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What Is Hollywood Regency Style?

Hollywood Regency style

Forbes + Masters

Hollywood Regency is an American interior design style that emerged in California in the 1930s, a product of the Golden Age of cinema that was inspired by the glitz and glamour of the silver screen. Sometimes called Regency Moderne, Hollywood Regency was an updated take on the interiors of the 19th-century Regency Era.

What Is Hollywood Regency Style?

Hollywood Regency Style (or Regency Moderne, or Hollywood Glam) is an American design style that was born in Hollywood, CA during the Golden Age of cinema in the 20th century. 

Read on to learn more about the history, characteristics, and appearance of Hollywood Regency-style interiors.

Greenbrier Hotel Hollywood Regency Style
Greenbrier Hotel designed by Dorothy Draper

Brinsley Matthews / Dorothy Draper & Co.

Hollywood Regency style bedroom

Kendall Wilkinson Design

Hollywood Regency style bathroom

Kendall Wilkinson Design

Hollywood Regency style living room

Kendall Wilkinson Design

Hollywood Regency style powder room

Kendall Wilkinson Design

History of Hollywood Regency Style

Hollywood Regency style was a product of the Hollywood Golden Age of the 1920s-1950s, when movie stars commissioned film set designers like the iconic Dorothy Draper, actor-turned-interior designer William Haines, and Paul R. Williams to glam up their own homes in similar style, in turn popularizing the trend with the film-going masses.

While Hollywood Regency coincided with the popularity of Art Deco, it remained a distinct style, eventually running its course as the International Style and midcentury modernism became the prevailing aesthetic. But Hollywood Regency will always appeal to maximalists, and has never really gone out of style with modern day designers such as Kelly Wearstler.

Hollywood Regency Style

Forbes + Masters

Key Characterstics of Hollywood Regency Style

The main characteristics of Hollywood Regency style include gilded accents, bold jewel tone colors, black-and-white checkerboard flooring, leopard prints, mirrored furniture, and sparkly chandeliers.

  • Glamorous, luxurious, opulent, and playful in overall design and details
  • Interiors focus on luxury and comfort
  • An embrace of maximalism with layered, textured design elements and finishes
  • Features mirrored and metallic finishes on furniture, wallpaper and wall treatments, and decorative objects
  • Use of vibrant color and vivid, contrasting patterns to produce striking pairings
  • Signature use of black and white
  • Characterized by the use of small scale furniture with slimmed down profiles
  • Uses lacquered and high gloss surfaces from furniture to walls to ceilings
  • Luxe accents such as fur (feel free to sub in faux fur), silk, and velvet
  • Focus less on furniture than accessories and styling
  • Embodies old school glam, elegance, and eclecticism
  • Often features Rococo-style or inspired furniture, including curvy velvet upholstered armchairs, slipper chairs, and skirted sofas 
  • Use of Chinoiserie, including faux bamboo on furniture and décor such as room dividers
Hollywood Regency Style

Maryna Terletska / Getty Images

Hollywood Regency Style Decor Tips

  • For a modern take on Hollywood Regency, keep main elements like flooring and walls neutral and add glam accents
  • Nothing says Hollywood Regency like a gold sunburst mirror, an iconic design accessory that works in any room
  • Incorporate mirrored furniture pieces, such as bedside tables or dressers
  • Add a Lucite bar cart or coffee table for some retro glam
  • Don’t shy away from gold and gilded accents
  • Dare to use bold, brash color accents, such as the era’s ubiquitous hot pink, emerald green, turquoise, and yellow
  • Temper flashy colors and/or rich jewel tones with black-and-white elements such as checkerboard tile flooring, zebra prints, or black-and-white photography
  • Embrace leopard print motifs on floors, textiles, and upholstery
  • Incorporate lacquered elements on walls, furniture, or accessories such as trays and vases
  • Hang a statement crystal chandelier or gilded vintage wall sconces to create flattering Hollywood-style lighting

How do you identify Hollywood Regency style?

Hollywood Regency style is glam, flashy, and unapologetically maximalist. It features bold colors, animal prints, lavish fabrics like velvet, ornamental details, and lots of shine and sparkle, from gilded mirrors to crystal chandeliers and lacquered finishes.

What is the difference between Art Deco and Hollywood Regency style?

Hollywood Regency coincided with the popularity of Art Deco and while both styles share an affinity for elements such as metallics, bold color, and pattern, each has a distinct style. 

Art Deco style was born in Paris as a celebration of all that was modern, from materials like steel and glass to the use of stylized geometric forms and motifs.

Hollywood Regency style has its roots in the golden age of American cinema and is more ornate, gilded, glamorous and maximalist.

What is the difference between midcentury modern and Hollywood Regency style? 


Hollywood Regency style is flashy, opulent, and maximalist. It was eventually supplanted by midcentury modern style, which is known for its clean, natural, less-is-more approach to design.