The glory days of Hollywood and shiny times of 1930s were the days everybody considers as best. Those were the days of the best movies of all times, crazy cars, Hollywood divas, lavish homes and a feeling that everything is possible.
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New upbeat music reflected the hope in a better tomorrow, brilliant engineers created classic cars like 1928 Cadillac loved equally by new millionaires and guys from Al Capone's Chigago. Those were the days when the design was trying to capture the magic from the movies and bring it to a real life. Hollywood Hills, the home of The American Film Institute at the border of the largest movie studios, was the place where movie moguls built their dream homes that became the style named desire for everyone else.
Hollywood Regency design - brought to life by optimism, money, and a feeling that everything is possible - is something you can see in an old movies but it was also a part of Hollywood stars' daily life. The style is opposite to clear lines of Christian Liaigre's design that set the tone of the second half of the 20th century. Since Hollywood is all about stars, glitter and shine, it was inevitable to transfer all those characteristic inside.
Thus, glossy surfaces are the obligatory element without there's no luxurious space. Painted floors, shiny sofa leather, glittering lamp shades, mirrors, and table surfaces - all that should shine far and wide. Reflective surfaces, chrome - gold if possible! - are elements that transfer the shine of studio lights inside, creating the feeling of expectation before Cary Grant enters the room and make it shine even more.
Then, materials used are tactile. It is not enough for materials to have structure, they must tell the story when touched. Luxurious velvets, large shaggy rugs and fringe details all feel good under fingertips but they also evoke emotions of happy times when an optimistic feeling was in the air and everything was possible, when girls and boys from small towns came to Hollywood to be launched among the stars.
While the classic Hollywood Regency style was mainly based on black and white, nouveau riches went a step further and introduced the colors that can't be wrong: brown, beige and gold. Building on those warm and rich color combinations and adding stripes, checkerboard and diamond patterns, the new luxurious style was born. ■
