WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV (WVNS) – Carleton Varney, legendary decorator of the Greenbrier and owner of Dorothy Draper and Company design firm, passed away on Thursday.
Varney served as The Greenbrier’s decorator for more than 60 years, and friends and coworkers say you can’t look anywhere in the hotel without seeing Varney’s influence.
“Every inch of the Greenbrier, everywhere you look is Carleton Varney,” said Director of Public Relations Cam Huffman. “Right down to the uniforms the team members wear. He was really completely responsible for everything here, the way it looked and felt. He will have a lasting impact for sure.”
Merriweather Franklin, the interior design project manager at the Greenbrier, worked under Varney for six years. She says the bright and colorful decorating style was a reflection of the cheerful, outgoing personality of a man who never met a stranger.
“He was honestly probably one of the most magical people I’ve ever met. He touched the lives of so many and he spread joy and cheer with all of his colorful talent,” said Franklin.
And that colorful spirit will forever be memorialized by the design and decoration of this iconic and instantly recognizable building.
“Everywhere you turn in the hotel you’ll see Carleton,” Franklin told 59News. “Whether it’s a piece of artwork he’s donated to the Greenbrier, or stripes that he’s placed on the walls, or a carpet that he’s designed, he’s kind of just everywhere.”
“He believed that color could cheer people up and he used color for that reason. And his personality was that way. Right when you enter the doors you kind of feel his personality from the color and it makes you smile,” said Huffman. “I think that’s the impact he’ll leave behind.”
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV (WVNS) – Carleton Varney, legendary decorator of the Greenbrier and owner of Dorothy Draper and Company design firm, passed away on Thursday.
Varney served as The Greenbrier’s decorator for more than 60 years, and friends and coworkers say you can’t look anywhere in the hotel without seeing Varney’s influence.
“Every inch of the Greenbrier, everywhere you look is Carleton Varney,” said Director of Public Relations Cam Huffman. “Right down to the uniforms the team members wear. He was really completely responsible for everything here, the way it looked and felt. He will have a lasting impact for sure.”
Merriweather Franklin, the interior design project manager at the Greenbrier, worked under Varney for six years. She says the bright and colorful decorating style was a reflection of the cheerful, outgoing personality of a man who never met a stranger.
“He was honestly probably one of the most magical people I’ve ever met. He touched the lives of so many and he spread joy and cheer with all of his colorful talent,” said Franklin.
And that colorful spirit will forever be memorialized by the design and decoration of this iconic and instantly recognizable building.
“Everywhere you turn in the hotel you’ll see Carleton,” Franklin told 59News. “Whether it’s a piece of artwork he’s donated to the Greenbrier, or stripes that he’s placed on the walls, or a carpet that he’s designed, he’s kind of just everywhere.”
“He believed that color could cheer people up and he used color for that reason. And his personality was that way. Right when you enter the doors you kind of feel his personality from the color and it makes you smile,” said Huffman. “I think that’s the impact he’ll leave behind.”