So That Your Design Is: Hollywood Regency

What it is: Created of larger-than-life movie set layout during the golden age of filmmaking, Hollywood Regency brings the glamour and glitz in a big way. It had been intended to create a dramatic backdrop for the true drama taking place in its own midst. Actor-turned-designer William Haines and his contemporaries Dorothy Draper and Billy Baldwin pioneered the appearance; in recent years, star designers such as Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler have helped propel it to renewed popularity.

Why it works: Hollywood Regency samples from a smorgasbord of different fashions (chinoiserie, neoclassical, art deco, modern) without feeling like a mishmash. It exudes sophistication and optimism, with an undertone of swagger. The appeal lies in its refined atmosphere and exude elegance, as well as how it promotes personality and individual expression.

You’ll enjoy it if… You belt out show tunes in the shower. Friends tag you a drama queen (affectionately, right?) . You believe every room — your laundry area — warrants a crystal chandelier. Your backyard is filled with lotus flowers; your lawn, garnished with bamboo. Sunset Boulevard tugs at your heart every time.

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Amoroso Design

Style Secret: Small-Scale Furnishings

Having an eye toward cocktail parties and conversation, Hollywood Regency interiors put people piled in the spotlight. The traditional school of thought is to keep chairs, chaises and couches low slung and small in scale so they don’t overshadow the guests knocking on them, and to organize them in a way that invites tête-à-têtes. Avoid scattering furniture from the perimeter of a room, or, worse, grouping it round the TV.

Behind the scenes: In this a dramatic style, you might imagine that furnishings would be outlandish. However, Hollywood Regency furniture really hews to the neoclassical-inspired traces of traditional English Regency antiques, albeit with a more modern and stylized atmosphere. Art deco, with its symmetry, ornamentation and streamlined profile, also informs the appearance.

maison21

Style Secret: Powerful Shade

If there’s one colour scheme that anchors this style, it’s black and white, which epitomizes the contrast that characterizes Hollywood Regency interiors (and shows up nicely in movies ). However, jolts of bright, juicy color give the energy that the appearance demands. Believe turquoise, fuchsia, tangerine, imperial purple. Maintain the palette concentrated to prevent a kitschy rainbow impact.

Behind the scenes: Layer in colour in a way that observes contrast. A teal seat against a sapphire-blue wall will not pop in precisely the same way that a red one against bright yellow will. Metallics can also help improve and amplify the brights, provided that they don’t compete together.

DKOR Interiors Inc.- Interior Designers Miami, FL

Style Secret: Appealing Pattern

design helps to embellish the Hollywood Regency setting. Trellis and animal prints, Art deco and neoclassical themes, broad stripes and geometrics all are on stage, as is black and white harlequin flooring. Leave the timid florals along with mannerly plaids to another fashion; this one needs a more powerful strategy.

Behind the scenes: Wallpaper is back in fashion, and Hollywood Regency practically begs to it. Now’s your chance to work in a showy print or splurge on a hand-painted mural-style layout. Should you worry that a whole room is going to be overkill, try papering just an accent wall or the ceiling, or set off an oversize panel using a gilt frame.

decordemon

Style Secret: Lacquered Finishes

What’s a glamorous room without a little sheen? With glistening depth and also a tough-as-nails complete, glossy lacquer elevates pedestrian furnishings and takes elegant ones over the top. Choose vivid colors, such as tomato red, Prussian blue or kelly green, and lacquer sudden bits — possibly a bamboo étagère or a base table — to produce the look even more daring.

Behind the scenes: True lacquering is a complex and time-consuming procedure, usually handled by experts. So take a shortcut. We will not tell. Home centers and paint stores take lacquer spray paints (Krylon and Rustoleum are two major brands) that will give you the gleam you’re trying for.

Tracy Murdock Allied ASID

Style Secret: Luxe Fabrics

Picture movie heroines of the’30s and’40s: swingy silk gowns, satin robes, fur stoles. Now translate it to your interiors. Thick, opulent fabrics stand up to the grandeur of a Hollywood Regency room. Choose textiles that seem as verdant to the eye as they feel to the hand: velvet, chenille, suede.

Behind the scenes: Selecting the right fabrics is only half the battle — you have got to use them to maximum impact. You want to have more yardage, not less. Allow for lavish draping, generous gathering and a wide sweep. Envision the mattress in this photograph with a couple of skimpy sheers under a plain, flat canopy. Kind of loses its magic, doesn’t it?

Elizabeth Dinkel

Style Secret: Chinoiserie

Chinoiserie, a French expression that denotes Chinese-influenced style, became a fashionable top note in Hollywood Regency interiors, thanks to this fascination with Asian décor that originated from Old Hollywood (Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, anyone?) . Whether it appears in the guise of background, furniture, art or accents, it features intricate detailing; traditional Asian themes, such as birds, landscapes and flowers; and, as often as not, touches of gilt. It feels outré yet comfortable at precisely the same time.

Behind the scenes: There is a gap between genuine Chinese décor and chinoiserie, which originated in 18th-century Europe. Chinoiserie signifies a more flamboyant and lively interpretation of Chinese style, and this makes it particularly ideal for your room with theatrical flair. However, because Hollywood Regency adopts a collected, worldly appearance, Chinese antiques and accessories texture equally appropriate. Blend the two together for a satisfying punch-and-counterpunch effect.

Style Secret: Mirrors, Mirrors

The issue of mirrors in this style isn’t whether, it’s how many. (Mirrors and film stars were created for each other, after all.) Mix mirrored panels, framed mirrors, furniture and accents to create sparkle and throw light. Use them judiciously, however, or you’ll feel as though you’re in a carnival funhouse. Even though a layered effect, such as a framed appearing glass mounted on a mirrored wall, can be striking, a lot of different mirrors reflecting each other will add up to visual confusion.

Behind the scenes: You should always pay attention to what a mirror will reveal, but it’s particularly significant with Hollywood Regency’s emphasis on showcasing people at their best. Guests may not mind catching a glimpse of themselves as they sip on a beverage or nibble a canapé, but it’s a rare soul who wants to see herself swallow a three-course meal in the dining area. In case a wall mirror will not work on your area, consider other reflective surfaces, such as mercury glass lamps and mirrored tabletops or picture frames.

For Folks design

Style Secret: Fanciful Details

the Same as the cinema, Hollywood Regency style elicits a Feeling of escapism. Outrageous accents are right at home: luxuriantly carved mirrors and frames, voluptuous crystal lamps, tasseled pillows, splashy art. Contain touches of this exotic and daring, and concentrate on personal pieces that give a feeling of who you are. Emphasize character — mass-produced objects seldom hold the charm that this appearance demands.

Behind the scenes: Hollywood Regency style isn’t cluttered, but neither is it spare. Here is the tricky part: editing in a way that walks the tightrope between minimalism and surplus. A fabulous piece should command the spotlight, therefore allow it — crowding it with flotsam will dilute its power. Select accents with enough existence and panache, and they will make an effect through quality instead of quantity. And most importantly, be sure there’s a frequent denominator, be it colour, finish or motif, among the things you choose. Otherwise, the appearance can easily devolve into chaos.

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