Large Custom Sofa by William Haines, United States, 1942
View Similar Items
Large Custom Sofa by William Haines, United States, 1942
About the Item
- Creator:William Billy Haines (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 108 in (274.32 cm)Depth: 36 in (91.44 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:Fabric,Quilted
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1942
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: 15061588531420
William Billy Haines
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.
- A Two Cushion Sofa on Runner Legs, William HainesBy William Billy HainesLocated in Palm Desert, CAThis 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 clients a young family of five...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
- Jonas Upholstery Custom "Rutherford" Roll-Arm Sofa, United States, c. 1990Located in New York City, NYThis custom "Rutherford" sofa was created by Jonas, the celebrated NYC upholstery shop. It's incredibly comfortable due to thoughtfully constructed wood, horsehair and down construct...Category
1990s American American Classical Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Vladimir Kagan Sofa, Ochre, United StatesBy Vladimir KaganLocated in Barcelona, ESVladimir Kagan Sofa model “Directional” Manufactured by Vladimir Kagan Designs, Inc. United States Upholstery, walnut Measurements 244 cm x 147 cm x 75 cm 96 in x 58 in x 29.5 in ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Georgis & Mirgorodsky, Libertine, Contemporary Sofa, United States, 2022Located in New York, NYThis monumental swoosh of a sofa includes two integral side tables and an ottoman. The ottoman can be flanked by two cocktail tables to create two seating groups. The fiberglass side...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Fiberglass
- Georgis & Mirgorodsky, Bombola, Curved Sofa, United States, 2019Located in New York, NYBombola, is the diva of an ensemble collection designed by William Georgis and Ilya Mirgorodsky of Georgis & Mirgorodsky, soon to be released at Maison...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- Georgis & Mirgorodsky, Zaftig, Double Sided Sofa, United States, 2022Located in New York, NYZatfig is a modern take on a double-sided sofa, but with a sense of humor. COM requirements: Based on 54? plain (no repeat) fabric: 20 yards for sofa. 3.5 yards for 4 lumbar and 2 b...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery