Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney, President of Dorothy Draper & Co. Inc., is an American decorator, designer, lecturer and author. Born in 1937 as Carleton Bates Varney in Lynn, MA, he spent his childhood in Nahant, Massachusetts.[1] Varney and former wife, Suzanne, are parents of three boys: Nicholas Varney, designer of fine jewelry, Sebastian Varney, president of Carleton V Ltd., and Seamus, born with down syndrome and resident of Florida. Varney now resides in Palm Beach, FL.[2]

He earned his bachelor's degree in Spanish and Fine Arts from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1958 and a master's degree in Fine Arts Education in 1969 from New York University. In 1987 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Charleston, Charleston, WV [3] Also known as Mr. Color, his work is based on his use of bright, vivid, multicolors and patterns. His design philosophy "stresses the use of bright colors and the rejection of all that is impractical, uncomfortable and drab.”[4]

Career

Varney began his career by teaching Spanish, French, and history at NY's New Rochelle Academy, joined Dorothy Draper & Co. in 1960 and bought the firm in 1964.[5] Dorothy Draper Co. Inc. has offices located in New York, Palm Beach, White Sulphur Springs, and London.[6] Varney's design work includes private homes of celebrities and world leaders, hotels around the world, castles in Ireland, yachts, ships, private and public buildings. His work includes two historic hotels, The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV and The Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, MI. Society Expeditions’ World Discoverer ships had public and private spaces decorated and refurbished by Varney.[7][8]

His public work includes WV Governor's Mansion, VicePresident's Washington residence, and U.S. Ambassador's Tokyo, Japan residence.[9] His celebrity client list includes Ethel Merman, Van Johnson, Joan Crawford, Fay Wray and many other Hollywood icons. Varney's product design includes textiles, wallcoverings, furniture,dinnerware, stained glass windows, and scarves. He is also founder of Carleton V Ltd, Carleton Varney By the Yard, and Dorothy Draper Fabric and Wallcoverings.[10]

Authorship

Some of Varney’s work is featured in the authorship of 30 plus books and syndicated columns on decorating and design.[5] His writing career began in high school and continues into his professional career. His first book in 1962, "You and Your Apartment" was followed in 1969 by "The Family Decorates A Home," thus the name for his newspaper column. He modeled his mentor's column, "Ask Dorothy Draper" with his syndicated newspaper column, "Your Family Decorator." Varney continues to write a weekly column for the ‘’Palm Beach Daily News’’ also known as “The Shiny Sheet.” In addition to his books on decorating, he has authored two novels, two biographies on the life and style of Dorothy Draper, titled "The Draper Touch" and "In the Pink," and three pictorial books of his work, ‘’Houses in his Heart," "Mr. Color," and "Decorating in the Grand Manor." [9] He lectures on decorating and design and holds classes on the Dorothy Draper style throughout the country.[11]

Charitable consultant work

In 1982, Carleton Varney served as curator for the restoration and decoration of the USS “Sequoia,” the presidential yacht.[12] In 2008 he designed Architectural Digest’s Green Room for the 80th Academy Awards Anniversary.[13] In 2011 he reviewed and was interviewed regarding Monticello's Dining Room restoration.[14] His client list of White House first ladies for state dinner favors, china designs, scarves and First Lady Suites for The Grand Hotel includes Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan, Jackie Kennedy, Rosalynn Carter and Barbara Bush.[15] Under the Carter Administration, he styled White House state luncheons and dinners and served as the color consultant for the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta.[16]

Awards and accolades

In 1990, Varney was inducted into "Interior Design" Magazine's Hall of Fame [9] and in 1990 selected to be in “AD 100 An Exclusive Guide To The World’s Finest Interior Designers”.[6] In 1991 he was listed in “Interior Designers of The United States of America”[17] and in 2005 was named by "Architectural Digest" as one of 30 Deans of American Design.[18] In 2008 Judith Gura included him as one of New York’s inventors of tradition.[19] In 2015, he was awarded the 2015 Design Icon Award at the Las Vegas Market.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Gura, Judith. New York Interior Design 1935-1985 Vol.1 Inventors of Tradition, Acanthus Press Visual Library, September 2008.
  2. ↑ Lau, Venessa. (October 2008) Family Gathering: With New Creative Projects On Deck, Carleton and Nicholas Varney Share the Spotlight. W Magazine
  3. ↑ ”Varney Receives Honorary Doctorate”, Chattanooga News Free Press, 24 January 1988.
  4. ↑ Interior Designers of The United States of America, The Images Publishing Group. Melbourne, Australia, 1991
  5. 1 2 Sheridan, Patricia. (27 September 2011) A Colorful Weekend With Carleton Varney. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  6. 1 2 Architectural Digest The AD 100 An Exclusive Guide To The World’s Finest Interior Designers, 15 August 1990, Vol. 47, No. 9. pp. 392-394.
  7. ↑ Slater, Shirley and Harry Basch. (20 October 1985) Afloat: Ships and Suites. Los Angeles Times.
  8. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/19870503/travel/tr/8275. Retrieved December 8, 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. 1 2 3 Carleton Varney: 1990 Hall of Fame Inductee. (31 May 2014) Interior Design
  10. ↑ Renzi, Jen (2011-08-20). "Decorator Carleton Varney on Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Dining Room | My Favorite Room". WSJ. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  11. ↑ Early, Rosalee. "Carleton Varney's Palette is Full of Color, Full of Projects", Gazette Mail, Charleston, WV, pp. 1F5F, 4 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Ferretti, Fred. (28, May 1982) The Sequoia Returns to Service in Style. New York Times.
  13. ↑ Sanchez, Kelly Vencill. ”A Winning Design for Oscar, Architectural Digest’s Green Room at the Academy Awards”, “Architectural Digest”, Vol. 56 No. 6. pp. 9092, June 2008.
  14. ↑ Renzi, Jen “The Full Monticello”, “Wall Street Journal”, 20 August 2011.
  15. ↑ Petkanas, Christopher. (30 April 2009) Suite Inspiration on Mackinac Island. Travel and Leisure. ]
  16. ↑ Nickell, Patti. (5 March 2011) Designer Carleton Varney brings ideas, reminisces to antiques and garden show. Lexington Hearld Leader.
  17. ↑ Interior Designers of The United States of America, The Images Publishing Group. Melbourne, Australia, 1991, p. 39.
  18. ↑ "30 Deans of American Design", ‘’Architectural Digest’’, January 2005 pp. 8995.
  19. ↑ Gura, Judith. New York Interior Design 19351985 Vol.1 Inventors of Tradition, Acanthus Press Visual Library, September 2008.
  20. ↑ Carleton Varney is Las Vegas Market's 2015 Design Icon. (11 December 2014) Home Accents Today.
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