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Carleton Varney - one of America's best known interior designers - is the president/owner of Dorothy Draper Co. Inc., located in New York City. It is the oldest established interior design firm in the United States and is named after the founder of the company, Dorothy Draper, one of the doyennes of interior design in the United States from the 1920's to the 1960's. The Varney design philosophy stresses… "the use of bright colors and the rejection of all that is impractical, uncomfortable and drab". In embracing this practice, he continues the tradition of Dorothy Draper, by being associated with the imaginative use of vibrant colors, floral patters and bold contrasts.
Carleton Varney's impressive roster of clients includes superstars from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and business. He is associated with the restoration and decoration of countless hotels and resorts in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and the United States. Among them: Dromoland and Ashford Castles, and Adare Manor in Ireland; The Westbury Hotel, London and Brussels; The Breakers and the Brazilian Court, Palm Beach (Florida); The Waldorf Towers and the Plaza Hotel, New York City; The Copley Plaza, Boston (Massachusetts); Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island (Michigan); The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs (West Virginia); The Sheraton Waikiki, Hawaii; The Greenbrier West Village Golf Resort in Japan; Peter Island Resort Hotel, British Virgin Islands; and Villa Madeleine, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
He decorated the Governor's Mansion in West Virginia and was involved in the decoration of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. He restored and redecorated the Official Vice President's Residence in Washington D.C. and was the color consultant for the Carter Presidential Library and the consultant for several functions, parties and State Dinners for visiting dignitaries at the White House.
In addition to the decoration of numerous private residences, the company has also been associated with the decoration of cruise ships and private planes. Carleton Varney was the curator of the former presidential yacht, the USS "Sequoia".
Mr. Varney's versatility in design can be seen in the wide range of products that bear his mark, ranging from furniture, dinnerware, crystal and scarves. He founded the wallcovering and fabric concern, Carleton V Ltd. The Carleton V design collections grace the rooms of some of America's most beautiful homes. He has design offices and boutiques in Sarasota, Florida - 'Carleton Varney By The Yard' - and in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare, Ireland - 'Carleton Varney Rose Cottage'. His boutiques feature his unique taste in authentic period antiques, down-home country collectibles, furniture, fabric and accessories. Recently he has launched his new resort clothing collection under the brand name, A Perfect Day in Paradise.
Carleton Varney is also a well-known syndicated newspaper columnist. His decorating column, 'Your Family Decorator' is widely read every week all over the United States. He is the author of over 20 books, mostly on decoration and interior design, but he has also written a biography of Dorothy Draper entitle: The Draper Touch. He has penned a novel, Kiss The Hibiscus Good Night, and a new novel, The Decorator, will be published in 1999.
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