One Of My Favorite Places On Earth, Design or Otherwise
For years I had wanted to go to The Greenbrier and for whatever reason just hadn’t gotten around to it. I’m a HUGE Dorothy Draper super fan and I’m a rather big history buff too so…The Greenbrier is over running with both of course. It’s not the easiest trip to make it to The Greenbrier from Florida (or a lot of places as far as that goes) but in 2019, I finally made it. Lots of thought, notes, research, etc., went into making this trip happen.
Of course, I wanted to soak in ALL that was Dorothy Draper design wise but there was also so much to do while there. Each day was full of activities and must see’s. We played croquet one afternoon, we shot air rifles at targets one day, we threw hatchets at tree stumps, we learned how to work a bow & arrow, we went with a professional Falconer & actually had a falcon land on our arm (well, the falcon glove on our arm), we walked & walked some more over the beautiful acres of The Greenbrier. We ate the most wonderful food (lots of restaurant choices right at the resort). There’s golf, tennis, horse & buggy rides. There’s a casino even for goodness sakes.
There’s a gorgeous spa, an amazing infinity pool over looking the amazing mountain views. There’s an indoor pool as well right near the spa that is so old school cool I can’t really describe it. There’s a full on movie theater that we peeped in but never actually watched a movie there (too much to see & do to sit that still for that long). There are lots of very, nice shops (did a bit of damage in a few of those actually). There’s a chocolate shop, a coffee shop, a cute little “food” shop, an ice cream parlor. Of course there are gift/souvenir shops. SO many different types of restaurants on site that I was blown away and never disappointed by any of them. Basically, as far as I could tell…you really would never have to leave this place! In fact, I truly was sad to leave.
The history of The Greenbrier and who has stayed there over the years is jaw dropping to me. Opened in 1778, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virgina, it is a majestic place indeed. 27 US Presidents (to date) have stayed, not to mention other prominent politicians, celebrities and athletes over the many years its doors have been open. The colors & patterns everywhere and how Ms. Draper pulled off the magnitude initially of designing, sources & pulling all of these magnificent spaces together is nothing short of miraculous to me (especially back in those days with no Fed Ex or UPS or Amazon).
Colors and patterns that most wouldn’t think of putting in the same room (or house even) just simply work under the talented eye of Dorothy and of course later Mr. Carleton Varney (who initially worked for Ms. Draper then eventually took over her firm and carried on her aesthetic). Everything just works! Everything is so alive there is the best way I can describe it. I have to believe that much of that ‘alive’ feeling comes from all of Ms. Draper’s color combos mixed with such interesting patterns.
I’ll make it back to The Greenbrier one day for sure and I’m so happy that I have had the experience of visiting already. Such fond memories. Such design inspiration. Did I say that I found myself in the design center on site? Why wouldn’t I end up there? With design & paint palettes in hand, no less. It would be crazy not to right?
XO, Scarlett
“I always put in one controversial item, it makes people talk” ~ Dorothy Draper
Draper’s is one of many absolutely gorgeous AND delicious restaurants onsite. {photo via: Scarlett of Spruce-us.com}
Light, color, bling! Even a chandelier from the movie set of ‘Gone With The Wind’. Can you guess which one it is? {photo via: Scarlett of Spruce-us.com}