Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney grew up in Nahant,

Massachusetts. His parents loved to garden and one of

his greatest influences was living among the natural

colors of flowers. Varney graduated from Oberlin

College, where he majored in Spanish with dreams of

becoming an ambassador. His studies took him to the

University of Madrid and Europe. There he was forever

impressed by the simplistic cottages as well as the

magnificent cathedrals and palatial interiors he visited.

Upon returning to New York in 1962, he earned a

Masters Degree in Education from New York University

and later joined the decorating firm of Dorothy Draper

and Company, Inc. Now forty years after becoming

the company’s president, he still imbues each design

with a color-filled imagination. Varney writes a regular

syndicated column that appears in the Palm Beach

Daily News. He has published twenty-seven books on

decorating, penned two novels, and written the official

biography of Dorothy Draper. He has been the design

consultant to the White House, decorated Mackinac

Island’s Grand Hotel, and now serves as the curator

and designer to the Greenbrier in White Sulphur

Springs, West Virginia. He appears often on his live HSN

television show, Live Vividly, and has just released his

first CD, Music with Style, for Rick Dees Entertainment.

Mr. Varney resides in New York and Palm Beach.