Nothing captures the glamour of Hollywood's golden age quite like Hollywood Regency. The style, popular in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, graced the homes of stars such as Joan Crawford and Gloria Swanson.
'Hollywood Regency is becoming popular again,' says Sydney-based designer Greg Natale of Greg Natale Design. 'We're adding layers of colour and texture over 1990s minimalist interiors and the results are glamour and fun.'
Designer Iain Halliday has dubbed the style Bugs Bunny Rococo. Another, Jonathan Adler, defines it as neoclassical lines mixed with Hollywood glamour and a top note of mod moxie.
The formula for Hollywood Regency is something like this: take traditional Regency design (popular in Britain from 1795 to 1837), typified by vertical striped wallpaper, ormolu (imitation gold) and lacquered furniture inspired by classical Greek and Roman forms, featuring lions' heads and animal legs, then jazz it up with old-fashioned Hollywood pizzazz - luxurious fabrics, colour and sparkle.
One of the pioneers of Hollywood Regency was Dorothy Draper, who employed the style in her home. She opened her first interior decorating studio in 1923 and set about transforming the homes of la-la land's rich and famous.
Another exponent of Hollywood Regency was actor turned designer William 'Billy' Haines. Clients of Haines and his partner, James Shields, included Crawford, Carole Lombard, Marion Davies and the Reagans.