Dorothy Draper as an interior designer is known for her confidence and bold design ideas which continue to influence interior design. Her statement that “the design was right if it looked right” was a perfect example of her confidence. Draper’s interior decoration was truly modern – a far cry from the ‘period room’ type of styles commonly used by her contemporaries and predecessors. Her interior design combinations, gawdy to some, and of a kind never seen before are popularly known as the ‘Draper Touch’. In addition, this admirable interiors expert introduced the style known as Modern Baroque.

Dorothy Draper was born in 1889 into the Tuckerman family, a family of aristocracy and great affluence. The family resided in Tuxedo Park, one of America’s highly exclusive communities. In 1912, Draper married Dr. George Draper and the couple had three children together.

It was probably after marriage, when Draper designed the couple’s own home that people started recognizing her talent for interior design and interior decoration. She was soon designing homes for family friends, which was quickly followed by her being awarded a variety of commercial projects. When making homes for society members, she was a success in terms of completely avoiding the gloomy decorative style of the Victorian era.

In Draper’s time, business was a daring field for women to venture into on their own. Women of the period preferred to stay at home, busying themselves with housework. In such an environment, Draper proved that she had all that is demanded of a true business woman when she set up an interior design firm in the US in 1923 - the first ever there.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Dorothy Draper’s career as an interior designer was marked by decoration tasks for several superior town homes in New York City’s Gramercy Park area. Draper’s signature style was a chintz (cabbage rose) coupled with daring stripes. Her other unique trademarks included gigantic architectural niceties introduced along with loveseats, upholstered pieces, chairs and sofas; massive and lacquered doors; and black and white checkered floors. When it came to the use of colors, Draper preferred colors that were splashy and lively. Her color combinations included shiny with dull white, reds with greens, and pink and aubergine with tinges of turquoise blue and chartreuse. In 1939, Draper authored the book ‘Decorating Is Fun’, through which she introduced her Upper East Side creations to the country and inspired devotees of home improvement.

In the late 1940’s, Dorothy Draper was entrusted with the task of redecorating the interior of the Greenbrier hotel situated in West Virginia. This, in fact was one of the most significant interior design projects that Draper had ever clinched. In addition to interior design for homes, corporate establishments and stores; she also designed the interiors of automobiles and jet planes. The year 1960 saw her selling her business. Dorothy Draper passed away nine years later, on the 11th of March 1969, aged 80.

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