Party Like It's 1948! (With Dorothy Draper)

The Greenbrier Hotel & Resort, being back in the news, got me to thinking about Dorothy Draper. Back in 1948 she famously redesigned the massive complex and to this day, the Greenbrier remains a monument to her incredible design prowess. Back in the early 2000's, she was rediscovered once again (this tends to happen every few years). What is so surprising, is that each time one looks back, her work seems fresh and exciting. She expressed the great aspirations and exuberance of America at the time; part patrician good taste (she grew-up in a wealthy Tuxedo Park family) mixed with a whole lot of Hollywood Golden-Age splash. Her designs always afforded one the opportunity for the grand entrance.

By all accounts, her "self-entitlement" worked in her favor. She was fearless and had an astonishing self-confidence in life and in her design work. If it looked right to her, "it is right." There is a life lesson in there somewhere.

She knew that her hotel designs were over-the-top; that was the point. All strata of society had become enamored with the glamour of Hollywood. Set designers had learned that rooms and stairwells twice the actual size, photographed better and presented an idolized presentation of reality. When color film was used, saturation was far more exciting than the drab truth. Dorothy Draper decided to actually create this exaggerated illusion in reality. To enter such a real space was exhilarating and joyful.

"Birds are so much wiser than we! A robin builds a nest for robins. A seagull builds a nest for seagulls. They don't copy each other - or build themselves nests as described in The Birds' Decorating Magazine."      Dorothy Draper

"You don't have to know anything about a subject as long as you use common sense and imagination, plus enthusiasm! I use all periods of design in my work, for, after all, decorative styles are simply indications of a manner of living."   Dorothy Draper

Dorothy Draper was the interior designer at the Greenbrier up until 1960's; updating and creating new spaces as necessary. Her protégé Carlton Varney, who eventually bought Dorothy Draper & Co. is the current in-house designer (he is now 81 years old). The addition of "Draper's Café" was a nice touch.

Dorothy Draper Scalloped Table

Dorothy Draper Chairs

"I always think out a problem as clearly as possible, and then act on it. My theory has always been to get started. The moment I get an idea I act upon it. If only people would act on more of their ideas, I am convinced they would lead more interesting lives."
Dorothy Draper

As an added bonus, here is her 1954 design for the restaurant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (we will not even discuss the current restaurants):