support of Vernon Davis.
The Source: When did you first realize that it was time to make a transition from the music business to interior designing?
Antone Barnes: I’ve been designing for about ten years. For the past ten to twelve years I’ve been collecting art and designing and I’ve been doing it kind of as a hobby, behind the scenes, but it’s something that I’ve always had love for. I’ve always been an individual who like to do things different, I’ve never been a trend follower; I’ve always been a trendsetter.
I was always like that even when I was in the music industry. When I started seeing the music industry get “cookie-cut” and everybody started to follow the same style; I got bored! I’ll be perfectly honest with you I got bored of the music I was working, got bored with dealing with artist because everybody were so “cookie-cut” the creative fire that I saw in artist when I first started working in the industry was gone.
So when my business partner Vernon Davis first approached me in regards to partnering in this design company which was about 3 years ago. I just woke up one morning and I really didn’t want to talk about music, didn’t want to deal with music, all I can think about is design, art, and other aspects in my life. That was the time I woke up and said I don’t want to do this anymore. The passion and the fire that I had with the music industry were gone.
The Source: When you walk into an office or walk into someone’s home what is the first thing you usually look for before you redesign a space?
Antone Barnes: I’ll be honest with you; I can’t necessarily put a finger on it. I think I go into a zone. When I walk into a home every time I tell someone you’ve got to excuse me when first walk into your house, because I’m a get quiet, I’m not going to do a lot of talking. I just get into a zone; I’m in my own world. I go into this visionary mode and I just sit there and imagine what the house is going to look like, not what it’s looking like right now. So I see the after effect, I can see what I can do on this wall or what I can put on the floor, lining, color.
It’s like the house transform visual in my mind where it’s to a point what you’re looking at is not what I’m looking at. And I’ll base this on the individual; if it’s a bachelor crib okay this house needs to have a certain feel a certain look or a certain personality to it that’s going to fit the person who lives in this house. Or if it’s a house with kids or a couple, basically every house and every situation is unique but with each project I try to give it certain style that’s unique because I don’t believe in cookie cut designs.
Let’s be honest here we all got a certain level of ego in us. I want something in your car or in your house (we design cars as well) that’s going to be different where people are going to be like “Wow I never saw that before” or “I never thought about that”. Even when it comes to some of the clients, I’ve had clients that were like “where did you even think about that? I never thought about doing that”
The Source: What is it that makes Modern Class Design such a creative company?
Antone Barnes: We all possess certain talents… I’ve always been a person to want to do something different than everybody else. I think a lot of people want that but some people are just too scared. A lot of people just want to follow the crowd; nah there’s no need to be afraid. And Vernon [Davis] is the same way being an artist he’s the same way.
We feed off each other energy and vision and it’s insane. Because we’re not afraid to be different, we actually pride ourselves on being different. Start your own trend start your own style. If you think about all the great leaders or people in the world whether it be in government, entertainment, etc.; they’re trend setters, not followers.
The Source: True indeed, so what’s Vernon Davis’s role in the company?
Antone Barnes: We’re business partners, it’s not just okay its Vernon Davis and I’m just using his name to get us in certain situations which of course does help. Especially with such an amazing season he had on the field, he’s really hands on. People think that Vernon is just the face of the company and I’m all the work; No!
I do most of the day to day hands on stuff but I never do anything without an approval from Vernon. I’m like “Vernon I want to paint this wall this color, what do you think?” He’ll come in suggest something else that much better “like damn I ain’t think about that”.
He’s an artist so I think his eye for color and scheme is more advance then mine. So we level each other off and it’s a perfect partnership?
The Source: How did you and Vernon link up?
Antone Barnes: Me and Vernon know each other for about six years now and by chance while I was in the music industry we would bump into each other at parties, concerts, events where ever and we just developed a friendship. I never wanted anything form him and he never wanted anything from me, it’s just a mutual friendship.
By chance he came to my home in Maryland and I got the same response from him that I got from everybody else that came to my house “Like wow this house is amazing, who designed this house?” oh I did! He was like what!?! At first I use to get offended cuz I’m like what a young black brother can’t be into art collecting and color schemes?
Till this day we still get those people that say wow that’s different. Okay you know what, yes it is. And that’s what we pride ourselves in. That’s why we started this company and yea anybody can start a record label or a clothing line and all that stuff, but nah let’s be unique. Let’s be honest here, it’s something that we love to do and there’s nothing out there like it.
The Source: What was it that sparked you and Vernon to build your own design company?
Antone Barnes: Vernon was the typical athlete taking advantage of. You’ve got a young brother from DC didn’t have no money. Get drafted number 6 in the NFL draft pick, so he’s an instant millionaire. And unfortunately a lot of the agents and financial advisors take advantage of these guys and rip them off and Vernon was a victim. He was over charged for his home to get designed and left a bad taste in his mouth. After talking to a number of athletes, I realize he wasn’t the only one. We were like “bro why are we going to sit here and let these things to continue to happen when we have the talent to outdo these other designers?”
Let’s be honest if you have a 50 year old white women, what does she know about a 21 year old black male from DC. What does she know on what he likes? Let be perfectly honest here. A lot of them are overpriced, they don’t know what a chandelier cost? “Oh yea it looks good, $10,000!?!” Not knowing that it only cost $4,000 and that the designer marked it up drastically. I understand that it’s a business, but there’s a certain way you conduct business; you can do a 100% mark up or a 40% mark up.
We want to end that trend because a lot of these brothas are being taken advantage of and it’s not just professional athletes, people in general. A lot of people get taken advantage of because they don’t know and we wanted to end that trend. Vernon had personal experience along with a number of his teammates and we wanted to end that cycle.
The Source: A majority of your clients are professional athletes, is that by design? [No pun intended]
Antone Barnes: I actually have a meeting with one of the country’s top surgeons. She wants me to come in and take a look at her house. She said the reason why she picked us is because we have a unique style, I’ve never seen before. “I want a lot of the stuff I see on your website done to my house”. So yea we do anybody, we don’t just do 7 to 10 thousand square foot houses, I’ll do a 1200 square foot studio. I love designing and I love to make people happy.
With that you build a clientele, who knows what that one studio might lead to. That just might be that person’s studio he/she might have a twenty thousand square foot house somewhere else and that [studio] might have been a test. You never know who you’re dealing with and that’s why we’re very humble; we don’t turn down any projects.
The Source: I truly respect how you and Vernon always give back to the community, can you tell our readers about some of the urban renewal projects MCD is currently working on?
Antone Barnes: We’re working on a project out in Richmond (CA) which I’m pretty sure many of your readers know is one of the most dangerous city in the country. We’re actually redoing the community center at Crescent Park projects out there and you know what? Why not!
I’ve been blessed and I’m from Jersey City (NJ) I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I grew with rats and roaches, seeing friends get murdered before what Jersey City is now. Vernon growing up in North West (DC) out of 25 of his 8th grade classmates only 2 of them were either alive or not in jail. Growing up with a mother addicted to drugs and never knowing his father; his grandmother raised him.
We’ve both been blessed to get out of those situations to where we are now and we find it our duty to give back as black men to the less fortunate.
Interviewed by:
Walford Guillaume (wallywall$treet)
