Customer Reviews

In the Pink: Dorothy Draper--America's Most Fabulous Decorator

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book for my wife, who is an artist and color consultant, because I thought she'd enjoy seeing an iconic designer known for her bold use of color and thematic environments -- especially done on a grand scale. And, yes, you will find page after page after page of grand ballrooms, hotel lobbies, mansion-size dining rooms, and so on here.

80% of them, unfortunately, are photographed in black & white. So much for the bold use of color.

There are two great color photos -- pages 161 and 207 -- that show off Draper's lush, vibrant style. But the rest of the book is either slightly out of focus color photos, color illustrations and old ads, or black & white photos. It's just sad in how it under-represents Dorothy Draper.

"But be fair," you say. "Dorothy Draper's peak took place before the advent of color photography." That's fine. But this book is a perfect example of the rare publishing project that truly is BEGGING for Photoshop colorization. On page 53, for example, the text refers to a House & Garden magazine article which declared one of Draper's most visible design projects, Hampshire House, to be "a gold mine of decorating ideas, particularly in color." And yet all four photos on that spread are in black & white, as are the spreads before and after it. A very good Photoshop artist -- and several do perfect, true-to-life work -- could give those old black & white shots the vivid, vibrant colors that would represent Dorothy Draper properly and accurately without changing Draper's style one iota.

As I say in my title, as a history (of the advent of superstar designers) and a biography (of Draper), this is a very good book that should not be overlooked. But how can you do a history of bold interior design, or a biography of a top interior designer, without SHOWING the vivacious use of color which was central to both? That's like doing a bio of Abe Lincoln without including the Gettysburg Address.

So is this worth seeing? Definitely. Worth buying used? Probably. Worth buying new? Only if you're rich.

The book is very well made and the photography is good given the age of the photos available. But it is mainly about hotels,lobbies and so on. I would like to have seen more houses of individual clients as well and more rooms done by Carleton Varney of a recent date. I think we will have to wait for a book about Carleton Varney himself to see the "Draper" touch in this century.

As an avid fan of Dorothy Draper style, I found the quality of the photography, and the lack of color photos, frustrating. In this digital age, it would have been interesting, and possible, to view the b/w photos alongside a digitally colored version to get the real impact of these beautiful rooms. A few glossy pages would have also helped. Happy to have this book in my collection, but unlikely it will be viewed as frequently and lovingly as Kelly Wearstler's books.

I HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK FOR SUCH A LONG TIME AND NOW I AM SO DISAPPOINTED.....WHILE THE COVER IS STUNNING AND IT PULLS YOU IN TO LOOK AT THE REST OF THE BOOK THE PHOTOGRAPHS INSIDE ARE NOT GOOD AT ALL...I AM SURPRISED WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY THE PHOTOS WERE NOT BETTER....IT ALSO SHOWED ME THAT THE DORTHY DRAPER STYLE WAS NOT AS CLASSICAL AND LONG LASTING, EXCEPT FOR THE GREENBRIAR HOTEL WHICH IS STILL BEAUTIFUL...MOST OF THE INTERIORS THAT SHE EXECUTED AND WERE SHOWN WERE LIKE AN AMATEUR DID THEM..SORRY D.D. AND MR. VARNEY.....SOMEONE OK'D A BOOK THAT NEEDED TO BE RE-THOUGHT AND RE-EXECUTED BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED......MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT..........

While Kelly Wearstler was still in the womb, Dorothy Draper was jetsetting the style world in a solid gold Deusenburg that was fueled exclusively on Chanel no. 5. Her contribution to the interiors and custom fabricated furnitures and fixtures has forever seared a scar into the homes of hollywood and beyond. Liberace himself would be sent into a seizure over Dorothy's hallucinagenic oppulence and fearless approach to her indulgent, decorative torture chambers. Get this book and blow your mind.

For all design professionals, modernism addicts, and even the layperson. The book is filled with wonderful images culled from a lifetime of decorating. Dorothy Draper's style was always fancyful, playful and above all else comfortable~she was not a devotee of the Eames pared down sterile and functional school of design. If you are done with Danish, numb over Knoll, and way past Panton~~~check out "In the Pink: Dorothy Draper: America's Most Fabulous Decorator" she will have you going for Baroque!

In The Pink: Dorothy Draper, America's Most Fabulous Decorator by Carleton Varney is an incredible collection and celebration of timeless interior design concepts by the renowned interior designer and decorator Dorothy Draper, a woman far ahead of her age. Deftly compiling an profusely illustrated compendium of Draper's remarkable work, In The Pink holds the reader's total attention from first page to last with an informative text enhanced with photography showcasing memorable designs created by the sharp eye and even sharper imagination of Draper throughout her world acclaimed career. A "must" addition to professional and academic library Interior Design reference collections, In The Pink is to be given high praise and recommendation for non-specialist general readers with an interest in interior design.

Like other reviewers, I was disappointed in all of the black and white photos. The content is very good but it just needed more color to really show what Draper's style was all about.

Although I found the book to be visually interesting...I was disappointed to find that the majority of the photos are in black & white, which greatly reduced the "impact" of the actual rooms being shown. I truly believe that if the original vivid colors were "inserted" (via digital / computer imagery) into the black & white pictures, this would have truly represented the decorator's original vision and consequently made for a much more visually powerful book.

A sensational look at the life and stratospheric career of the extraordinary Dorothy Draper. Written by her assistant who inherited the company, Carleton Varney has written about Draper's life and career like no-one else could have. Draper had such a unique style that has inspired the likes of Kelly Wearstler to this day. Unfortunately one of her most important design signatures, colour - and lots of it, is not done justice or captured accurately in the mostly black and white photos in this book. This is a great book if you are interested in the life and career of one of America's most important and charismatic decorator's, but if you are hoping for reference for her design and trademark colours then you may be disappointed.