History - Dorothy Draper & Company (original) (raw)

Dorothy Draper & Company, America’s oldest, continually operating interior design firm was established in 1925. Founder Dorothy Draper was the first to professionalize the career of interior design. Coined by Good Housekeeping magazine as the ‘Doyenne of Decorating’, she was known for her maximalist use of vivid color, stripes, and bold patterns as well as her signature use of black and white checkerboard tiles, scrollwork, and plasterwork.

Draper created a new style known as Modern Baroque, adding a modern flair to a classical style. She used dramatic interior color schemes, and trademark cabbage-rose chintz. She promoted shiny black ceilings, acid-green woodwork, and cherry-red floors believing that, “Lovely, clear colors have a vital effect on our mental happiness.” She also chose very dramatic and contrasting color schemes, such as black with white and adding in pops of bright color. She combined different colors, fabrics, and patterns together, often combining stripes with floral patterns, and oversized details – the opposite of minimalism. All of this combined contributed to her dramatic design style now referred to as “the Draper touch.”

Considered one of the most influential interior designers of the century, she began her career with residential designs for the houses and apartments of prominent and wealthy society figures and friends. From there she quickly rose to prominence and was highly sought after for new, contemporary projects. Draper pioneered the first designer collaborations including fabric lines for Schumacher and furniture for Ficks Reed. She designed her own exclusive fabrics for her clients, such as her signature ‘Romance & Rhododendrons’ and ‘Fudge Apron’ prints which she used at the legendary Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

Draper’s work included private homes, public spaces, and prestigious hotels throughout the world. Some of her most inspired and well-known works were public spaces with grand scaled rooms where her modern baroque style was particularly suited – including the restaurant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 1954 to 2003, which earned the nickname, “The Dorotheum.”

In addition to her hospitality projects, Draper designed theaters, department stores, commercial establishments, private corporate offices, the interiors of jet planes (Convair & TWA), automobiles (a line for Packard and Chrysler in the 1950’s – including a pink polka dot truck), and packaging for the cosmetics firm Dorothy Gray. Mrs. Draper’s work and that of countless Draper-inspired interiors can still be seen in private homes, public spaces, and prestigious hotels and resorts throughout the world.

In the late 1950’s, ‘Mr. Color,’ Carleton Varney joined Dorothy Draper & Company. With Mrs. Draper as a mentor and mutual love of exuberant interiors, Varney became Mrs. Draper’s protégé and the pair collaborated on many projects until her retirement. In the 1960’s Varney purchased the company, and became President of Dorothy Draper & Company where he reigned for over 60 years until his passing in 2022.

With his signature sophisticated, joyful interiors, Varney was known as one of the most accomplished designers in the country with an impressive roster of clients including prominent figures from the worlds of entertainment, government, sports, fashion, and business. His storied career spans the globe from the restoration and design of countless hotels and resorts in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean to castles in Ireland to private islands in the Caribbean. He has created the interiors and oversaw the restoration of the Governors’ Mansions in Michigan and West Virginia as well as the U.S Ambassador’s Residences in countries including Ireland and Japan. He also brought his talents to Architectural Digest’s Green Room at the Academy Awards. He restored and decorated the Official Vice President’s Residence in Washington D.C. during the George H.W. Bush administration, and was the color consultant for the Carter Presidential Library while also consulting for several functions, parties, and State Dinners for visiting dignitaries during these administrations.

Varney’s versatility in design can be seen in the wide range of collections that bear his mark, ranging from dinnerware, crystal, eye wear, scarves and home accessories. He has designed furniture collections for the Romweber and Kindel Furniture companies as well as for Ficks Reed.

Today many of Dorothy Draper & Co.’s established partnerships continue. They are actively maintaining the historic spaces and updating the almost-400 guest rooms at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Following in the tradition of Carleton Varney, the team also serves as the official decorator and curator of The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and maintains the elegant, bright design aesthetic that has come to define the hotel for generations including over 700 guest rooms and cottages. In addition the company maintains ongoing design projects of private residences in Alabama, New York, Michigan, Philadelphia, and West Virginia.

Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc. has been featured in publications including Architectural Digest, Country Living, ELLE DECOR, House Beautiful, The New York Times, Traditional Home, Veranda, and Wall Street Journal, among many others.

Today with offices in New York, Palm Beach, Mackinac Island, and White Sulphur Springs two of his sons Sebastian and Nicholas Varney are at the helm of Dorothy Draper & Company; this new generation carries on the company’s passion for creating elegant, timeless, and colorful interiors. Sebastian leads the company on the day-to-day business operations and Nicholas consults on creative development. The team consists of exceptional designers and project managers including Design Director Rudy Saunders, who worked alongside Carleton Varney for years.