Monday, October 21, 2013

"I would rather have taste than love or money." - William Haines

Charles William Haines, better known as William Haines with American movie goers and "Billy" Haines within Hollywood's inner circle began his illustrious and influential career as a film star in the early 20's and 30's.  Discovered and signed first with Metro-Goldwyn Mayer in 1922 and later teaming up with Columbia Pictures, William Haines drew enormous fame and box office success with cinema classics such as The Midnight Express and Brown of Harvard.  Haines grew tired of the consistent pressure from the studios regarding his sexuality and his relationship with life long partner James "Jimmie" Shields and eventually quit the film business all together. 

Haines never strayed too far away from his Hollywood roots and the family and friends he garnered while working in the film industry.  Haines and Shields stepped out onto the design stage as antique dealers early on, but as "Billy" Haines' reputation as a interior design grew with the Hollywood elite, so too did his confidence, personality and unique "unusual flair" for design.   Haines, along with prominent architects such as James E. Dolena, Roland E. Coate and A. Quincy Jones helped to transform Hollywood into the glamorous, sophisticated, and chic contemporary it is today.  Haines will forever be remembered and eternally imitated for "his balance between formal and casual, style and substance".  Together with fellow designers such as Ted Graber and Micheal Morrison, Haines created classic pieces that were described as "triumphs of form and function".

Throughout his career, Haines had been privy to design homes for stars and long time friends such as Joan Crawford and Gloria Swanson.  Haines famously worked with influential clientele like Betsy Bloomingdale and Ronald and Nancy Regan for whom he designed a room in the White House.  Haines further cemented his legacy with such historically legendary designs like "Sunnylands" estate for Walter and Leonore Annerberg and even designed a Dessert Chic living room for the Golden Gate Expo in San Francisco at the 1939 World's Fair. After his death in 1973, Haines' contribution to the film industry was celebrated with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Continuing his stylistic vision and creative genius in the arena of interior design, William Haines' work will forever be remembered, recreated, and revered the world over with the help from the William Haines Designs agency located and operating out of none other than the land AND the style that Haines himself built... Hollywood, CA U.S.A.!

 
 
 
 

 

 

 


 
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