Not to be confused with the antique English and French style of Regency furniture, the Hollywood Regency emanates partly from the mid century modern movement in the United States and is otherwise known as Modern Glamour or Anti Depressive Living, and is increasingly popular right now in Los Angeles and elsewhere. What makes up the Hollywood Regency style is an eclectic meaning difficult to categories, perhaps mixture of antique styles including Asian decor and furniture, Moroccan style, European Art Deco, Chippendale furniture, as well as modern influences such as Billy Haines, the Rat Pack, Dorothy Draper, David Hicks, Billy Baldwin, and some hippie chic for good measure.
Whether you have a taste for glamorous styles of the 1930's Hollywood movie stars or you simply love extravagant styles that never go out of fashion, it is time for you to take a look at Hollywood Regency Furniture. For many people, the Hollywood Regency style is one that brings to mind luxury furnishings and a film star lifestyle, but you may be surprised at how easy it is to really attain this luxurious look. Take some time to consider how you can learn about this type of furniture and how to integrate it into your home. When thinking about the era that made this style of furniture so popular, it is important to think of the people who were instrumental in making it a part of our modern design landscape. Famous actress Joan Crawford was one person who made this exciting style so popular, and when you think of her sleek elegance and smoldering sensuality, it is easy to see why this type of furniture became so popular. One way that this style has been described is extremely clean, while still being extremely fussy, and you can see that in pieces that have spare elegant lines but still have eye-catching inlay work or decoration.
Love Lacquer
Hollywood Regency focuses on making the home a showpiece for guests, and classic designers spared no shine, glitz or glamour in making that happen. Lacquer everything! Hollywood Regency style used a lot of bright, glossy colors on furniture.
Lots of Luxe
Velvet drapes, silk lampshades and thick, sculpted carpets mark the Hollywood Regency design style. In the era when Hollywood Regency evolved, people really wanted to impress each other with their homes, adding showy fabrics into a decorating scheme gives any home the sense of scale and glamour that Hollywood designers of the era strived for.
Watch the Scale
In the era of overstuffed sectional sofas and imposing double-chaise lounges, the idea of small-scale furniture is a bit of a novelty. But that is exactly what Hollywood Regency design calls for. The furniture is supposed to really fade into the background, because Hollywood Regency design is all about the people. The design's emphasis is not on the furnishings or accessories, but the feeling they create. It's about entertaining; from before we all had great rooms and large televisions and open floor plans, centering a room around the furniture and the way people will interact with each other is the idea.
Design for the Individual
Because Hollywood Regency design is meant to be an eclectic mix of styles with one overarching luxurious theme. The style lends itself to mixing and matching, it's important to remember coordinating elements. The whole concept is that this is a suite of furniture for an individual. It's classic furniture that never goes out of style. It's back because it's luxurious and glamorous, and because you can create an individual look because it allows you to mix and create your own living space."
Glitz, Glamour and Gorgeous
While Hollywood Regency design is a throwback to another era, it's still incredibly modern and relevant to today's hurried lifestyle, where people view homes as havens where they can relax. The whole style is about enjoying people, enjoying time [together], it's about glamour and getting a glimpse of those bygone days where TV was less important and it was about cocktail hour and company.
Amitabh Bachhawat