Décor Dictionary: Hollywood Regency Style

As this bold and glamorous décor style is one of her favourites, we asked Capetonian Interior Decorator, Kim Stephen of In A State Of Luxe to define the trending Hollywood Regency Style for us…

Hollywood Regency Style: originated in what was considered the golden age of Hollywood – the 1930s. The film sets at that time were created with highly theatrical accents which were often brightly coloured. One of the movie stars of the time, William Haines, later became the interior designer in Hollywood. His experience on these elaborate film sets combined with his use of Neo Classical elements, modernism and Chinoiserie was the foundation for a new interiors style. Dorothy Draper, considered the first real interior decorator, was simultaneously decorating over scaled and brightly coloured interiors. Both of these designers created the foundation for Hollywood Regency style which has since had various revivals.

The current resurgence of Hollywood Regency (this is its third incarnation since the 1930s) was spearheaded by a new wave of bold American decorators fronted by Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler.

The Hollywood Regency of today (which in a nutshell is all about high-gloss glamour) is characterized by:

Bold Colour – fuchsia pink, bright green, turquoise and yellow…all often tempered with black and white

Luxe – fringing, velvet, crystal-dangled chandeliers, shiny silvery finishes and silks

Bright and Shiny – plenty of lacquered furniture in black, white or any bright colour as well as the abundant use of mirrors both on furniture and walls

Geometric Shapes and Chinois Influences – geometrically patterned carpets and plenty of faux bamboo along with other Chinoiserie (and other references alluding to the idea of travel and far-away lands)

Check out Kim’s website: here and her awesome blog: here

Image via: (from left to right: 1, 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, 7, 8)