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.
Billy Haines Cabinets with Textured Tops, Kirk Douglas Estate, 1950s
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
These Billy Haines cabinets, most likely bedside, with textured tops, from the estate of Kirk and Anne Douglas, exemplify the refined elegance and understated modernism of 1950s Hol...
Wood
$1,323Sale Price|60% Off
H 39.38 in W 53.55 in D 17.72 in
Midcentury French Modernist Cabinet Vaisselier, 1950s
Located in Paris, IDF
Warm light brown oak and rich copper form a beautiful color palette in this cabinet vaisselier from the 1950s. On the front and top of the cabinet, the oak displays a striped lightwood/dark wood pattern that feels fun and very much of the era, while the recessed portions of the oak appear to shift into burnt orange for a subtle injection of natural color. Opening the door at the front of the cabinet, a series of small drawers are revealed for hidden storage and organization; the left side of the cabinet is formed by transparent glass, ideal for stowing decorative items or glassware, as well as giving the piece a sense of being filled with light. Though it was created by an unknown French craftsman, this piece is reminiscent of avant-garde designer Jean Royere’s work. Place it in your living room for a unique midcentury French modernist...
Copper
Henredon, Cabinet, Walnut, USA, 1950s
By Henredon
Located in High Point, NC
A walnut cabinet or sideboard designed and produced by Henredon, USA, 1950s.
Walnut
A Swedish Modern cabinet, Circa 1950s
Located in New York, NY
A Swedish Modern two door mahogany cabinet, Circa 1950s, with a clean design of a slightly overhanging cornice molding above two flat cupboard doors, raised on squared tapered legs j...
Mahogany
1950s Mid-Century Kitchen Cabinet, Vintage
Located in Neuss, NW
Unique two-piece kitchen cabinet from the 1950s in a period-typical design. High-quality corpus in ash veneer with four sliding doors, one glass sliding door, three drawers, two flap...
Glass, Wood
Göran Malmvall cabinet, Sweden, 1950s
By Goran Malmvall
Located in Antwerpen, BE
A cabinet model 810, from the series Svensk Fur by Goran Malmvall for Karl Andersson & Soner. Pine, a pair of doors with underlying shelving and drawer fittings. Lock case and key mi...
Pine
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Cabinet with Brass Hardware, 1950s
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful sideboard cabinet designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, made of sandalwood with solid brass hardware. Cabinet has drawers on each side, center Lucite pull out shelf and on...
Brass
1950s Rare Wooden Bar Cabinet, Czechoslovakia
Located in Praha, CZ
- Carefully refurbished - Rare model - By KMEN
Wood
Bodil Kjær 1950s Rosewood 2-Drawer Cabinet
By Bodil Kjaer
Located in San Francisco, CA
designed in 1959 by Bodil Kjær to accompany her iconic ‘James Bond’ desk in a well-figured and deeply patinated rosewood; manufacrtured by E. Pedersen & Søn for Jason Møbler; fitted ...
Rosewood
Sligh Furniture, Cabinet, Maple, USA, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
A dark-stained maple cabinet produced by Sligh Furniture, USA, 1950s.
Maple
Flora Cabinet, Sweden, 1950s
Located in Staffanstorp, SE
A beautifully preserved Flora cabinet from the 1950s, inspired by Josef Frank’s iconic Flora cabinet, one of the most celebrated expressions of Scandinavian modern design. Crafted i...
Mahogany
French Mid-Century Modern Cabinet with Sliding Panels, 1950s
Located in Boom, Vlaams Gewest
Unique French cabinet from the 1950s, defined by a beautiful balance between functionality and playful design. The warm wooden structure is combined with sliding panels in soft blue ...
Wood
1950s oak filing cabinet
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Cabinet with upper storage compartments with shutter closure, double column side drawers. Oak veneer wood. The product can be restored by our workshop, with renovation intervention ...
Oak
A Custom Wall Mounted Floating Credenza designed by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This collection 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...
Mahogany
Sold
H 27 in W 27 in D 54 in
A Leather Wrapped Desk and Matching Arm Chairs designed by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This collection 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...
Leather, Ash
3 Drawer Chest on Runners with Lucite Handles by William Haines Inc
By William Billy Haines, Louis G. Sherman
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This 3 drawer chest on runners, from the estate of Henry Bloch, boasts beautiful lucite handles and a signature Haines decorative paint finish. Made circa 1980 by Haines Inc under the direction of Ted...
Lucite, Wood
Leather Wrapped Partner's Desk by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Here is the original leather wrapped desk from the master bedroom of Betsy Bloomingdale Estate. This desk is a partner's desk with seating on either side and drawers for both sides. ...
Leather, Wood
Wall Hung Buffet by William "Billy" Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Distinctive William Haines designed buffet that features three "clapboard" drawers don the center and rounded ends with doors on either side. Cre...
Wood
Custom Vanity or Desk by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This custom piece by William Haines was originally a built in and was removed during the re-model of the Francis Brody house. Originally built in one of the guest rooms on the main l...
Wood
Long Lacquered Low Cabinet by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A lovely long and low lacquered cabinet custom designed by William Haines from the Beverly Hills estate of Myron Prinzmetal. The contemporary lines...
Brass
Billy Haines 18-Drawer Padded Table
By William Billy Haines
Located in Brooklyn, NY
mahogany, drawers on both sides, original black vinyl upholstery, presentable from every angle, designed by Billy Haines for Lee Annenberg
Mahogany, PVC, Upholstery
Pair of 4 Drawer Chests by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Chic and striking pair of chests designed by William Haines for the Los Angeles home of Sidney and Francine Brody. Designed with a 1" overhang to the back so when against a baseboar...
Ebonized Two-Door Cabinet by William Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This piece features four Haines' signature tapering legs and two stylized door pulls. Doors open to reveal a large storage compartment with single shelf. Haines designed this specta...
An Exceptional Desk by William “Billy” Haines
By William Billy Haines
Located in New York, NY
Charcoal black lacquered leather covers this beveled top maple desk. From the Prinzmetal Commission, Los Angeles, California, circa 1942.
Maple