Hollywood Regency - The Glamour of Decor Styles

Last night I was watching Jeff Lewis and pleased to see he finally bought a house - a 1937 built home in Hollywood.  (as an aside, a plea to Bravo TV, please renew Jeff for another year, his seasons is always too short for me as it is and I would be very sad if there wasn't another year of Jeff to look forward to)  Now I don't think Jeff is going to go very traditional in his decor -  he'll still incorporate a lot of contemporary lines and materials.  But the over-all glamour of that house was excellent.  Things from that era had this decadent voluptuous curvaceous feel that is tough to find in a home built today.  It's in the details.  As much as I do really like mid-century modern, and a lot of contemporary looks, as well as some retro-hip artistic decor (and I adore bold colors), I also really appreciate the style that has come to be known as "Hollywood Regency".  I would say that look became pretty trendy a couple of years ago and now it's being incorporated pretty regularly into homes which may be more traditional or transitional.  But you see touches of it here and there in almost all decor styles.

I'm not sure that it's my personality to have a home completely Hollywood Regency, though I think it might represent some ideal I have of who I might like to be when I'm a grown up lady  (a conversation I sometimes have with myself:  when is that going to happen? you're 44 years old!  Well, I'm not quite ready to be a grown up lady yet.  Maybe when I'm 50, we'll see!) 

In case you're wondering exactly what constitutes Hollywood Regency, you'll find that there is a sort of thematic element without definite rules.  But the types of things you'll see are:  mirrored surfaces, tufting, decadent fabrics and textures, sometimes [usually faux] exotic animal skins or rugs (the ubiquitous zebra skin rug being a prime example), chinoiserie, classic furniture lines which are NOT over-scaled as more contemporary furniture pieces often are, lacquer and glossy finishes, pops of bold color, chandeliers, fringe, french furniture pieces, intricate mirrors, bold doors, trellis patterns, mixtures of chunky ceramics and glass or metal accessories (example: chinese dragons or the like would be excellent in a bold green next to a clear or blue glass vase sitting on a metal tray, moldings on walls, bamboo edging (but often gilded), ceramic lamp bases in period shapes, luxurious fabrics, heavy draperies.

You certainly do not need all of these elements to get the look, only a combination of them that works to bring on the glam. 

More than anything Hollywood Regency is meant to evoke the glamour of the 1930s and early 40s, the black and white film stars, it is meant to be luxurious and decadent while maintaining a level of comfort that makes you want to live in the room and never leave.  It's about an era where tv didn't dominate leisure time.  When looking fabulous in a room with a drink and a book was where it was at.

Enjoy some gorgeous examples: