Dark wood, graceful curves, and luxurious natural materials from silk velvet to gleaming tortoiseshell are a striking counterpoint to the glittering chandeliers, glass blocks, and fine tile mosaics that are the signature of Old Hollywood Glamour. It’s lush and romantic, and translates to the twenty-first century home just fine, thank you very much.
I’ve been day-dreaming of that Old Hollywood style since a recent submersion in Hollywoodland (the movie), but obviously not alone in this decorating folie du jour… Viva Glam! says Design Sponge, beating me to the punch this morning — check it out for a fine round-up of products and designers who frequently reference the Romantic Hollywood style, from Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler, to Vanessa de Vargas (a.k.a. Turquoise) whose own glamorous home is featured in photos.
Built in 1923, it’s fair to say that the venerable Millenium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, is still the icon of the era. Its famous Crystal Ballroom was the site for the very first Academy Awards ceremony, and it has appeared in countless films.
The hotel rooms are still a model of understated elegance, with the signature colour schemes of the 1930s through early 1950s, dark hardwood and leather furniture against cream, ivory, pale gold… a colour scheme that’s easy to live with in any decade.
As early as 2005, Valerie Moran told the Sheffield School of Interior Design, she was seeing a move away from minimalist modern style “towards a more opulent, Old-Hollywood glamour.”
“Instead of just a sleek leather sofa, there are luxury touches of a cashmere throw and silk and satin pillows,” Moran said. “One of the popular accessories is the use of glass everywhere. Whether it’s crystal, etched, colored or plain, glass is showing up in chandeliers, sconces, vases, mirrors, candlestick holders, or just in collections of drinking glasses.”
It’s not a faithful reproduction of the vintage Hollywood style that Moran is seeing, however, but more of an “infusion” that mixes different periods with a light sure touch.
This year, for example, the vintage seafoam green of the Tinseltown era might be sparked with today’s high-fashion high-energy blues: intense cobalt or sapphire, with a swath of warm white to bring it all together. And glittering glass, of course!
A creative modern interpretation of the vintage Hollywood style will leave lots of leeway for personal expression — you’re always the star in your own home.
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