INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED DESIGNER CARLETON VARNEY TO PRESENT
L.A. MART® DESIGN CENTER’S NEXT DESIGNERS’ FORUM
TUESDAY, OCT. 11, 2005
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 16, 2005) – Carleton Varney, president and owner of Dorothy Draper & Co., Inc., provides a rare glimpse into the glamorous, exuberant work and life of one of the 20th century’s grand doyennes of interior design as he presents “The World of Dorothy Draper” at the next installment of L.A. Mart® Design Center’s 2005 Designers’ Forum lecture series, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005.
Varney shares his insight on the legendary tastemaker, whose clients included world-class hotels, movie stars and society mavens, and Draper’s ability to impose her sense of correctness and gaiety on an otherwise “colorless” world. The event will feature objects from the Varney & Sons Collection that were originally inspired or designed by Draper.
“We are very excited to host Mr. Varney for our upcoming Designers’ Forum program,” said Jeff Sampson, director of marketing, L.A. Mart Design Center. “His international reputation combined with his renown
in continuing the legacy of Dorothy Draper will be a rare treat for the Southern California design community.”
Designers’ Forum begins at 10 a.m. with a continental breakfast hosted in L.A. Mart’s 2nd-floor seminar room, suite 295, and is followed by the 10:30 a.m. lecture presentation. A reception and book signing of “Entertaining Is Fun!”, the recent re-release of Draper’s classic guide, with an introduction written by Varney, follows the presentation at approximately 11:30 a.m. in the new Filbert & Fig showroom, suite 1046. Objects from the Varney & Sons Collection, originally inspired or designed by Mrs. Draper and available through Kindel Furniture, are showcased in the Filbert & Fig showroom.
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) will offer 0.1 CEU credit to industry professionals. Clients accompanied by their designers are welcome. With limited seating, designers are encouraged to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the program. To ensure a reservation at the Designers’ Forum, R.S.V.P. by Oct. 4, 2005, to 213.763.5731.
ABOUT CARLETON VARNEY
Kindel Furniture Company is proud to present Carleton Varney for L.A. Mart Design Center’s Designers Forum. Varney is president and owner of Dorothy Draper & Co., Inc. design firm in New York, and is one of the most respected interior designers in the world. Dorothy Draper & Co., Inc. is the oldest established interior design firm in the United States and is named for its founder, Dorothy Draper. Varney is renowned for continuing the Dorothy Draper style, embracing the designer’s signature use of bold colors, stripes and patterns. The Varney design philosophy stresses "the use of bright colors and the rejection of all that is impractical, uncomfortable and drab." Kindel’s Varney & Sons Collection was first introduced in spring of 2000. The collection represents a broad range of traditional styles including English Queen Anne, Plantation Island, Chinese and American Victorian. In 2004 and 2005, new objects originally inspired or designed between the 1940s and 1950s by Draper were added to the collection.
As the pre-eminent market center in the Western United States, the L.A. Mart® is home to 300 residential, decorative accessory and gift showrooms serving the interior design and retail industries. L.A. Mart Design Center features the finest names in furniture, home décor, fabric, floor and wall coverings, fine art, antiques, lighting and lifestyle merchandise, offering an unparalleled depth and range of product resources for the design professional.
The L.A. Mart is centrally located in the heart of the Furniture & Decorative Arts District at 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, Calif., 90007, at the corner of Broadway and Washington Boulevard. For more information about the L.A. Mart and the Designers’ Forum series, please visit www.lamart.com (click on L.A. Mart under “Properties”) or call 800.LAMART.4.
The L.A. Mart is a registered trademark of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI). MMPI is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart, 350 W. Mart Center and 33 North Dearborn in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Washington Office Center in Washington, D.C.
Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado's common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.
MEDIA CONTACT ONLY:
Nicole Serr, Public Relations Account Executive
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
Phone: 312-527-7841
E-mail: nserr@mmart.com
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