A fountain in the shape of a scallop shell is the centerpiece of the divided staircase leading down into the Casino Club. The bold shades of pinks, greens and reds in the wallpaper and carpet are traditional Greenbrier colors.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- There's a dictionary full of adjectives to describe the new casino and mezzanine at The Greenbrier.
Beautiful. Colorful. Jaw-dropping. Glamorous. Over the top.
"Jim Justice wanted a thousand and one Kodak moments," said interior designer Carleton Varney in a recent phone interview from his Manhattan office.
We weren't counting during a recent tour of the new attractions, but there were lots of "Look at this," "Did you see that?" "Oh my," "Wow" and "Take my picture here."
Varney credits that reaction to Justice -- for his vision and for giving others the freedom to create what he expects.
The $80 million creation was revealed earlier this month when Hollywood celebrities and sports figures descended on the legendary resort for the Casino Club's grand opening after 10 months of construction.
A grand staircase leads from the hotel's lower lobby down to a courtyard-style mezzanine. Shops and restaurants surround a central sitting area. "The whole theme is China traders," said Varney, pointing out the use of blue and white porcelain palace jars and the rich blue fabric of the sofas.
The upscale shops along Greenbrier Avenue carry designer lines such as Diane von Furstenberg, Badgley Mischka, St. John, Brioni and Brunello Cucinelli.
The two eateries in the mezzanine are named for the two designers who created and preserve The Greenbrier's look of green and white stripes, rhododendron prints and bold color: the late Dorothy Draper and Carleton Varney.
In Draper's Café, the portrait of the decorating icon still hangs as it did in its previous location near the north entrance. In the front of the café now is an ice cream parlor decorated in pink and white striped wallpaper with angels and chubby cherubs painted on the ceiling and ice cream cones on the walls.
In the dining area, the carpet has pink rhododendron on a deep red background; the walls are a deep purple and the ceiling is pink. The banquettes are covered in a splash of color in a floral print. The glassware, tabletops and lobes on the chandelier reflect a pink hue.
On one wall is a series of three murals depicting Greenbrier scenes, each in a white faux window frame.
Across the mezzanine from Draper's Café is Café Carleton with Varney's portrait hanging behind a long glass case filled with pastries, sweets, sandwiches and salads. Varney decorated his namesake in the baroque style preferred by his mentor Draper. Patrons sit at small, round black tables on chairs covered in deep red velvet trimmed with tassels.
Murals of old-fashioned theater scenes decorate the walls. Varney confirmed that one of the painted figures is Justice, and another is Justice's daughter.
A divided staircase leads from the mezzanine down to the casino. Although only guests from the hotel are allowed in the casino, some of the action can be viewed through arched openings in both Draper's and Carleton's.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- There's a dictionary full of adjectives to describe the new casino and mezzanine at The Greenbrier.
Beautiful. Colorful. Jaw-dropping. Glamorous. Over the top.
"Jim Justice wanted a thousand and one Kodak moments," said interior designer Carleton Varney in a recent phone interview from his Manhattan office.
We weren't counting during a recent tour of the new attractions, but there were lots of "Look at this," "Did you see that?" "Oh my," "Wow" and "Take my picture here."
Varney credits that reaction to Justice -- for his vision and for giving others the freedom to create what he expects.
The $80 million creation was revealed earlier this month when Hollywood celebrities and sports figures descended on the legendary resort for the Casino Club's grand opening after 10 months of construction.
A grand staircase leads from the hotel's lower lobby down to a courtyard-style mezzanine. Shops and restaurants surround a central sitting area. "The whole theme is China traders," said Varney, pointing out the use of blue and white porcelain palace jars and the rich blue fabric of the sofas.
The upscale shops along Greenbrier Avenue carry designer lines such as Diane von Furstenberg, Badgley Mischka, St. John, Brioni and Brunello Cucinelli.
The two eateries in the mezzanine are named for the two designers who created and preserve The Greenbrier's look of green and white stripes, rhododendron prints and bold color: the late Dorothy Draper and Carleton Varney.
In Draper's Café, the portrait of the decorating icon still hangs as it did in its previous location near the north entrance. In the front of the café now is an ice cream parlor decorated in pink and white striped wallpaper with angels and chubby cherubs painted on the ceiling and ice cream cones on the walls.
In the dining area, the carpet has pink rhododendron on a deep red background; the walls are a deep purple and the ceiling is pink. The banquettes are covered in a splash of color in a floral print. The glassware, tabletops and lobes on the chandelier reflect a pink hue.
On one wall is a series of three murals depicting Greenbrier scenes, each in a white faux window frame.
Across the mezzanine from Draper's Café is Café Carleton with Varney's portrait hanging behind a long glass case filled with pastries, sweets, sandwiches and salads. Varney decorated his namesake in the baroque style preferred by his mentor Draper. Patrons sit at small, round black tables on chairs covered in deep red velvet trimmed with tassels.
Murals of old-fashioned theater scenes decorate the walls. Varney confirmed that one of the painted figures is Justice, and another is Justice's daughter.
A divided staircase leads from the mezzanine down to the casino. Although only guests from the hotel are allowed in the casino, some of the action can be viewed through arched openings in both Draper's and Carleton's.
"I live in a fantasy world," said Varney, explaining how a walk through the casino is a visit to all continents of the world. "I don't just find samples of fabric and put them together."
The casino level is also configured like a courtyard. On one side is Twelve Oaks, a lounge that Varney said evokes a gentlemen's club in England or the Continent with a leather tufted bar and paintings of racehorses by Lewisburg artist Michael Christie. A grand piano sits in one corner.
At the far end of the casino is In-Fusion, an Asia-themed restaurant featuring a 20-seat sushi counter. Then there's Greenbrier Royale, a private area for the high-stakes players, which Varney describes "as a protected oasis." Tigers are highlighted in the décor -- in the wallpaper and a painting.
In the center of the casino, surrounded by gaming machines and tables, is a replica of The Greenbrier's historic Springhouse. Unlike the 1870 Springhouse on The Greenbrier grounds, there wasn't the height in the casino for a statue of the goddess Hebe. So the Greek goddess of youth is instead etched on a frosted glass panel behind the faux Springhouse.
"The New York Daily News called it the most beautiful casino in the world. It really is," Varney said.
Although the entire underground addition is about 103,000 square feet, the Casino Club takes up just 35,000 square feet, making it one of the smallest in the country, said Art Kukakull, casino manager.
He said there are 38 tables for games such as blackjack, craps, roulette, three- and four-card poker and Texas hold 'em on the weekends. The 325 slot machines, ranging from nickel slots to $5 games, are the latest in video and audio quality, he said.
Kukakull pointed to the row of slot machines in the front of the casino that he said Justice especially wanted. The vintage-looking slots are enclosed in cases of wormy walnut and only take silver dollars.
Another unusual feature of the casino, he said, is that no smoking is allowed. "It makes for such a pleasant atmosphere."
Above the casino is the newly landscaped grounds of the main entrance that was a muddy construction site as late as May.
Aspen Landscaping unrolled the sod lawn, planted rows of cherry trees and flower gardens of hundreds of pink and white begonias, said John Butler, the new manager of grounds and horticulture.
The hotel itself gleams with a fresh coat of white paint.
Varney believes that Justice's purchase of The Greenbrier and his substantial investment in it is a rebirth of the two-centuries-old resort -- even more important than the restoration after its use as a military hospital in War World II. Closed for six years, the Dorothy Draper-decorated Greenbrier reopened in April 1948 with a grand party that also featured rich and famous guests such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Joseph Kennedy and Bing Crosby.
"Jim Justice was determined to bring the lost glamour back to The Greenbrier," said Varney. "What Jennifer Garner said at the opening was right: The Greenbrier is more glamorous than Hollywood."
Reach Rosalie Earle at ea...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5115.
