Decorating in the Grand Manor

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

– 22

–

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

–

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.

–

–

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

–

–

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.

–

–

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