Take a Hint from Design History: Be Provocative

As one mid-century interior designer showed, being provocative can often pay off through a successful interior design career.

by Joe Cooper
joe.cooper@interior-design-schools-search.com
Interior Design Schools Search Columnist

From her first design, to the hundreds that would fill her resume, Dorothy Draper distinguished herself from other designers for being provocative. For her, it was chessboard floors and chandeliers that set her apart; what will it be for you?

The Drake, the Carlyle, the Fairmont, the Mark Hopkins—not a shabby list of interior design projects. They can all be found on the track record of phenomenal interior designs created by Dorothy Draper, an interior designer who was born in 1889 in Tuxedo Park, NY.

Not Couture, But Success All the Same

Ms. Draper began her interior design career through architecture, creating an architecture registry through her social network. The Greenbrier hotel in West Virginia was the interior design project that made her famous. The wallpaper, pool, floor, cornices, and more were her creation, and to this day her influence still remains.

For someone described as “not really into couture,” Ms. Draper certainly launched an extremely impressive interior design career. She went on to design car, plane, hotel, home, and office interiors. She wrote design books for women, giving advice on how to design and entertain.

A Design Hint

What was Dorothy Draper known for? At first, it was her provocative Greenbrier design. The elements she used had locals calling her a “Yankee” who invaded their territory. The interior design lesson learned here is to be provocative!

Maybe it’s an ultra modern resort in the middle of a desert or provincial town. Maybe it’s a country-inspired hotel near a big city. It could be an office design that uses recycled wood flooring, or a residential interior design with movable dividers as walls. Whatever you come up with, making it provocative will help distinguish yourself and just might help your interior design career like it did Ms. Draper’s.

Sources

The Cincinnati Enquirer

About the Author

Joe Cooper writes home services and design articles and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor’s in American Literature from UCLA.

Posted on May 25, 2007 at 5:06 PM

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