Dorothy Draper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Draper
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Dorothy Draper in 1942
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| Born |
Dorothy Tuckerman
November 22, 1889 |
| Died | March 11, 1969 (aged 79) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
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| Education | Brearley School |
| Spouse(s) |
George Draper
(m. 1912; div. 1930) |
| Relatives | Nancy Tuckerman (niece) |
Dorothy Draper (born November 22, 1889 – died March 11, 1969) was a famous American interior designer. She was known for her bold and exciting style, which was the opposite of simple, plain designs. Dorothy loved to use bright, cheerful colors and huge patterns that covered entire walls. She often used black and white checkerboard floors, fancy swirly designs, and detailed plasterwork. Her unique style is now part of what's called the Hollywood Regency look.
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About Dorothy Draper
Dorothy was born into a wealthy family in Tuxedo Park, New York, which was one of the first planned communities in the United States. Her parents were Paul and Susan Tuckerman. Her family had several homes, including one in Tuxedo Park, a townhouse in Manhattan, and a summer house in Newport, Rhode Island. Her great-grandfather, Oliver Wolcott, was an important person who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Dorothy was mostly taught at home by a governess and tutors. She also spent two years at the Brearley School in New York City. Her family traveled to Europe every year, which helped her learn about different styles. Her background gave her a good understanding of old design styles, which she later made new and exciting.
In 1912, Dorothy married Dr. George Draper. He was the personal doctor to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt after he became ill. Dorothy and Eleanor Roosevelt (the President's wife) were cousins and good friends. Dorothy and George had three children before they divorced in 1930.
Dorothy Draper passed away in Cleveland, Ohio on March 11, 1969. She was buried in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Her Amazing Career
After she got married, Dorothy and her husband bought and sold houses. Dorothy became known for her amazing decorating skills. She made her own homes look so stylish that her friends in high society started asking her to decorate their homes too.
In 1925, Dorothy started her own business called Architectural Clearing House. It was one of the very first official interior design companies! After successfully redesigning several apartment building lobbies, she changed her company's name to Dorothy Draper and Company in 1929.
Big Projects and Famous Designs
Dorothy's first major project came in the early 1930s when she was hired to redecorate the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan. This was the start of many important hotel design jobs. She also helped redesign a block of old homes in Sutton Place. She painted the buildings black with white trim and added bright colors to the doors, making them much more appealing.
Dorothy designed many famous hotels, including the Sherry-Netherland in New York, the Drake in Chicago, and the Fairmont in San Francisco. Even during the Great Depression, she designed the huge Palácio Quitandinha in Brazil.
During this time, she also wrote a newspaper column called Ask Dorothy Draper. She encouraged people to be bold, like painting their front door red! Many people followed her advice and bought her popular "cabbage rose" fabric.
In 1937, Dorothy completely redesigned the fancy Hampshire House apartment hotel. She gave the lobby a bold black and white checkerboard floor, a modern glass fireplace, and old-fashioned chairs with new, fancy plaster decorations. She even used sliding glass doors instead of shower curtains, which was very new at the time.
In the early 1950s, the car company Packard hired Dorothy to choose the colors and fabrics for their car interiors. In 1954, she designed the cafeteria at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, which she called the Dorotheum. It featured cool birdcage chandeliers and a skylight. One of her last projects was the International Hotel at Idlewild Airport (now JFK Airport) in New York in 1957.
Dorothy retired in 1960. After she passed away, Carlton Varney bought her company.
The Greenbrier Hotel
One of Dorothy Draper's most famous designs was for The Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. During World War II, it was used as a military hospital. After the war, Dorothy was hired to redecorate the entire resort. She designed everything, from matchbook covers to menus and even the staff uniforms!
Dorothy completely changed The Greenbrier in just 16 months. She used huge amounts of fabric, wallpaper, and paint to transform over 600 guestrooms and all the public areas. She was paid the highest fee ever for a decorator at that time. The $4.2 million renovation was celebrated with a big party attended by famous guests like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
At The Greenbrier, most of the public rooms had different themes. For example, one ballroom was pink so that ladies' faces would look rosy. In the blue room next door, there were busts (sculptures of heads) of U.S. Presidents. Dorothy even changed some of the busts to make the presidents look more handsome!
Dorothy was the main designer for the hotel until the 1960s. Then, she passed the job to her student, Carleton Varney, who continued to maintain and update the hotel's look.
Her Unique Style
Dorothy Draper created a new style called "Modern Baroque." This meant she took classic, fancy styles and gave them a fresh, modern twist. She loved using dramatic colors and her special "cabbage-rose" fabric. She often used shiny black ceilings, bright green woodwork, and cherry-red floors. She believed that "Lovely, clear colors have a vital effect on our mental happiness."
She also used strong, contrasting color combinations, like black and white with pops of bright color. She mixed different colors, fabrics, and patterns, like stripes with floral designs. She often used large, oversized decorations and many mirrors. All these colors and patterns created her dramatic design, known as "the Draper touch." Her designs were the opposite of plain and simple, and they were used in homes, hotels, restaurants, theaters, and department stores.
By 1937, Dorothy Draper was a household name. Her exciting style was even adopted by many housewives in the suburbs. A company called F. Schumacher sold over a million yards of her cabbage rose fabric. Soon, many bedrooms across the country had Dorothy's look, with wide pink and white wallpaper, soft bedspreads, and sheer curtains.
Legacy and Exhibitions
In 2004, Dorothy's 1941 book, Entertaining is Fun! How to Be a Popular Hostess, was reissued. It had a bright pink, polka-dotted cover and became a best seller.
In May 2006, the Museum of the City of New York held an exhibition about Dorothy Draper's work called "The High Style of Dorothy Draper." The curator, Donald Albrecht, said that Dorothy was not afraid to be bold, like taking an old-fashioned chair and making it out of clear plastic. He also said her tips were great for housewives, telling them, "Don’t be afraid! Paint the door green!" Furniture designed by Dorothy was borrowed from The Greenbrier Hotel and The Arrowhead Springs resort for the exhibition. A tall white "bird-cage" chandelier she designed for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's cafe was also on display.
From December 2006 to July 2007, the Women's Museum in Dallas, Texas, hosted another exhibition called "In the Pink: The Legendary Life of Dorothy Draper." It showed old photos of her work. This exhibition then moved to the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale.
Dorothy Draper is still a big influence on many modern designers today, including Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler.
Published Works
- Dorothy Draper, Decorating is Fun!: How to Be Your Own Decorator. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1939.
- Dorothy Draper, 365 Shortcuts to Home Decorating. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1965.
