Deliciously Draper
By Emily Anderson, Allied Member ASID
After my recent visit to Mackinac Island, MI, which I blogged about a few weeks ago, I have been happily pre-occupied with an obsession for all things Draper. Maybe it's the heat of summer or the design trend toward clean-lined simplicity, but Dorothy Draper's interiors have got me inspired. Her style is truly delicious, full of feminine curves, bright bold patterns, divine colors and a rejection of all things drab. Hey, it's a mindset that could easily become a mantra.
Dorthy Draper is an American interior design icon. She opened her own studio, the first in the country in 1923. She was bold and brash and unafraid to take on the male-dominated construction industry. Apparently, her early design aesthetic was far less gaudy; she tended toward classic interiors in a neutral color palette. Sometime in 1930, after a series of life blows, her husband dumping her for another woman being one, she re-invented herself into the Dorothy Draper we know and love. It is written about her that she often was plagued with feelings of inadequacy, feeling too tall, lanky and brunette in a world of petite blondes. I'd say she was gorgeous and statuesque, and we all know it's really brunettes who have more fun. Isn't that right, Lindsay Lohan?
In her book, "Decorating is Fun!" written in 1939 she states, "The whole trend of today is away from fussy timidity and toward imaginative boldness." You can say that again...
The above images were found at another inspired design website: DesignSponge. These photos are from one of Draper's most well-known hotel installations: The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV.
Check in tomorrow to see how you can get deliciously "draperized"
