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William Billy Haines Lighting

American, 1900-1973

Plenty of prolific designers started off on slightly different tracks than those on which they ended up, but rarely did they begin their careers in a totally separate industry like William “Billy” Haines did. Before he gained a reputation as a furniture designer and decorator to Hollywood’s biggest and brightest, Haines was himself a star of the silver screen.

After leaving his native Virginia as a young man, Haines earned modeling and acting jobs in New York City and then won a Goldwyn Studios talent contest in the early 1920s. The next frontier was California, where he would go on to appear in more than 50 films. His acting career was halted abruptly in 1933, allegedly because he refused to leave his partner, British footballer Jimmy Shields, at the request of his representation at MGM Studios. Whether it was the fact that Haines was one half of Hollywood’s first openly gay marriage or that there were other factors at play, MGM cofounder Louis B. Mayer canceled his contract.

Luckily for Haines, he had nurtured a side career that kept him on Hollywood’s radar: He was a prominent antiques dealer on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. Haines dedicated himself full-time to both dealing and designing furniture as soon as his tenure as a leading man came to an end.

Haines collaborated with the era’s biggest names in architecture and created a desert living room for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco that featured walls made of California Joshua wood and a painting by Georgia O’ Keeffe. He paid close attention to lighting design, employed hand-painted wallpaper and favored featuring Chinese ceramics alongside Chippendale chairs and ottomans for entertaining. His most famous clients included Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard, Betsy Bloomingdale and more. Crawford played a significant role in kick-starting his career when she commissioned Haines to decorate her entire home in Brentwood.

Haines was such an esteemed tastemaker that he’s among those credited with having cemented Hollywood Regency as a reputable design style. (Its origins are owed to influential interior decorator Dorothy Draper.) While he gravitated toward the look of chinoiserie and English furniture, his signature was low-level seating and giltwood accents. Haines’s interior design style was so in vogue that Nancy Reagan became one of his biggest fans and eventually enlisted Ted Graber, Haines’s successor following his death in 1973, to decorate several private and public rooms in the White House.

Find a collection of vintage William Haines lounge chairs, lighting fixtures and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: William Billy Haines
William Billy Haines Carved Horse Lamps
By William Billy Haines
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of highly carved table lamps by William Billy Haines. Each horse head is sculpted with hand carved hair and single bulb. Please confirm location NY or NJ
Category

20th Century William Billy Haines Lighting

Materials

Wood

A Pair of White Painted Armature Lamps with Terracotta Figures by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This collection, purchased directly from the heirs of the estate presents a rare opportunity to own a piece of Los Angeles design history. The house, originally designed by Paul Williams in 1933 was given the Haines touch when his clients a young family of five purchased and moved in in 1963. Haines made appropriate changes to the structure and being at the top of his game, both the architectural changes and the custom furnishings clearly illustrate this. He discreetly added a projection room to the front of the house so that the cleverly concealed projectors made for a movie going experience in the living room. Other Haines touches abound in this, a wonderful and thoughtful interior perfectly capturing a moment in time when life was glamorous. These lamps, originally used in the sitting room of the primary suite is a fine example of Haines versatility using this unique approach to lighting. So often Chinese articles...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage William Billy Haines Lighting

Materials

Metal

William Billy Haines Cast Metal with Pompeian Bronze Table Lamp Pair, 1950s
By William Billy Haines
Located in Brooklyn, NY
William Billy Haines Cast Metal with Pompeian Bronze table lamp pair, 1950s. Shades are NOT included. Haines included this design in a few of ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Unknown Hollywood Regency William Billy Haines Lighting

Materials

Metal

Lucite Table Lamp by Billy Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This Billy Haines table lamp features a prominent 17.5" H X 5" squared block of bevelled lucite. The base is wooden and painted black. The new custom shade is a black silk overlaid w...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage William Billy Haines Lighting

Materials

Brass

An Armature Lamp featuring a Rearing Horse designed by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This collection, purchased directly from the heirs of the estate presents a rare opportunity to own a piece of Los Angeles design history. The house, originally designed by Paul Williams in 1933 was given the Haines touch when his clients a young family of five purchased and moved in in 1963. Haines made appropriate changes to the structure and being at the top of his game, both the architectural changes and the custom furnishings clearly illustrate this. He discreetly added a projection room to the front of the house so that the cleverly concealed projectors made for a movie going experience in the living room. Other Haines touches abound in this, a wonderful and thoughtful interior perfectly capturing a moment in time when life was glamorous. This lamp using a classic Haines armature...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage William Billy Haines Lighting

Materials

Metal, Spelter

A Quan Yin Armature Lamp by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This collection, purchased directly from the heirs of the estate presents a rare opportunity to own a piece of Los Angeles design history. The house, originally designed by Paul Wil...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage William Billy Haines Lighting

Materials

Metal

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William Billy Haines lighting for sale on 1stDibs.

William Billy Haines lighting are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of William Billy Haines lighting, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider lighting by Paul McCobb, Greta Von Nessen, and Donald Deskey. Prices for William Billy Haines lighting can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,500 and can go as high as $18,400, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,800.

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