The Land of Fudge Apron Chintz

This weekend I am jet setting to the Greenbrier with a group of friends. We will be attending the "High Style of Dorothy Draper" event that Carleton Varney is hosting. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Varney a few weeks ago at a private luncheon I am more excited than ever. He is a marvelous man who is incredibly talented and so warm and welcoming. It will be a fabulous weekend at a fabulous resort and I will be surrounded by FABULOUS people!

If you missed the Dorothy Draper installment (or if you simply need a refresh!) of WASP Wednesday I have included it below

"Never look back, except for an occasional glance, look ahead and plan for the future. Success is not built on past laurels, but rather on a continuous activity. Keep busy searching out new ideas and, experimentally, keep ahead of the times, or at least up with them."

Dorothy Draper

If you have been reading my blog you of course know what an icon I consider Dorothy Draper. Not only was Mrs. Draper the first to make interior design a profession (a HUGE feat for a woman do anything like this in the 1920's), but she was also one of the first to let us know that not everything in a room had to match. Like a true WASP Dorothy mixed this and that, the old and the new, the bold and the subdued (well a tad at least) to create the ultimate look. If you have ever had the privilege of walking in to a room done by our famed subject you know what I mean. You just want to look at everything and take it all in, but at the same time it is never too much. Bold floral prints are mixed with even bolder stripes and every color seems to pop; Draper's rooms are nothing less than pure eye candy as you are surrounded by pure beauty.
Dorothy Draper's talent of course made her one of the most sought after designers of all time. She decorated the homes of fellow WASPs, complete with personally designed fabrics, but she also enjoyed concentrating on public spaces. From restaurants to some of the VERY BEST (and my favorite, think the Waldorf Towers, The Breakers) hotels Dorothy put "the Draper Touch" all over the country.

I am lucky enough to live just blocks away from Texas's very first penthouse which Dorothy Draper was commissioned to design! Dorothy went back to her WASP routes and created a little English home atop the Stonleigh Hotel. She brought in wonderful antiques and English oak paneling, but also put down a vibrant carpet and bold sofa. There is never anything dull in a Draper room! Though the Stoneleigh was recently redone, thanks to Mr. Carleton Varney (another wonderful WASP that deserves his one WASP Wednesday), Dorothy Draper's spirit lives on in Dallas, TX!

Perhaps her most well known project was the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, WV. If you have ever been to the Greenbrier you can feel energy and happiness radiating through the walls. Dorothy Draper designed rooms that elevated spirits and made you feel at home. The giant black and white tile floor mixes with it's surrounding architectural elements, bold covered furniture and Blue Canton lamps just prove her point: not everything has to match! Every room at the Greenbrier is divine. In fact, so divine that I have thinking a blog gathering might need to be held on sight next Spring, more details to come, but are you interested!? Today, many are crazy about their entire home matching and having beige, beige everywhere. However, remember next time you are revamping a room take this week's WASP's lesson to heart and mix things up. Perhaps you will be talked about in years to come and be crowned 'one of a kind' in design!
I shall now leave you with a WASP Wednesday fun fact: did you know Dorothy Draper is cousins with another WASP designer? Can you guess who? Sister Parish (whose real name was also Dorothy, WASPs tend to pull from a smaller name pool) of Parish-Hadley!