FINE ART

In The Pink
Dorothy Draper exhibit showcases the original queen of good taste

By J.W. ARNOLD
Thursday, May 15, 2008

Decades before Martha Stewart was Martha Stewart, interior designer Dorothy Draper was the doyenne of taste, style and sophistication, sought out by society and CEO’s to impart her distinctive touch to homes, hotels, corporate offices and even jetliners.

“In the Pink: Dorothy Draper, America’s Most Fabulous Decorator,” an exhibit at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, celebrates the decorating diva’s over-the-top style and extravagant designs.

The exhibit includes rarely seen drawings, sample books, vintage photographs, furnishings and products displayed in galleries decorated to evoke “the Draper Touch,” with a theatrical amalgam of baroque ornamentation, over-scaled strips, cabbage rose prints, black and white checked floors and lots of high voltage hot pink.

“Dorothy Draper was to decorating what Chanel was to fashion,” says Carleton Varney, her protégé and current owner of Dorothy Draper & Co., a co-sponsor of the exhibit. “The woman was a genius; there’d be no professional decorating business (today) without her.”

Draper’s most important commissions are highlighted in the exhibit, including The Carlyle Hotel and Hampshire House in New York City and The Greenbrier in West Virginia. Draper’s redesign of the 600 guest rooms at the famous West Virginia resort required 45,000 yards of fabric, 15,000 rolls of wallpaper and 40,000 gallons of paint, and remains true to this day. Perhaps her most interesting commission was to decorate an airliner for cross-Atlantic flights, in an era when air travel was available only for the famous and wealthy.

“Dorothy Draper was the Martha Stewart of her time, a leader in design and marketing,” says Irvin Lippman, executive director of the museum. “She introduced drama and high style into interior design; and she created a design vocabulary that is still promoted by furniture makers, fabric and wallpaper manufacturers, and paint companies.”

Draper was her own brand at the height of her fame, and was willing to share her “touch” with the masses, licensing everything from Dorothy Draper Christmas wrapping paper to how-to books. Her newspaper columns were syndicated across the country. Draper, a highly visible socialite, also wrote a self-help book, “How to Develop Your Personality for Success, Happiness and Popularity.”

Decades later, the introduction to the book seems trite—even campy—yet, it motivated thousands of young women to purchase the tome:

“After reading this little sketch about Dorothy Draper, you can realize how ideally equipped she is to serve you—you can be assured to the nth degree of her impeccable taste, background and sympathetic understanding….surely with this laudable business and social background, you need have no doubt about Dorothy Draper’s ability. And, with it all, you’ll find her the most human and understanding person—a true friend in whom you can confide your every worry and problem…Mrs. Draper is delighted that her efforts are giving so many thousands of discouraged women just that ‘lift’ they need to obtain the things they want out of life.”

Even though Draper passed away nearly 40 years ago, her influence can be seen in the work of today’s hottest designers.  Her business acumen has provided a model for many others who have taken a highly individualized business and reached millions through merchandising and media.

The exhibit will remain on view at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale through June 23.

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