Home Interior Nightmares...

To those who know me well, it's no secret that my list of hobbies and things I have a passion for runs a mile long, and continues to be added to... while the Culinary world takes shotgun on my road trip called life... art, music, nature, marine life, 99.9% of animals, crafts, fashion, sailing, travel, and architecture are just a few of the passengers that also travel with me at all times.

In recent months, we've decided to purchase a house, and let me tell you, the journey has been...well...interesting to say the least. It's amazing how much you learn in such little time when being thrown into the real estate game.  One thing I've learned is that people, for the most part, have ZERO regard for interior and space design. Don't get me wrong...I know that food, shelter, clothing, and education take top priority in life...having said that, you don't have to purchase a vintage William Haines' piece for your living room to make a design statement.  Even something as simple as the way you arrange your furniture can make a massive improvement on the overall feel and flow of your space!

Cramped cupboards, dirty carpets, countless cereal boxes on top of the fridge, clashing colors - the spaces I saw during my real estate hunt told me that these people have one purpose for their furniture, and that's functionality.  They've somehow failed to understand that functional can also be fashionable and tasteful! A simple $40 slipcover can turn your ugly 1976 plaid sofa from frumpy, to fresh!  I've been aching for good interiors after all the disasters I've seen, so I'll share with you my passion for what may be one of my absolute favorite styles ~ Hollywood Regency.

Hollywood Regency was born during Hollywood's Golden Age. West Coast film giants encouraged their designers to set their stage filled with glitz and glamour.  Focus was aimed at details, pops of color, textural variety, geometric shapes and patterns, luxurious fabrics like satin and velvet, lacquered finishes, mirrored surfaces, hints of animal prints, and a mix of Neo Classical, Chinoiserie, and Modernist styles. With so many elements, it's easy to see that one can go overboard in the blink of an eye - there is a fine line between perfect, and cluttered.  It takes a trained eye and keen sense of balance to get the perfect eclectic, glamorous, and pulled together feel that makes this style so amazing.

Hollywood Regency also has different stages, ranging from a fairly conservatively designed space with minor touches here and there, to a full scale dramatic room draped with design elements all over. This room, when looked at piece by piece, is definitely Hollywood Regency, though it doesn't scream it because of the heavier influence of Neo Classical touches:

Notice the attention to detail in the space on the left with the molding on the walls, the tufted and padded wall to the right, the glitzy mirrored vanity, and the complimentary tufted and padded stool with the chrome touches.  The mirror on the vanity, although it takes a fairly minimalist state by not being colorful or popping out, is on its own, quite ornate and glamorous!                                           

This room screams "balance".  There is a heavy geometric influence in this space - the circular mirrors, the boxy white sofas with pops of black colored pillows, the squares in the French doors mimicking the beautiful checkered beams in the ceiling, and the chrome detail on the sofa table, slightly resembling a Greek Key pattern...and last but not least...the dog from "Friends"? Remember, whimsy punches are a must in Hollywood Regency!

Speaking of whimsy - a giant Liza Minnelli poster is just what this room ordered! The mirrored credenza plays with and reflects all the light and sparkle that this room offers. Add in a white fur area rug, and a sparkly gold lame throw on a velvet couch definitely amp up the glamour in this remarkable space!

Oh, Hollywood, I LOVE what you used to be...