By Mer, on January 19th, 2012 
Tommy Smythe- HGTV star, Sarah's House co-host and Toronto has made over his historic home into a residence with glitz and glamour. Hollywood Regency has been known to combine the high end elements such as polished marble, glossed walls, classic panelled cabinets, crown moulding and tufted furniture gussied up with accents of brass silver and gold. Geometrical patterns are very popular in this style, and commonly implemented with stone floors, patterned rugs, painted or stone walls, tile and art work.
Borrow a Few Ideas From Smythe:
1 -In the few pictures of his home, you can see the house is not cluttered, which is a key to any design. You can see he only features the very best in his house, which means he donated the rest of his junk that doesn't pertain to his style, and so should we.
2 -Incorporate a great geometrical pattern in your room. Having a good rug with a strong pattern can go a long way. Zebra rugs are very popular and add a graphic print to the room in a very glamorous way.
-3 Hang a handmade over-sized graphic oil painting with lots of color on the wall, and spend your money on great furniture. Color isn't necessary, but having a pop of color can go a long way with this style. You don't even have to spend lots of money doing this.
Shop around for a over-sized frame from your local thrift store, or second hand store. If you have the money find a high quality frame and make the artwork yourself. Once you have the room together, over time, you can exchange out the graphic print with another print online at a later date.
If the frame has a canvas print inside already you can paint over the existing picture. If not, take a piece of thin wood purchased at your local hardware store, and cover it with canvas and staple it into the frame. Home Depot allows you to buy sample paint sold for a couple dollars each, which you can paint your own geometrical pattern on to. Pick out your favorite colors or leave the paintings to the end of the project and choose colors that will tie your design together. All you need is tape, paint, and a good looking gilt wood frame.
4 - Spend your money on high end furniture. Look at Smythe's home. You can carefully tell he really put a lot of thought into his furnishings. Ebay is the perfect place to buy Klismos chairs, and other high end Regency pieces. They are so hard to find, but such a great investment. Good looking furniture captures the attention, and KEEPS the attention over the years.
5 -Keep your eyes open for a dining room set of chairs in the Hollywood Regency style. A set of chairs can be broken up in a living room, and lined against the wall or accenting a sofa. A room that has common elements which group together nicely presents better than a bunch of miss-matched furniture.
6 - Brass always adds a high end look. Consider a coffee table with polished brass. Adding brass hardware to your furniture to dress it up will go a long way in your home.
7 - Gloss walls are a signature style of Hollywood Regency. You can see Smythe painted one of his rooms in a high gloss black. Black or any dark color for that matter can bring a very very dark appearance to a room. One time, we painted our living room in a really dark navy. The room had two windows, and it felt like a dungeon. When working with dark paint colors, consider if you have enough light coming into the room naturally to pull it off, otherwise count on a high electricity bill from all the lighting you have to install. One way to get around this is to purchase a set of over-sized matching mirrors that you can hang on the walls. Adding a number of WHITE hand drawn prints on a light yellow or white background will produce a layered effect. Painting your walls a dark color can be very RICH and captivating. To pull it off you need to bring in the light by layering the walls in lighter frames, mirrors, or art work.
8 - Don't skip on quality. Look at Smythe's dining room, and you will understand that less is MORE, and Quality is MORE! His cabinetry is painted in white, and the walls are tiled in a white subway tile. The window frames are painted white, giving attention to the amazing tiled floor. Again here we see a geometrical pattern, and it is well done!
For additional Flooring inspiration see these posts:
Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti's Empire Decorated Home
Empire Decorating: Geometric Painted Flooring
9 - My last tip is to not forget about natural wood finishes. They ground the outrageous looks of the Hollywood Regency style. Sometimes the flamboyant nature of the glamorous style of Hollywood Regency needs a foot in reality. Natural wood chairs, with earthy leather really ground this style well. You can see this element in action in one of Smythe's rooms. Amongst black walls, wild zebra patterns, gold and lots of pattern, the wood furniture provides a breath of fresh air and balance to the room.
See more of his Smythe's home see House & Home Magazine
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