Carleton Varney

Interior designer Carleton Varney is associated with the restoration and decoration of Grand Hotel as well as many other hotels and resorts all over the world including Dromoland and Ashford Castles in Ireland; The Waldorf Towers and Plaza Hotel in New York; The Breakers in Palm Beach and the Greenbrier in West Virginia. In years past he was the design consultant to the Carter Presidential Library and for numerous functions at the White House. He also restored and redecorated the Official Vice President’s Residence in Washington D.C., the Governor’s Mansion in West Virginia, and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

His versatility in design can be seen in the wide range of products that bear his mark, ranging from furniture, lamps, dinnerware, crystal, and linen designs. His own line of fabric designs, launched under the name Carleton Varney by the Yard, grace the private residences of his impressive roster of clients, which include superstars from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and business.

He is the president of Dorothy Draper & Co. Inc. (New York) the oldest established interior design firm in the United States.

Varney’s 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 patterns and bold contrasts – a legacy that is reflected not only in his interior designs but also, most notably, in his fabric and scarf designs.