Dorothy Draper

Abstract My infatuation with the interior designer Dorothy Draper began with my love of hot dogs. When I was young I would eat one thing and one thing only-hot dogs with mustard. I also had a favorite place to eat my meal and that was Howard John- son s. The grilled dogs satisfied my stomach. But the colors of the restaurant, a combination of bright orange and turquoise blue, dazzled in my eyes. Dorothy Draper, the restaurant’s designer, was brave enough to pair these colors. I developed my most significant attachment to Dorothy Draper during the long summer days in a small northern Michigan town. These days were often slow, dull, and depressing. But there was always one day I looked forward to: the day my mother, my sisters, and I spent on Mackinaw Island. My sisters loved the horseback riding, the boat rides, and the chocolate fudge. But I had eyes only for Grand Hotel. It is a beautiful white Victorian fortress. The outside took my breath away, but the inside made my heart beat fast. There was no doubt about it - Dorothy had been there. The long halls, the dining rooms, and the shops were all decorated in bright colors, long stripes, and soft.florals. Each wall,. floor, and furniture covering seemed so whimsical they seemed to possess their own dzstinctive, enticing scent. We usually settled in some corner where we ordered tea and cakes. I would nestle in comfortably on some big over-stuffed yummy chair covered in the softest, brightest fabric the back of my knees had ever felt. Dorothy Draper was not only a maverick in my profession, she was the magician who entertained and inspired the imagination of a growing girl.