Hollywood Regency is a style of romance and beauty that exudes glamour. Photo credit: The Love Letter and Vintage Finds, Riverside Centre Antique Mall, Ohio.
Ask 10 interior designers to describe the look and feel of Hollywood Regency, and you may receive 10 different answers with one thing in common: the look must exude glamour!
Mirrored finishes and gold metallic trim create the glamour look at the core of Hollywood Regency, as seen in this Sanctuary antique mirror and gold thin console. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
During the financial hardship of the early 1930’s, a depression-weary society developed a passionate love for the movies. The splendor of faraway lands, gorgeous sets and beautiful people acting out tales of romance and adventure captured the attention of the populace, ushering in the romantic style of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
In the 1930s, a depression-weary society became enamored with Hollywood’s tales of romance & adventure. Photo: The Love Letter and Vintage Finds.
Star-struck fans discovered a way to escape the doom and gloom that was pouring out of the news. The distraction of the silver screen offered adventure for the mind and soul through the magic of cinematography.
Hope was in the air and the public was ready to embrace the ideas and opinions that the movies had to offer, thus fueling the need for movie producers to come up with grand films with dazzling sets.
After a romantic dinner, moviegoers could take pleasure in sharing a love story as a couple through the excitement of the cinema. Photo: The Love Letter and Vintage Finds.
The value of sharing dinner and a movie is still enjoyed by many couples today. Having a stimulating conversation with your sweetheart over a delectable Valentine’s Day dinner, then enjoying a romantic comedy that even he finds himself laughing through, is the recipe for a night full of love, affection and precious memories shared.
Guy Lombardo was one of the stars of the silver screen during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Photo: The Love Letter and Vintage Finds.
Not only were the movies captivating audiences, but love songs were pulling at the hearts of so many as well. Couples could find refuge in the warm embrace of each other’s arms, while swaying to the tender melody of Guy Lombardo missing his true love.
Movies and heartfelt music of the times was starting to bring a brokenhearted society back together again after so much difficulty and struggle. The positive energy coming out of Hollywood was generating ideas about life from a different perspective, and the open arms of public support began to fan the flames of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Gorgeous sets like Scarlett O’Hara’s bedroom in the award-winning movie Gone with the Wind gave audiences a window into another world that enabled them to see what high style in home fashion could look like.
The tufted headboard with scroll and acanthus leaf design of the Chatelet bed radiates the same romance and luxury we have come to love about the starlet’s fantasy bedroom in the film Gone with the Wind. Photo: Hooker Furniture
Hollywood Regency was soon in demand and the glitz and glam of the stars began to find its way not just into the homes of celebrities, but into the homes of movie goers as well. Interior designers began to embrace the glamorous look of Hollywood Regency, sending a trend of shimmer and shine throughout the home fashion industry that would be experienced for several generations to come.
The use of gesso framed art and jewel-covered filigree perfume bottles like this one could be found on vanities and dressing tables in bedrooms and boudoirs, creating the look and feel of upscale luxury. Photo: The Love Letter and Vintage Finds.
Achieving the glitz and glam associated with Hollywood Regency can still be created with the right combination of:
*Gold gilding on furnishings and accessories
*High gloss flooring
*Furry rugs and throws
*Furniture with sophisticated geometrical design and painted finishes
*Crystal chandeliers with beaded accents
*Tufted upholstery on walls and surfaces
*Luxurious fabrics on draperies and furniture
*Plush carpeting
*Mirrored furniture
The shimmery finish of the Melange Brooklyn table and the setting against a tufted upholstered wall exemplifies aspects of Hollywood Regency style. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
The lavish variety of opulent choices offered a host of decorative ideas for designers. Finding the right pieces to complete the elaborate look of Regency was a matter of knowing the right sources and combining the right groupings. Excitement was ignited about the idea of creating a look that might be seen on the big screen!
Lavish, romantic accessories that might be seen on the big screen began finding their way into homes of moviegoers. Photo: The Love Letter and Vintage Finds.
Combining several styles such as French Regency, Neoclassic and Italian Florentine crossed several design lines to create the bold and distinguished characteristics of Regency.
Venturing into this new frontier of decorating offered an opportunity for creating a sophisticated design style with the highest potential for achieving the right amount of glamour that conveyed all things Hollywood!
The acanthus leaf design of the Melange Charisma Chest gives the furniture the look of pieces that might be seen in the windows of high-end retailers in Paris. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
The look of the Melange Charisma Chest gives the furniture an international flair that creates the intrigue that is so central to the Regency style. A combination of international influences made it impossible to pinpoint one source of origin that resulted in the Hollywood Regency home fashion genre, but there was no denying the distinctive look.
Rich detail such as the use of illuminated crystals on a French Empire light fixture are hallmarks of Regency style. Photo: The Love Letter and Vintage Finds.
Sensuality and romance are at the heart of this very sophisticated and refined style. The rich quality and detail ranges from illuminated crystals on a French Empire light fixture to the exquisite details of a pile on pile velvet upholstery that could be found on a Victorian fainting sofa.
Luxurious mirrored finishes propel the ordinary to a space that could be imagined on a movie screen. Photo: Hooker Furniture.
The luxurious look of the Sanctuary Mirrored Leg Nightstand propels an ordinary room to an extraordinary space that is movie-screen worthy.
The feeling of being pampered and indulged is at the heart of Hollywood Regency’s staying power. The regal look carried on through the 60s and even today has swiftly made a high-profile comeback on the home fashion scene.
The shape and detail of the Sanctuary Shaped Mirrors would work in the composition of just about any Hollywood Regency design. Photo: Hooker Furniture
More and more quality furniture companies are introducing sumptuous furnishings and wall décor that boast of the Hollywood Regency influence. The look of the Sanctuary Shaped Mirror in a silver finish is perfect for the focal point of a living room or dining room, creating depth with shape and detail that would flatter just about any Hollywood Regency design project.
Victorian fainting sofas like this are an example of the type of furniture that might have been used on the set of the iconic movie Gone with the Wind. Photo Courtesy Chapter Two Estate Sales, Riverside Centre Antique Mall, Ohio.
The chaise lounge, increasingly popular today, is a modern-day version of the fainting sofa. Photo: Sam Moore Furniture.
The fine fabrics, vintage accessories and furnishings styles that could be found during the Golden Age of Hollywood have never been so much in demand –or as plentiful — as today. Learning how to combine a flattering look that conveys the look of Hollywood Regency starts with understanding that love and beauty will always be found within the details of the interior design style that rose to the heights of fame!
The big screen dazzle vintage accessories of Hollywood Regency. Photo courtesy of The Love Letter and Vintage Finds.
Let us know in the comments what you think of the dramatic and romantic Hollywood Regency Style.
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