DECOR ATING in the
GR AND MANOR A Design Mem oir
C A R L E TO N VA R N E Y f o r e w o r d
b y
DESMOND GUINNESS A ROOSTER BOOK FOR SHANNONGROVE PRESS
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by Desmond Guinness
vw
to help bring attention to the works of the Society.
Carleton is universally known for his vibrant
In the many years since that meeting, Carleton has
and magical use of color, much like his mentor and
been very helpful, and he was honored for his efforts
predecessor, legendary American designer Dorothy
at a dinner a few years ago at the University Club—
Draper, for whom he apprenticed. He later became
an honor he deserved. He has since served on the
her right hand, and eventually, C.E.O. of the firm
board of the organization’s American chapter.
Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc., leading design projects worldwide.
While designing rooms at the American Embassy residence in Phoenix Park, Dublin—including the
Carleton Varney is also the owner of Shannon-
foyer with its elegant, winding staircase—Carleton
grove House in County Limerick, a manor on the
would often ring me to see if my wife, Penny,
Irish National Historic Register. The 250-year-old
and I might join him for dinner. The American
residence was built on land granted to Phineas Bury
arleton Varney is a design icon in
become the ghost of Dromoland Castle, overseeing
Ambassador—at that time, Richard Egan—treated
in 1669. Architecturally, the house is Queen Anne
America. But he is a design icon in
from above the proper arrangements of flowers in
Carleton as a family member, and very often he
in the Dutch Palladian style, and Carleton has pain
Ireland as well, for it was Carleton
the reception hall.
offered the designer special use of the guest quarters
stakingly restored it over the last 31 years. Restoring
who created the interior design concepts for
I first met Carleton Varney when the Hearst soci-
in the house during his stays. Ambassador Egan later
and maintaining Shannongrove has been, perhaps,
many of our hostelries—Dromoland Castle at
ety photographer and columnist Jerome Zerbe vis-
worked with Carleton and sculptor Edwina Sandys,
his greatest contribution to preserving Irish heritage.
Newmarket-on-Fergus
ited Ireland to do a feature
Winston Churchill’s granddaughter, to create a
He and his family dwell there during holiday times
in County Clare, Ashford
for the American magazine
memorial in Ireland to honor all those who lost their
and when professional time permits. In this volume
Castle at Cong in County
Town & Country. We later
lives in the terrorist attacks in the United States on
of his grandest works, a chapter is dedicated to Shan-
Mayo, and Adare Manor
ran into each other one
September 11, 2001. The memorial incorporated in
nongrove House.
in County Limerick. In
early morning on Madison
the design a piece of steel recovered from the ruins of
1962, The Irish Times
Avenue in New York City
the World Trade Center.
detailed the comings and
in the 1970s, when the
goings of the designer as
Irish Georgian Society
he reinvented castle life
was promoting the sale The Honorable Desmond Guinness at his home, Leixlip Castle, in Ireland. Desmond
the American market. We
writer mused that Mr.
has always been of the manor born and has
chatted about the pros-
Varney would eventually
impeccable manners that never go unnoticed.
pects of working together
–
–
–
again and again—a virtual energizer to the senses.
of classic Irish designs to
tourist attractions. One
8
Decorating in the Grand Manor is a book to be read
–
into a colorful new era of
–
–
FOREWORD
C
DECOR ATING IN THE GR AND MANOR
9
–
–
by Desmond Guinness
vw
to help bring attention to the works of the Society.
Carleton is universally known for his vibrant
In the many years since that meeting, Carleton has
and magical use of color, much like his mentor and
been very helpful, and he was honored for his efforts
predecessor, legendary American designer Dorothy
at a dinner a few years ago at the University Club—
Draper, for whom he apprenticed. He later became
an honor he deserved. He has since served on the
her right hand, and eventually, C.E.O. of the firm
board of the organization’s American chapter.
Dorothy Draper & Company, Inc., leading design projects worldwide.
While designing rooms at the American Embassy residence in Phoenix Park, Dublin—including the
Carleton Varney is also the owner of Shannon-
foyer with its elegant, winding staircase—Carleton
grove House in County Limerick, a manor on the
would often ring me to see if my wife, Penny,
Irish National Historic Register. The 250-year-old
and I might join him for dinner. The American
residence was built on land granted to Phineas Bury
arleton Varney is a design icon in
become the ghost of Dromoland Castle, overseeing
Ambassador—at that time, Richard Egan—treated
in 1669. Architecturally, the house is Queen Anne
America. But he is a design icon in
from above the proper arrangements of flowers in
Carleton as a family member, and very often he
in the Dutch Palladian style, and Carleton has pain
Ireland as well, for it was Carleton
the reception hall.
offered the designer special use of the guest quarters
stakingly restored it over the last 31 years. Restoring
who created the interior design concepts for
I first met Carleton Varney when the Hearst soci-
in the house during his stays. Ambassador Egan later
and maintaining Shannongrove has been, perhaps,
many of our hostelries—Dromoland Castle at
ety photographer and columnist Jerome Zerbe vis-
worked with Carleton and sculptor Edwina Sandys,
his greatest contribution to preserving Irish heritage.
Newmarket-on-Fergus
ited Ireland to do a feature
Winston Churchill’s granddaughter, to create a
He and his family dwell there during holiday times
in County Clare, Ashford
for the American magazine
memorial in Ireland to honor all those who lost their
and when professional time permits. In this volume
Castle at Cong in County
Town & Country. We later
lives in the terrorist attacks in the United States on
of his grandest works, a chapter is dedicated to Shan-
Mayo, and Adare Manor
ran into each other one
September 11, 2001. The memorial incorporated in
nongrove House.
in County Limerick. In
early morning on Madison
the design a piece of steel recovered from the ruins of
1962, The Irish Times
Avenue in New York City
the World Trade Center.
detailed the comings and
in the 1970s, when the
goings of the designer as
Irish Georgian Society
he reinvented castle life
was promoting the sale The Honorable Desmond Guinness at his home, Leixlip Castle, in Ireland. Desmond
the American market. We
writer mused that Mr.
has always been of the manor born and has
chatted about the pros-
Varney would eventually
impeccable manners that never go unnoticed.
pects of working together
–
–
–
again and again—a virtual energizer to the senses.
of classic Irish designs to
tourist attractions. One
8
Decorating in the Grand Manor is a book to be read
–
into a colorful new era of
–
–
FOREWORD
C
DECOR ATING IN THE GR AND MANOR
9
Dorothy Draper
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M Y I N S P I R AT I ON S. . .
top left
Mrs. Draper was the very first designing lady to license her designs and products for china, fabrics, greeting cards, furniture— even automobiles. She created the interiors for TWA’s Conair 880 jet liners and was America’s leading tastemaker. The firm that she founded is the oldest established operating interior design firm in America. bottom left The two D’s—Dali and Draper, two iconic talents—lunch together in New York. Dorothy is wearing a “minnie” hat; she always wore hats. opposite Mrs. Draper’s apartment at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City was one of the most glamorous rooms I’ve ever been in. She painted the walls a dark purple known as aubergine. White area rugs were on the hardwood floors. Floral patterns were on details such as tablecloths and window treatments. She placed busts of her ancestors, one of Oliver Wolcott and the other of her grandfather Robert Bowne Minturn, by
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the double-height windows. What’s not to like?
23
Dorothy Draper
–
–
M Y I N S P I R AT I ON S. . .
top left
Mrs. Draper was the very first designing lady to license her designs and products for china, fabrics, greeting cards, furniture— even automobiles. She created the interiors for TWA’s Conair 880 jet liners and was America’s leading tastemaker. The firm that she founded is the oldest established operating interior design firm in America. bottom left The two D’s—Dali and Draper, two iconic talents—lunch together in New York. Dorothy is wearing a “minnie” hat; she always wore hats. opposite Mrs. Draper’s apartment at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City was one of the most glamorous rooms I’ve ever been in. She painted the walls a dark purple known as aubergine. White area rugs were on the hardwood floors. Floral patterns were on details such as tablecloths and window treatments. She placed busts of her ancestors, one of Oliver Wolcott and the other of her grandfather Robert Bowne Minturn, by
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the double-height windows. What’s not to like?
23
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Gone with the Wind left
A marble mantel, candelabras, ornately patterned carpets, and velvet-covered French chairs all in one room. Hollywood sets were superb in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, when the film industry was at its most glamorous. Here Scarlett O’Hara reigns. below The decorations covering the walls of Gone with the Wind’s Tara are carried into our work today. The Greenbrier’s entrance lobby echoes the grand plantation of Margaret
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Monticello
It is always springtime at Monticello—even when there is snow on the ground. I find Thomas Jefferson’s home a place where history and beauty come together. The golden dining room, recently repainted in Sunshine Gold under the direction of director Leslie Bowman and curator Susan Stein, brings life into the house, as Jefferson wanted. I have used this gold color in my own New York City living room for more than 20 years. I use it frequently on resort projects the General once worked and rested, is painted this special gold color.
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as well. The Eisenhower Library in the Greenbrier’s Presidential Suite, where
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Mitchell’s novel, as imagined in the 1939 film directed by David O. Selznick.
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Gone with the Wind left
A marble mantel, candelabras, ornately patterned carpets, and velvet-covered French chairs all in one room. Hollywood sets were superb in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, when the film industry was at its most glamorous. Here Scarlett O’Hara reigns. below The decorations covering the walls of Gone with the Wind’s Tara are carried into our work today. The Greenbrier’s entrance lobby echoes the grand plantation of Margaret
– –
–
Monticello
It is always springtime at Monticello—even when there is snow on the ground. I find Thomas Jefferson’s home a place where history and beauty come together. The golden dining room, recently repainted in Sunshine Gold under the direction of director Leslie Bowman and curator Susan Stein, brings life into the house, as Jefferson wanted. I have used this gold color in my own New York City living room for more than 20 years. I use it frequently on resort projects the General once worked and rested, is painted this special gold color.
26
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as well. The Eisenhower Library in the Greenbrier’s Presidential Suite, where
27
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Mitchell’s novel, as imagined in the 1939 film directed by David O. Selznick.
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The White House left
Here I stand by the White House Christmas tree during the Carter Administration. I was designing a party for the English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that December. below The floral fabric was named Rosalynn for First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Today, the tablecloths with flounce skirts are shown in the Presidential Museum at Atlanta’s Carter Library. I still own a few myself, and often use them at my own dinner parties. above I created this setting for Bill Clinton’s first White House lawn party, thrown for his Georgetown University classmates. Although the event happened, it did not take place with this décor. In decorating you can’t always win.
Yours truly (far left), setting up for a White House above
State Dinner with Rex Scouten,
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter called on me to be the
Chief Usher, and (left)
White House design consultant during President
with the best Social Secretary
Carter’s administration. They were wonderful clients,
the White House ever had,
and I had a grand time, working with the whole staff
my friend Gretchen Poston.
32
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but also for special holidays and state dinners.
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–
to produce not only the décor for the private events
33
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The White House left
Here I stand by the White House Christmas tree during the Carter Administration. I was designing a party for the English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that December. below The floral fabric was named Rosalynn for First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Today, the tablecloths with flounce skirts are shown in the Presidential Museum at Atlanta’s Carter Library. I still own a few myself, and often use them at my own dinner parties. above I created this setting for Bill Clinton’s first White House lawn party, thrown for his Georgetown University classmates. Although the event happened, it did not take place with this décor. In decorating you can’t always win.
Yours truly (far left), setting up for a White House above
State Dinner with Rex Scouten,
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter called on me to be the
Chief Usher, and (left)
White House design consultant during President
with the best Social Secretary
Carter’s administration. They were wonderful clients,
the White House ever had,
and I had a grand time, working with the whole staff
my friend Gretchen Poston.
32
–
–
but also for special holidays and state dinners.
–
–
to produce not only the décor for the private events
33
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3
A SAVANNAH PLANTATION vw
opposite The entryway with a winding staircase, glowing peach wall color, a sparkling crystal chandelier, and an eagle keeping the valance in position says grand in every way. It is in keeping with the rich Southern vernacular style of the great homes in and around Savannah, where the house is located. left a heliport. The two-story home has a pink exterior—a color often found on homes in the low country.
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The residence has the look of a country estate, and the grounds are complete with a swimming pool and
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3
A SAVANNAH PLANTATION vw
opposite The entryway with a winding staircase, glowing peach wall color, a sparkling crystal chandelier, and an eagle keeping the valance in position says grand in every way. It is in keeping with the rich Southern vernacular style of the great homes in and around Savannah, where the house is located. left a heliport. The two-story home has a pink exterior—a color often found on homes in the low country.
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The residence has the look of a country estate, and the grounds are complete with a swimming pool and
ELEMENTS OF GRAND STYLE
Mirrors
J
J
%
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the grandest one of all? All types of mirrors—from gold-framed beauties and Venetian glass pieces to contemporary steel designs or ones with lacquer finishes—belong in the grand manor. No question about it, there is nothing in the home design market that says grand more than a mirror hanging in an entrance hall above a marbletop console table. The bigger the mirror, the grander the entrance! Many of the great European houses feature an entry way or a grand staircase with a life-size gilded mirror, reflecting glittering candlelit lanterns or chandeliers and, of course, her ladyship as she gracefully waltzes down the staircase to greet her guests. Portraits of past generations in elegant frames also add a special look-at-me feeling to rooms and hallways throughout the house. Mirrors reveal the glamorous and beautiful, and should be hung to optimize an ocean or mountain view. Remember the dressing tables of Hollywood ladies such as Carole Lombard and Joan Crawford that were draped in silk and bedazzled? Those vanity tables were covered in sheet mirror down to the drawers and doors. Mir-
J
ror, mirror everywhere.
J
ELEMENTS OF GRAND STYLE
Mirrors
J
J
%
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the grandest one of all? All types of mirrors—from gold-framed beauties and Venetian glass pieces to contemporary steel designs or ones with lacquer finishes—belong in the grand manor. No question about it, there is nothing in the home design market that says grand more than a mirror hanging in an entrance hall above a marbletop console table. The bigger the mirror, the grander the entrance! Many of the great European houses feature an entry way or a grand staircase with a life-size gilded mirror, reflecting glittering candlelit lanterns or chandeliers and, of course, her ladyship as she gracefully waltzes down the staircase to greet her guests. Portraits of past generations in elegant frames also add a special look-at-me feeling to rooms and hallways throughout the house. Mirrors reveal the glamorous and beautiful, and should be hung to optimize an ocean or mountain view. Remember the dressing tables of Hollywood ladies such as Carole Lombard and Joan Crawford that were draped in silk and bedazzled? Those vanity tables were covered in sheet mirror down to the drawers and doors. Mir-
J
ror, mirror everywhere.
J
ELEMENTS OF GRAND STYLE
urniture F%
J
J
Over the years, I have learned that buying furniture and filling a room with chairs, tables, and lamps is not decorating. When I’m asked what the very first step is when decorating a home, I always say: Have a plan. A complete plan—not a furniture layout. Think walls, ceilings, windows, floors, doors, hardware, chandeliers. Look up at the ceilings like you do in Rome—start with a dream. You need to have furnishings to sit on, dine on, place a lamp on, but they are not the key to a beautifully designed and decorated room—the background is. A room should look designed and decorated before the furniture comes through the door. There are furnishings that represent the ages: Queen Anne, Louis XIV, XV, XVI. There are furnishings named for cabinetmakers, for example: Sheraton. There is even furniture named after a 19th-century comic caricature—Biedermeier. There are those who love Miami Beach Deco. All of these styles and designs of furniture are there for the selecting, and I enjoy
J
working with all of them.
J
ELEMENTS OF GRAND STYLE
urniture F%
J
J
Over the years, I have learned that buying furniture and filling a room with chairs, tables, and lamps is not decorating. When I’m asked what the very first step is when decorating a home, I always say: Have a plan. A complete plan—not a furniture layout. Think walls, ceilings, windows, floors, doors, hardware, chandeliers. Look up at the ceilings like you do in Rome—start with a dream. You need to have furnishings to sit on, dine on, place a lamp on, but they are not the key to a beautifully designed and decorated room—the background is. A room should look designed and decorated before the furniture comes through the door. There are furnishings that represent the ages: Queen Anne, Louis XIV, XV, XVI. There are furnishings named for cabinetmakers, for example: Sheraton. There is even furniture named after a 19th-century comic caricature—Biedermeier. There are those who love Miami Beach Deco. All of these styles and designs of furniture are there for the selecting, and I enjoy
J
working with all of them.
J
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3
DROMOLAND CASTLE vw
above The glowing castle can be seen from across Dromoland Lake. I used to stay at the castle each summer to consult on the maintenance of decorating work, and I would often swim in the small lake.
The salon lounge outside the dining room is used for cocktail and tea gatherings.
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opposite
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3
DROMOLAND CASTLE vw
above The glowing castle can be seen from across Dromoland Lake. I used to stay at the castle each summer to consult on the maintenance of decorating work, and I would often swim in the small lake.
The salon lounge outside the dining room is used for cocktail and tea gatherings.
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opposite