The Bloomingdale House, Holmby Hills
Artist/Designer:
William (Billy) Haines
Project Location:
California, United States
Figure 1: "One of the first things Haines and the Bloomingdales did was to create an atrium ballroom out of what had been a patio in the center of the U-shaped house. Used in conjunction with the adjacent dining and drawing rooms, the atrium allowed the couple to entertain on a grand scale. From the foyer, guests could see through the atrium to the swimming pool and the bathing pavilion beyond."--from page 165, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator
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Photographer: from page 165, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator )
Figure 2: "Haines used all of his favorite effects for his favorite client (Betsy Bloomingdale) when he decorated her living room: eighteenth-century Chinese wallpaper, a custom-designed needlepoint rug made in Portugal, Chippendale furniture, and a large amount of low seating, including his Seniah Chair...In the far right corner, a wet bar also opened onto the library."--from page 166, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator
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Photographer: from page 167, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator )
Figure 3: "Haines believed that real candlelight on the eighteenth-century Waterford chandelier and sconces was more flattering and dramatic than anything on a dimmer switch. When he did not use furniture of his own design, he relied on pedigreed classics, such as these Chippendale dining chairs surrounding an eighteenth-century English swing-leg table with D-shaped ends."--from page 169, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator
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Photographer: from page 169, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator )
Figure 4: "A partners desk with bamboo-like detailing was designed for Betsy Bloomingdale's bedroom."--from page 157, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator
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Photographer: from page 157, Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator )
Style/Period(s):
Modern, Revival Styles
Primary Material(s):
Fabric, Wood, Paint
Function(s):
Residential Structure
Related Website(s):
Significant Date(s):
20th Century, 1950-1959, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959
Additional Information:
Schifando, Peter and Jean H. Mathison. Class Act: William Haines, Legendary Hollywood Decorator (New York: Pointed Leaf Press, 2005).
Mann, William J. Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star (Penguin Books, 1998).
Mann, William J. "William Haines: Creator of a Smart New Look for the Hollywood Scene", Architectural Digest, January 2000.
http://www.williamhaines.com
The house in Holmby Hills, an area of Los Angeles between Beverly Hills and Bel Air, was built in the 1920s but completely redone in the late 1950s when the Bloomingdale's bought it. After Betsy Bloomingdale died in 2014, the house secretly went on the market and sold to Tom Ford.
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