Valerian Rybar

Valerian Stux Rybar was an American interior designer, called the "world's most expensive decorator" in 1972, and known for his opulent and extravagant taste. Rybar started his career as a trainee at New York's Lord & Taylor department store, but soon was taken on by Elizabeth Arden to design shop interiors, after Arden saw a headdress he had designed for an opera singer. His clients included Nicholas DuPont, Samuel Newhouse, Pierre Schlumberger, Christina Onassis, Stavros Niarchos, Guy and Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, and New York's Plaza Hotel. His commercial projects included "exotic gourmet restaurants" in Las Vegas and redesigning hotels in New York. Rybar personally designed much of the furniture and rugs used in his projects, "chose such opulent fabrics as satins trimmed with gold thread or red velvet", and employed artisans worldwide.