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[PickyPicky3]

The famed interior designer passed away on July 14 at age 85. He did work for the White House and many Hollywood greats. His Wikipedia bio is definitely worth reading. 

[stevieb]

A real talent. I've enjoyed several of his coffee table books enough to own them. He's done some wonderful work and crafted some lovely lines of fabric and decor items. His early work was with Dorothy Draper's company, which he ultimately took over, and his reworking of her designs at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia are worth seeing. A strong proponent of color, his aesthetic was not about neutrals!

[meallen616]

[MorningLover]

[RedTop]

@stevieb 

The prestigious Greenbrier Hotel, owned by our Governor and his family, is an hour and a half drive from me; beautiful place.  

I love bold color, and the Greenbrier is definitely a colorful place, but the mix of bold patterns and design in wallpaper, carpet and upholstery, is where I have a problem.   

[Oznell]

Thanks for posting that, @PickyPicky3 .   I didn't realize he had died.   Such a genial, charming, influential presence in the design world for decades.  You don't have to even be partial to his particular style to appreciate his secure place in design history.

RIP to a memorable designer and man.

[ValuSkr]

R.I.P. Mr. Varney.  I don't beiieve he's related to Stuart, at least not closely.

[stevieb]

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@RedTop wrote:

@stevieb 

The prestigious Greenbrier Hotel, owned by our Governor and his family, is an hour and a half drive from me; beautiful place.  

I love bold color, and the Greenbrier is definitely a colorful place, but the mix of bold patterns and design in wallpaper, carpet and upholstery, is where I have a problem.   

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@RedTop  I understand your perspective. I like much of what I've seen of his work, but a good bit of the Greenbrier aesthetic perhaps works best in a temporary residence. It might prove a bit overwhelming living with it on a regular basis.

[RedTop]

@stevieb 

True.   However, based on the guest reviews I've read for the last few years, The Greenbrier is receiving extensive criticism for its aging infrastructure and outdated decor.  

The cost to stay there is outrageous, plus everything you do, and everything you eat and drink at this resort comes at a high price.  

The resort is drawing a different group of people now, who are not impressed with the heavy designs, fabrics and carpet.  Dorothy Drapers designs helped present this as a luxurious resort back in the 40's, 50's, and 60's, when many of our local businessmen and their wives went there for weekend getaways for golf, fancy dinners, dancing, and pampering services for the wives.

Golf is still a big draw for the resort, and big league sports teams use it for training camps, which really helps keep this huge money pit open.  However, money is not being spent on interior updates for making guest stays more comfortable, so quite honestly I'd rather stay at Comfort Inn or Holiday Inn Express than The Greenbrier.   

[Elodie2]

What a marvelous dresser he was.  Love his ties!