Celebrating the 'Golden Age' with Hollywood Glamour styling

Celebrating the 'Golden Age' with Hollywood Glamour styling

Hollywood Glamour decor is exactly what it sounds like – excessive everyday glamour. Infused with high-shine lacquered finishes, metallics, and rich fabrics with a nod to Art Deco and Mid Century Modern practicality, its a dramatic design style, perfect for owners who love to make a statement.

DESIGN ORIGINS

Also known as Hollywood Regency, this style originated from Hollywood's Golden Age, when film set designers built over-the-top dream interiors for the silver screen that looked great on camera with all their attention to detail, colour, texture, composition, and finishes. Producers and directors wanted to bring extra star power to their films, so they decorated with serious opulence in mind.

It is named for the movie-making industry of southern California as typified by the glamorous homes and estates of the actors and actresses of Hollywood's "Golden Era", roughly from the 1920s through the 1950s. It’s an aesthetic that will always appeal to maximalists, and has never really gone out of style. 

DESIGN HALLMARKS

Hollywood glam interior design is defined by its open layouts, high contrast color palette, and how it blends the theatrical with the practical. Think of it as a combination of mid-century modern and art deco.  

The decor emphasises style touches that are ritzy but stop short of going into full-blown excess by virtue of its strong, underlying design principles that make the most of contrast and colour best practices. Here are some of the tell-tale characteristics of this design style:

• Glass accents
• Metallic accents
• Bold colours (like pinks, yellows, turquoises)
• Neutral colours (blacks and whites)
• Contrast (both in colours and patterns)
• The promotion of opulence and glamour, yet in a tasteful, not gaudy, way
• Mirrored, chrome and lacquered finishes
• Occasional asymmetry and imbalance
• Textures and patterns (such as checkerboard patterns)
• Floral designs
• Animal prints
• Zigzag and criss-cross designs
• Sunbursts, especially for mirrors (also popular in Art Deco designs)

DESIGN APPEAL

The beauty of Hollywood Regency is its confidence in taking from other design trends to create its unique style. From fabrics to flooring, Greek key patterns, geometrics, and animal prints are all hallmarks of a Hollywood Glam home.

Black and white checked flooring and fabrics are a perfect addition to the theme and create a striking look when matched with a strong bold colour. If you’re someone who loves a chandelier, this theme may be for you as dramatic lighting is often paired with high buff or imaged cabinetwork. You can also incorporate suede, lacquer, leather, and metallic highlights in your furniture and décor objects.

It is dramatic, sensual, contemporary, uncluttered, and thoroughly edited with a mixture of sensitive and formidable for a setting timeless in appeal. It’s one interior design style that has plenty more freedom of expression.

HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR IN YOUR HOME

• Start with a neutral-toned room and pay attention to highlighting architectural elements. Make luxury and decorative drama the primary focus. Go for notable contrasts to shine a light on your most loved pieces.
• Hollywood Glam interior design style is all about silver display iconography and romance. Don’t forget to develop varied mixes of unexpected factors as there’s amusing and freedom to be found in the movement.
• For Hollywood Glam interior colour palettes, hold it simple with two to a few complementary colours. This way you will preserve the heady blend of furniture and factors grounded with an intentionally quiet foundation.
• Go for a soothing base shade of black, white, cream, or grey. They’ll work to focus the attention on the metallic surfaces and finishes and provide great contrast. These shades are glamourous on their own or when paired with sophisticated fixtures.
• If using black and white as your foundation, bring in an additional colour in small doses so not to overwhelm. If you’re incorporating the style into your bedroom, start with a soothing ivory and cream shades for a more muted atmosphere.
• Hollywood Glam is all about touchable glamour, go for plush fabrics like satin, silk, fur (or faux fur), leather, and velvet in a myriad of colorations.
• For Hollywood Glam interior rugs, go for two-tone Greek key patterns, or tonal shaggy or sheepskin, or even go wild with a colourful zebra print.

Since this interior style isn’t locked right down to one precise era or movement, be explorative and have fun with accessories.  The ornamental extras should be rich and unique to take on the current Hollywood Glam interior.

By retaining fixtures and smooth architectural lines, your accessories will help you create a unique and eclectic surrounding to your taste. From Ming vases to mirrored plinths to ceramic horse figurines, bold décor additions are perfect in a Hollywood Glam room. The result can be a layered, jewel box-like collection of valuable finds that are sure to delight.

Hollywood Glamour decorating is not for the fainthearted. With its bold colours and monochrome base it is a creative style choice that can really reflect the personalities of the people who reside within. But even those who don't wholeheartedly embrace the style can add a bit of sophisticated to their rooms with a well-chosen piece of mirrored furniture, or another hallmark of this striking design style.

At Pieces of Joy, we stock a wide range of furniture and decorator items perfectly suited to Hollywood Glamour-style decorating. We invite you to come in-store to our shop in Ballarat or browse through our website piecesofjoy.com.au - we know we'll find some treasures to help make your home sing!