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From Home Furnishing Business

Carleton Varney Is 2015 Design Icon

December 12, 2014  by in Las Vegas, Market   

Varney is president of New York-based Dorothy Draper & Co. Inc., one of the oldest established interior design firms in the United States. His design philosophy stresses the use of bright colors and the rejection of all that is impractical, uncomfortable and drab.  

“Carleton Varney is a trailblazer in the world of interior design,” said Bob Maricich, chief executive officer of International Market Centers. "Throughout his career, he attracted the attention of celebrities, world leaders and royalty for his commitment to impeccable design and attention to lavish detail. His work continues to evoke awe and pleasure today – a testament to the fact that truly great design stands the test of time. Carleton has made an indelible imprint on the industry and we are thrilled to acknowledge his tremendous contributions with the Design Icon Award.”

The Design Icon Award honors an interior designer who has made a significant contribution to the industry throughout their career. Now in its 10th year, the Design Icon Award seeks to both highlight the achievements of important designers and to offer Las Vegas Market attendees an opportunity to learn from  living legends. 

“I am very excited about this event and will share my experiences in design and stories of the many of the personalities I have worked with,” Varney said. “I hope to also impart the rich history of the great Dorothy Draper and why she, too, was an icon. What Coco Chanel was to fashion, Dorothy Draper was to interior design. It is my honor to spotlight our shared philosophies and bodies of work.”

The 2015 Design Icon presentation will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. in the WorldView Room, 16th floor, Building B. The event will include a presentation by Carleton Varney, followed by a Q&A session with Bob Maricich. Immediately following the Design Icon presentation will be a book signing of Varney’s latest book, Decorating in the Grand Manor—a lavishly illustrated book that features many of the interior design projects from throughout his career. The Dorothy Draper Collection of furniture by Kindel Furniture Company will also be on display at the event. 

Carleton Varney's roster of clients includes superstars from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and business. He is associated with the restoration and decoration of countless hotels and resorts in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and the United States, including: Dromoland Castle, Ashford Castle and Adare Manor in Ireland; The Westbury Hotel, London and Brussels; The Colony Hotel, The Breakers, the Brazilian Court, Palm Beach (Florida); The Waldorf Towers, New York City; The Copley Plaza, Boston, (Massachusetts); The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island (Michigan); The Greenbrier Hotel & Casino, White Sulphur Springs (West Virginia) and the Greenbrier West Village Resort (Japan); The Mount Washington Hotel, New Hampshire; The Stoneleigh Hotel, Dallas, Texas; Peter Island Resort Hotel, British Virgin Islands, and Villa Madeleine, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He decorated the Governor's Mansion in West Virginia and was involved in the decoration of the U.S Ambassador’s Residence in Tokyo, Japan. He restored and redecorated the Official Vice President's Residence in Washington, D.C., and was the color consultant for the Carter Presidential Library and the consultant for several functions, parties and State Dinners for visiting dignitaries at the White House.

In addition to the decoration of numerous private residences, the company has also been associated with the decoration of cruise ship and private plane interiors. Carleton Varney was the curator of the former presidential yacht, the USS "Sequoia". In 2008 he also designed the Architectural Digest Green Room for the Academy Awards celebration at the Kodak Theatre, in Los Angeles.

As the newest Design Icon honoree, Varney joins previous recipients Barbara Barry, Vladimir Kagan, Juan Montoya, Vicente Wolf, Christopher Guy, Larry Laslo, Roger Thomas, Jamie Drake and Alexa Hampton.