No matter what your opinion is of our president, everyone loves Carleton Varney. The oh-so-vivid New York City-based designer who was mentored by and inherited Dorothy Draper & Associates, she being one of the most famous interior designers of all time, has a client roster that will knock your bright pink socks off: former President Jimmy Carter, Errol Flynn, the late Joan Crawford, movie stars, New York elite and many members of the Hunt family. I recall the first few times I met Carleton, he had to pause our conversation to take calls from clients who were on their yacht, but had a decorating emergency.
“Darling!” he says, apologizing for taking a call from Errol Flynn’s widow or James Nederlander, “you won’t believe who this is!”
When we joined him at the grand opening of the $80 million Varney-designed Greenbrier Casino in 2010, Brooke Shields and Debbie Reynolds were by his side — our’s too! He is never without his signature scarf-worn-as-tie, and his sparkling, wonderful personality. I am also crazy about his associate Brinsley, his son Nicholas Varney’s jewelry line, which is sold at Neimans. Varney presided over the multi-millon dollar revitalization of the 700-plus room Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. His legendary mentor, Dorothy Draper, designed the hotel originally. The resort is still a swirl of pink and green cabbage roses and exploding color a la Draper style, but Carleton polished the history visually, as owner/investor Jim Justice & Co. expanded, modernized and enhanced.
Carleton has certainly made a huge imprint on Dallas design, as big as those cabbage leaves he uses in wallpaper, from private residences, the penthouse at the Stoneleigh Hotel, to a one bedroom model condo at The Residences at the Ritz Carlton. It didn’t last long. He has also designed furniture, lighting, dinnerware and linens.
And now, Carleton will take a key arts position in the administration of President Donald J. Trump:
NOMINATIONS & APPOINTMENTS
President Donald J. Trump Announces His Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts
President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:
James Morhard of Virginia, to be Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Mr. Morhard currently serves as the U.S. Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms. Previously, he served as Staff Director of the Senate Appropriations Committee where he managed the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies and the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. Mr. Morhard began his career in the Secretary of the Navy’s Office of the Comptroller. He earned his B.S. in accounting from St. Francis University, M.B.A from George Washington University, and J.D. from Georgetown University.
Charles Wickser Banta of New York, to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts for a term of six years.
Michelle Itczak of Indiana, to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts for a term of six years.
Barbara Coleen Long of Missouri, to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts for a term of six years.
Carleton Varney of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the National Council on the Arts for a term of six years.
President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key positions:
Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, to be a Member of the Council of Governors for a term of two years.
Elizabeth “Liz” Sara of the District of Columbia, to be Chairperson of the National Women’s Business Council.
