Noshing with Carleton Varney, the King of Color, tribute.
He bought the oldest established design firm from its founder when he was just 29. He has decorated hotels and resorts around the world, a U.S. embassy, cruise ships and private planes. He has been the interior designer for The Greenbrier for 42 years and just completed the design for its new casino. He’s known as the King of Color. His list of clients is impressive. A wide range of products, including linens, crystal, dinnerware, lamps and scarves bear his mark. He has a line of furniture, fabrics and wallpaper. He has written more than 2 dozen books. Yet, Carleton Varney remains approachable, unpretentious, and gracious. Although born and raised in Boston, he has a hint of a southern accent and you would swear he was a son of the South! Perhaps his college years at the University of Charleston and his continuing affiliation with the design school he established there account for that.
He was in New Orleans last week for Longue Vue House and Gardens’ Essence of Style Design Symposium. I had the good fortune to spy him strolling casually amongst the silent auction tables prior to his lecture and lunch. I introduced myself and said I had written a series of blog posts about the great lady decorators including his mentor, Dorothy Draper and a lively chat about Dorothy, her second cousin, Sister Parish, and Elsie de Wolfe ensued.
His presentation was quite casual and relaxed; almost like having a pleasant conversation with a friend in your living room. On the first day of design class, he asks his students to describe the first room they can remember ever seeing. The elements of that room are what they will seek to recapture in future rooms. I suspect the title of his book, Houses In My Heart, may be based on this king of color philosophy. I’ve been reading one chapter at a time of the book; savoring each one as you would a delicious dessert.
He stressed the importance of incorporating items the client owns into the new design because you should always bring things from your past with you as you move forward. One can see the need for a feeling of familiarity and comfort in a new environment.
Carleton Varney has many famous clients and he related a touching and humorous story about one of them. “I was decorating an apartment in Trump Tower for Fay Wray, who played the damsel in distress in the original 1933 King Kong movie. I said, “Fay, why do you want me to do this apartment when you’re 94 years old?” She said, “I love seeing colorful flowers every day. New things make me know I’m alive when most people think I’m not!” And she lived happily for three more years in that newly decorated, colorful apartment.
Varney said that whenever he designs a property, the focus is always on achieving an element of glamour. “I feel that element of decoration, glamour, is forgotten or lost in today’s world.” The most memorable thing about Dorothy Draper he said was that she “has become an icon, not for her decorating ability, but for her talents to create a look. The look continues to this day, and is always recognizable in the design world—touches of white, bigger than life ornamentation of plaster Baroque, and all those colorful mixes—bright reds with vivid greens and aquamarine blues, royal blues, with touches of tangy oranges and rich limes. Dorothy Draper was a genius with color and a genius with scale, and her style was always about glamour. “
I haven’t finished reading his book, but just like you do when reading a mystery, I couldn’t resist turning to the epilogue where I found a touching tribute to his three sons.
– Lorre Lei
Leave a Reply