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The Colorful History of Legendary Hotel Designer Carleton Varney

by Berit Baugher
The The President's Parlor at The Greenbrier. All photos by Michel Arnaud.

"I want people to feel like Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, Ingrid Bergman, and Charles Boyer after they leave one of my hotels. Very glamorous!"

That's what celebrated interior designer Carleton Varney told us when we asked him how he wanted guests at his hotels to feel.

He's not kidding about the glamour, as a quick spin through these photos will reveal. They're taken from the new book, Mr. Color: The Greenbrier and Other Decorating Adventures, an exploration of Varney's work. As president and owner of Dorthy Draper & Company — America's first interior design firm and the home of Modern Baroque decor — Varney is known for his unconventional and delirious use of bold colors and patterns. The book includes lavish photos from some of his most notable projects, including West Virginia's The Greenbrier, Michigan's Grand Hotel, several private residences, and his own Palm Beach villa. Here are a few of our favorite excerpts from the book.

The caption: "In the President's Parlor, a landscape painting was made into two paintings, one for each side of the fireplace mantel. Dorothy chose to cut the canvas in half to provide the room with trees and a flowing river on both walls. The wing chairs by the fireplace are covered in a Delft-blue damask drapery fabric, while the melon silk damask on two channel-back lounge chairs, called Delphine, coordinates with the wall color."

A boathouse at a private residence.
A boathouse at a private residence.

"The lakeside entrance to the ten-thousand-square-foot boathouse is painted in my Carleton Varney style, and even the floor inside is made of black-and-white squares; laid on the diagonal."

The Geranium Bar at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel.
The Geranium Bar at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel.

"In the Geranium Bar, every table has a lakefront view. The geranium-red chairs have black needlepoint cushions with a geranium at the center. Hooray for green walls, an aqua-blue ceiling, and white-marble tabletops! This is just the right place to enjoy a fruit-filled beverage."

The Hollywood Grand Suite at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel.
The Hollywood Grand Suite at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel.

"Of course, the Hollywood Grand Suite has a big star on the door. Many remember the 1932 film Grand Hotel, which was my inspiration for the deluxe décor. The room has signed photographs of such Hollywood actors and actresses as Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Van Johnson, Fred Astaire, Greta Garbo, and, of course, my client for many years, Joan Crawford."

The Forum at The Greenbrier.
The Forum at The Greenbrier.

"The new Forum restaurant inside the main hotel was designed and decorated by yours truly. The colorful stripes, blue-and-white gingham-check fabric, and photographic scenic backdrop were inspired by Italian visual delights, from Roma to Venezia to Firenzi."

Outside Draper's Café at The Greenbrier.
Outside Draper's Café at The Greenbrier.

"An eye-catching antique corner settee is placed for waiting guests outside Draper's Café. The unique piece is painted with white lacquer trimmed in gold leaf. One of the white-plaster monkey wall sconces frolics happily on the banana-and grape-leaf wall covering."

BUY IT

Mr. Color, by Carleton Varney (Amazon)

This story is excerpted from Mr. Color: The Greenbrier and Other Decorating Adventures (Shannongrove Press, $95), by Carleton Varney, and is reprinted here with permission.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE

 American Glory at the Greenbrier (FATHOM Postcard)

Filed under:   Big Designers,   Design-Driven,   Eye Candy

Berit Baugher

Berit is the senior editor at Fathom. You can follow her on Instagram. She travels for the great hotels and expansive landscapes.

We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.

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