Don't you love learning new stuff? Thanks to this months house & garden article graphic novel, I learned about another Hollywood Regency predecessor, John Elgin Woolf. As a young architect in the 1930's he, like the interior designer William Haines, aspired to be a movie actor, and again like Haines, when that dream didn't pan out, went on to design the homes of Hollywood's rich and famous. "Woolf was one of a cadre of mid-century style setters, including interior designers William Haines and Dorothy Draper, who borrowed from a pastiche of historical styles, from neoclassicism to French Regency to Art Deco, and updated them with such luxe modern materials as Lucite and tortoiseshell leather. The style now known as Hollywood Regency owes a major debt to its cinematic setting." Drama, lux, sexiness, sophistication all brought to life through the mix of styles and materials from many eras and design movements. With folks like Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler and the like, it's obvious that the style foundations of Hollywood Regency established by Woolf, Draper and Haines are withstanding the test of time. Smart mix is hard to do, but when done well, the excitement and energy it creates can't be beat in my book.
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