Carleton Varney

Carleton Bates Varney (January 23, 1937 – July 14, 2022) was an American decorator, designer, lecturer, and author.

Early life and education Varney was born on January 23, 1937, in Lynn, Massachusetts. He spent his childhood in Nahant, Massachusetts. He earned his bachelor's degree in Spanish and fine arts from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1958 and a master's degree in fine arts education in 1969 from New York University.

Career Varney began his career by teaching Spanish, French, and history at New York's New Rochelle Academy, joined Dorothy Draper & Co. in 1960, and bought the firm in 1964. Dorothy Draper Co., Inc. has offices located in New York, Palm Beach, White Sulphur Springs, and London. Varney's design work includes private homes of celebrities and world leaders, hotels around the world, castles in Ireland, yachts, ships, private, and public buildings. His work includes two historic hotels—The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan. Society Expeditions' World Discoverer ships had public and private spaces decorated and refurbished by Varney.

His public work includes the West Virginia Governor's Mansion, the Vice President's Washington residence, and the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Tokyo, Japan. His celebrity client list includes Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, Van Johnson, Fay Wray, and many other Hollywood icons. Varney's product design includes textiles, wallcoverings, furniture, dinnerware, stained glass windows, and scarves. He is also founder of Carleton V Ltd, Carleton Varney By the Yard, and Dorothy Draper Fabric & Wallcoverings.

Authorship Some of Varney's work is featured in the authorship of 30 plus books and syndicated columns on decorating and design. Rooms to Remember, and Romance & Rhododendrons. He lectured on decorating and design and held classes on the Dorothy Draper style throughout the country.

Charitable consultations In 2008 he designed Architectural Digest Green Room for the 80th Academy Awards ceremony. Along with Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, he has co-chaired the Rita Hayworth Luncheon to benefit Alzheimer's Association. In 2016 he was the design consultant for An Evening with Joe Namath, benefiting the Joe Namath Neurological Research Center at Jupiter Medical Center.

White House work In 1982, Varney served as curator for the restoration and decoration of the USS Sequoia, the presidential yacht. In 2011 he reviewed and was interviewed regarding Monticello's dining room restoration. His client list of White House first ladies for state dinner favors, china designs, scarves and First Lady Suites for the Grand Hotel includes Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan, Jacqueline Kennedy, Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush, and Laura Bush. Under the Carter Administration, he styled White House state luncheons and dinners and served as the color consultant for the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta. In 2018 he was nominated as member of the National Council on the Arts and he was on the National Council of the White House Historical Association.

Design collections Throughout his career, Varney partnered with many different vendors to create design collections and product lines. Such collaborations include: Kindel Furniture, Dr. Livingstone, I Presume, Fine Paints of Europe, Frontgate, and HSN.

Personal life Varney and former wife Suzanne had three sons—Nicholas, designer of fine jewelry, Seamus, and Sebastian, president of Carleton V Ltd. He had one grandson named Bowie.

He resided in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was also a columnist for a local newspaper, the Palm Beach Daily News.

Awards and accolades In 1987, Varney was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Charleston in West Virginia. In 1990, he was inducted into Interior Design magazine's hall of fame, and in 2005 was named by Architectural Digest as one of 30 Deans of American Design. In 2008 Judith Gura included him as one of New York's inventors of tradition.