"Houses in My Heart is not so much an autobiography as an illustrated memoir," writes Charelton Varney in the introduction to this lavish book, which celebrates the interior decorator's colorful career. From his days as a young designer at Dorothy Draper & Company Inc. to the culmination of such long term and important projects as the Greenbrier resort, in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia and the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, in Michigan, Varney's talents and professionalism have elicited the admiration of faithful clients.
Early and loyal-for-decades fans of his work, including show business stars Joan Crawford and Ethel Merman, were followed by dozens of clients who gravitated to Varney's exuberant personality as well as to his luxurious, bold, and glamorous rooms.
Writing in the first person, Varney weaves captivating tales of his decorating adventures, imbued with his own brand of warm humor. Varney offers us rare and surprisingly honest behind-the-scenes glimpses into not only his own personal life but the lives of his fabulous clients - many of whom became lifelong friends.
His is a world of what he calls "real glamour," one that he was introduced to in 1962 and that, he recalls, was filled with "castles, hotels, resorts, residences, and nightclubs." Varney never looked back.
Here, more than two dozen of Varney's best, most original, and never-before-published projects - including his own private residences - are freshly documented in Michael Arnaud's striking, evocative photographs taken all over the United States and in Europe.
Houses in My Heart is a wonderful journey, and we invite you to join us.
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