Embrace Bold Colors and Patterns in Your Home With Tips From Maximalist Icon Dorothy Draper
As the legendary former Good Housekeeping design director said, “Always put in one controversial item. It makes people talk.”
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What is it about color that makes us so happy? Perhaps the feeling is awakened the moment we first appreciate the robin’s egg blue of the sky or the sunshine yellow of spring’s first daffodils. Pioneering interior decorators, Dorothy Draper, who served as Good Housekeeping's design director in the '40s, and Carleton Varney of Dorothy Draper & Co. spent 100 years decorating spaces with bright colors and bold designs because they believed our surroundings could impact our mood—lifting us into a space of hope and possibility regardless of our circumstances.
Now led by Mr. Varney’s sons, Sebastian and Nicholas Varney, and design director, Rudy Saunders, Dorothy Draper & Co. is still painting the world in color and joy, teaching us to live boldly. When asked what it means to be a part of such an iconic company, Saunders said, “For the last century, Dorothy Draper & Co. has had an immensely talented team of artisans, creatives and doers inventing memorable spaces. Each day, we are inspired by Mrs. Draper and Mr. Varney, working to continue their legacy of making the world a happier, more colorful place.”
Personally, I've been so influenced by the iconic designer that I wrote a book about her! The Grand Design: A Novel of Dorothy Draper is based on Draper's real life, from her scandalous divorce to one of her most famous design projects at The Greenbrier hotel. Read on for decorating tips and lessons I've gleaned from her life and work. Not only are they a treat for maximalist design lovers — they'll inspire you to lean in to the truest, most colorful you this spring.
Consider the "fifth wall."
Dorothy believed that overlooking the ceiling — or "the fifth wall" — and keeping it white by default was a design opportunity wasted. One of her favorite ceiling colors was Thomas Jefferson aqua-blue, a hue featured on the ceilings in Monticello, because it gave the impression of being outdoors under the sky.
Draper also loved the look of a shiny black ceiling—a dramatic contrast to vibrant color. She didn’t shy away from wallpaper on the "fifth wall" either, and though she was known to use a variety of patterns, the Draper stripe is one of my favorites.
Next time you’re wandering around your home, look up! What could color and pattern on your "fifth wall" add to the feel of your space?
Decorate with nature prints.
When beginning a decorating project, Draper often used inspiration from a property’s surroundings to bring the vibe of a particular part of the world indoors. The company’s iconic Brazilliance design—a bold pattern of banana leaves and sea grape berries—was created in the early 1940s for the Quitandinha Hotel in Petropolix, Brazil. The timeless Rhododendron pattern was born from the mountain rhododendron growing wild around The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Do you have a favorite flower or outdoor spot? Bring it inside with fabric or wallpaper or both.
Let your imagination lead.
Dorothy Draper’s maximalist sensibilities came on the heels of the Gilded Age’s love of what she called ‘safe gravy shades’—browns, grays, and neutrals. Similarly, today, we find ourselves in a design place recently washed in whites and grays, and although rooms in such shades can be lovely, they might not be as unique as you’d like.
If you’re a little scared of color and unsure how to go about beginning, try this tip from Draper herself, “Try to picture yourself a cyclamen in the sunshine—the leaf of a lily of the valley—white Easter lilies against a soft white wall—the pink inside of a sea shell—the silvery trunk of an old birch tree—the darkly shimmering greens on the back of a frog. Your imagination can paint pictures that can never be surpassed in oils. Try the same technique on a room but go more slowly, stopping after each new step so the colors are glowing firmly in your mind.”
Think of each room as an outfit.
Draper once said, “It is just as disastrous to have the wrong accessories in your room as it is to wear sport shoes with an evening dress.” Take stock of each room and consider whether or not it’s wearing the wrong shoes. Is a buffet in your dining room inadvertently collecting knickknacks you don’t really enjoy? Are the lampshades too clunky or too small?
Don’t toss old furniture; repurpose instead.
People were often shocked and appalled to find that Draper endorsed the practice of sawing, painting and upholstering old furniture—even antiques. In her book, Decorating Is Fun!, Dorothy suggests taking a round table that is too big and cutting it in two to turn it into a pair of consoles, painting old chairs black with any carvings outlined in dull gold, taking the top and back off of a sideboard and putting candlesticks on it and a mirror over it. She also recommends painting furniture the same color as the walls. Are there any old pieces lying around your home you can transform into something lovely?
RELATED: 65 Useful and Easy Upcycling Ideas for Every Skill Level
Mix patterns.
Draper believed that using both stripes and flowery chintz in a room were a romantic combination. Find a color you love in a stripe you can use as wallpaper or on window shades and a chintz pattern that makes you happy for upholstery or perhaps for draperies.
“Always put in one controversial item. It makes people talk.”
Draper’s decorating style has always been a conversation starter. From Draper’s first work a century ago, people had strong opinions about her maximalist, modern baroque style. Most of the time it was favorable, but minimalists tended to balk. Either way, from the very moment Draper’s name was attached to a project, talk about it was found in the papers. In many ways, it was intentional. Dorothy’s work was art and art has always been something to discuss, creating a sense of interest and therefore, community.
This philosophy steered Draper, encouraging her to create some of her most iconic decorating elements, one of which was her signature high-contrast black Belgian and white Georgian marble checkerboard floor set at a diagonal. When it was initially done, some critics said it was ‘too modern’, but it became so synonymous with the Dorothy Draper & Co. brand that upon seeing such a floor, a person would automatically know it was a Draper design.
Are there any items in your home design that are conversation starters? Are there any elements you love and find yourself using in multiple spaces?
Consider the lamps.
Lamps are one of a room’s most important accessories. Draper said that they were the ‘first, foremost, and most powerful’. She thought that identical lamps—in a living room, for instance—lent to the balance and chic of a room. But as to what these lamps looked like? Dorothy encouraged inventiveness (so long as they were big enough) and said that lamps could be made of any number of interesting things—big jugs, vases, hurricane chimneys.
Don’t forget the small things!
When Draper took on a project, she didn’t only outfit the walls, floors, windows and doors, she also took into account tiny decorating moments to create a fully immersive experience at each property. At The Greenbrier, for instance, Draper designed matchbooks to complement the soap wrappers, hand towels and napkins. Every detail was considered in making sure a guest’s visit was memorable and properly tied in to the overall theme.
Trust your instincts.
When it came to decorating, Draper was absolutely confident. When she was hired to transform a property, that property was entirely hers—she didn’t change her vision for anyone. That’s one of the reasons she stopped doing residential work early in her career.
However, outside of her projects, when others asked for advice about their homes, she was quick to point out that what one person might love, another might not. She believed that each person’s decorating style should be entirely unique, the expression of their personality.
Her protégé, Carleton Varney, echoed the same sentiments a few years ago when asked about what color he would deem ‘color of the year’. His reply? “The color of the year is whatever color you decide it is.”
Joy Callaway is the international bestselling author of The Grand Design: A Novel of Dorothy Draper, Sing Me Home to Carolina, The Star of Camp Greene, What The Mountains Remember, All The Pretty Places, Secret Sisters, and The Fifth Avenue Artists Society. She holds an M.M.C in mass communication from the University of South Carolina and a B.A. in Public Relations from Marshall University. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her family.
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