Hollywood Regency is the style born when the gray everyday life of the Depression needed a counterpoint: lacquered surfaces, cabbage roses as big as coffee cups, black-and-white floors, and sunburst mirrors. Today, a hundred years after Dorothy Draper took on her first commissions, it’s truly back—and a well-chosen poster is the quickest way to bring it into an ordinary home. This guide covers the style’s real history, why Pinterest is pointing to it right now, and how to hang art that captures the glamour without making the room feel like a set.
Quick facts: Dorothy Draper (1889–1969) founded Architectural Clearing House in 1925 and renamed the firm Dorothy Draper and Company in 1929. Actor Billy Haines (1900–1973) left the movies in 1935 to start decorating for Hollywood stars. Pinterest Predicts 2026 highlights Neo Deco—chrome and brass-edged chevron patterns and fan-shaped arches—as one of the year’s style trends, and Kelly Wearstler has modernized the look since 1999.
Dorothy Draper, Cabbage Roses, and the Carlyle: The Birth of Hollywood Regency
The style’s roots rarely run through Hollywood itself, but through New York. Dorothy Draper, born in 1889, opened a firm called Architectural Clearing House in 1925 and renamed it Dorothy Draper and Company in 1929. Her first major breakthrough came with the Carlyle Hotel in the early 1930s. Hampshire House followed in 1937, then an extensive postwar renovation of The Greenbrier hotel in West Virginia—which she completed in sixteen months—and, in 1954, the acclaimed dining room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, dubbed Dorotheum. Through all these commissions, American hotel guests learned that a public space could be both fun and luxurious.
Draper herself called her style modern baroque. Her signature was cabbage rose chintz, reportedly sold by the million yards during the 1930s and 1940s, paired with black-and-white checkerboard floors, chartreuse and cherry-red walls, and oversized Rococo ornaments. She also wrote a syndicated column urging readers to embrace color in the midst of the Depression, because she believed bright colors genuinely affected people’s happiness. It’s a message that feels surprisingly contemporary at a time when both researchers and interior designers talk about how color affects our well-being, and it explains why her vivid palette is still a source of inspiration.
The name Hollywood Regency came later, and it’s more a description than a school. It refers to the blend of Regency design language, Art Deco geometry and the movie studios’ exaggerated sets that came to define the villas of Beverly Hills and Bel Air. Hollywood Regency is more ornate and eclectic than Art Deco, which is more restrained and geometric, while also softer and more lavish than mid-century modern. To compare the style with its closest relative, read our guide to Art Deco and posters, where geometry takes center stage.
Billy Haines and the white living room: when movie stars started decorating
If Draper was the style’s decorative architect, William Haines was its social force. Born in 1900, Haines had been one of silent cinema’s most popular actors, but left film in 1935 and started an interior design firm with his life partner, Jimmie Shields. His client list became a catalog of Hollywood’s golden age: Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Carole Lombard, Marion Davies and director George Cukor, later joined by Frank Sinatra and Nancy and Ronald Reagan. One of his first widely publicized rooms was the all-white living room he designed for Joan Crawford – a room that made the newspapers of the day talk and helped him build his name.
Haines’s mission was more refined than Draper’s. Where she loved high volume, he chose pared-back lines, carefully mixed antiques and a kind of effortless elegance. Together, they define the style’s two poles: loud and understated glamour. A poster can play both roles, which is why the style works so well on paper – a black-and-white portrait in a wide lacquer frame is Haines, while a large floral motif in bright colors is Draper.
"Hollywood Regency isn’t about owning gold, but about letting a single gleaming object make the whole room take itself seriously."
Why now? Pinterest’s Neo Deco and Kelly Wearstler’s legacy
The style’s return right now is no coincidence. Pinterest Predicts 2026 describes Neo Deco as a bold, glamorous and slightly eccentric aesthetic, with Gen X and millennials embracing the retro style through sharp chevron patterns, fan-shaped arches and other geometric touches, edged in chrome or brass. It’s a direct relative of Hollywood Regency, and you can read more about the trend in Pinterest’s own trend report. The same movement can be seen in what British interior design magazines call a reaction against both minimalism and the industrial era: after years of gray, concrete and bare walls, people want surfaces that catch the light and rooms with a point of view.
A single designer is also behind the revival. Kelly Wearstler debuted with her hotels and private homes back in 1999 and has since made maximalism, lacquer, and brass a modern design language. Her work, in turn, paved the way for Jonathan Adler and a whole generation of interior designers who draw directly from Draper. To put the trend in a broader context, our article on the return of maximalism in 2026 is a good next step, since Hollywood Regency is maximalism with edge and shine.
For anyone living in a Swedish apartment, it’s worth knowing that the style doesn’t require a Beverly Hills villa. It requires three things: contrast, shine, and a clear focal point. You get the contrast from black and white, the shine from gold or brass in frames and details, and the focal point from a poster that takes center stage. The rest of the room can be calm—in fact, the style works best when just one wall does all the work. Renters also have an advantage, since almost everything that defines the style is movable and can come along on the next move.
Hollywood Regency room by room: the sunburst above the sofa, the checkerboard in the hallway
The style’s most iconic piece is the sunburst mirror, and it offers a clue to what to aim for in every room: something round, something radiant, and something that catches the light. Here’s what that can look like in practice, room by room.
The living room: a large poster, a wide frame, and a striking baseboard
Above the sofa is the place for a grand gesture. Choose a 70x100 or 100x140 centimeter poster featuring a black-and-white portrait or an oversized floral motif, and frame it in a wide black or gold-colored frame. Hang it so the bottom edge sits about 15–25 centimeters above the backrest. Pair it with a jewel-toned velvet sofa—emerald, sapphire, or cerise—to get the contrast the style loves. To keep costs down, you can start with a single large poster and add cushions in the same shade.
The bedroom: powder pink, cream, and a calm wall above the bed
The bedroom is where Hollywood Regency feels softest. Powder pink and cream, preferably with gold on lamp bases and mirror frames, work well on the wall behind the bed. A pair of smaller 50x70 posters featuring botanical or graceful figure motifs creates the symmetry the style loves, since symmetry has always been one of its guiding principles. Keep the motifs understated if the room is otherwise rich in textiles.
The hallway and dining area: black and white with a touch of drama
The hallway is the quickest place to try the style, because you don't live in it. You can't install a black-and-white checkerboard floor in a rental, but a black-and-white poster in a substantial frame and a round mirror can create the effect in ten minutes. In the dining area, a graphic or cinematic poster works well, catching the evening light. Our movie title collection is an unusually good fit here, since Hollywood Regency was born from the extravagance of movie sets.
Tip: Follow the rule of one gold item per wall. Let the frame, a mirror, or a lamp bring in the metal, and keep the other surfaces matte. That way, the room reads as elegant rather than overdecorated.
Sizes, frames, and colors: lacquer, gold, and black and white
The style's palette is surprisingly manageable when you break it down. The base tones are black, white, and cream, with jewel tones like deep blue, emerald green, and turquoise as accents, and powder pink in bedrooms. The metal is gold or brass. Avoid silver if you want authentic Hollywood Regency, as it steers the room toward modern industrial style instead of the warm glamour of movie studios.
When it comes to size, this style rewards going big. A pair of 50x70 prints arranged symmetrically creates order, while a single 70x100 or 100x140 makes a statement. For smaller walls, 40x50 is a good in-between size that still works with a wide frame. In our black-and-white posters, you'll find prints that capture the Haines side of the style: portraits, architecture, and quiet moments. If you'd rather lean toward Draper, our chic posters offer bolder expression and more vivid color.
Frames that carry the glamour
Hollywood Regency calls for frames with presence. A wide black lacquer frame makes black-and-white prints feel like movie posters, while a gold- or brass-colored frame elevates colorful floral posters. Also consider a cream or ivory mat to give the artwork some breathing room, especially when the frame is wide. A generous mat gives even a smaller poster that gallery-opening feel the style is after.
Geometry from the Neo Deco wave
If you want to connect with this year's Neo Deco trend, you can add a poster with bold chevron or fan shapes, like the ones you'll find among our graphic posters. Such a poster does the same job as Draper's ornament did a hundred years ago: it gives the eye a pattern to rest on while sending a clear signal that the room was designed with intention.
Frequently asked questions about Hollywood Regency and posters
Are you ready to let glamour move in? Start with one large black-and-white poster or one in bright colors, choose a wide frame with presence, and let the rest of the room stay calm. Browse black-and-white posters and chic posters at Bozetto, and you’ll find the designs that give your room that cinematic presence.