Pride Month Profile: Interior Designer William Haines

William Haines’ interior at Sunnylands, Photo: Mark Davidson

June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community, and COUPAR profiles the "King of Hollywood Regency," William "Billy" Haines (1900 – 1973). Haines was an accidental interior designer. The Virginia native came to Hollywood via New York City, where he lived openly as a gay man in bohemian Greenwich Village, working as a model. Starting a movie career in the 1920s, Haines transitioned from silent films to talkies, becoming the country's top box-office attraction for 1930. He shared a home with his partner James "Jimmie" Shields, despite the morality clause in his contract. The matinee idol's movie career ended at 35 when he refused Louis B. Mayer's ultimatum to give up Shields and enter a lavender marriage.

American film actor and interior designer, William “Billy” Haines

The film industry's loss was interior design's gain. Haines was already a part owner of an antique shop on La Brea Avenue frequented by fellow stars and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. The home that he shared with Shields was a showplace. Through his connections, Haines created the tasteful abodes of Hollywood's elite, such as Joan Crawford, Tallulah Bankhead, and Carole Lombard, collaborating with the premier architects of the time, James E. Dolena, Roland Coate, and A. Quincy Jones. The Decorator to the Stars opened  William Haines Design at 8720 Sunset Blvd, where he designed interiors and furniture. Haines' aesthetic influence went beyond Hollywood's estates and permeated film sets.  

William Haines’ living room, Holmby Hills home of Betsy Bloomingdale, Photo: Spencer Lowell

Before Haines, Tinseltown's interiors lived up to its nickname. He changed this using classic designs that juxtaposed formality with casualness. Inspired by the bright, airy English manor houses of the 18th century, he hung hand-painted wallpaper and mixed chinoiserie and antiques with contemporary furnishings. In real life, he shared qualities with his wisecracking screen persona. Architectural Digest published a 1972 interview with him entitled "Designer William Haines' Outspoken Comments." Some choice bon mots, "Trends? There are all sorts of epidemics." and "Who can say what good taste is and what is bad? I don't know what taste is. It's like a fog ... you can see and feel it but never touch it." 

From matinee idol to Hollywood's in-demand decorator, Haines' ultimate success was his relationship with Shields. Against the odds, they remained together until the designer's death at 73. Joan Crawford described them as "the happiest married couple in Hollywood."