Modernizing A Piece of California History: Before and After in this Hollywood Regency Style Estate

A lot of people have asked us what the East Mountain Drive Hollywood Regency Estate looked liked before we got our hands on it. We collated a few photos here to show you the dramatic way that we blended this authentic mid century style with current technology and more environmentally sustainable ideas 21st Century design.

The pictures above represent the Living Room shot from the exact same location. If you look closely at the center of each photo you will see that we moved the fireplace and expanded the window wall to take advantage of the Spectacular view. We selected the fireplace mantel in London at Chesneys. The Chandelier is Murano Glass from Donghia. The coffee table is Vintage Charles Hollis Jones. The Sconces are peridod "Dorothy Draper in style and from the Palm Springs modernism show. The sconces were literally the first thing we purchased for the house. The Mirror is  a Vintage Donghia Furniture piece. We purchased the mirror at a gallery in Los Angeles, but is was designed in the time that I worked in Angelo Donghia's Design Office in New York before he died in 1985. We used Farrow and Ball paints throughout the residence. I am very happy that F & B is now using producing Low VOC paints and papers.

The Dining Room after we opened the window wall with Hopes Doors. We designed a wonderful waterfall and fire place that spans the water pool The draper fabric is Bergamo. Again, a grey colored hand blown Murano Glass Chandelier from Donghia and Farrow & Ball wall paper. The Dining Table is mid century Harvey Probber, vintage Dining Chairs upholstered in Bergamo Silk Velvet and a vintage Regency style Bar Cabinet.

Fashion and Glamour: For the Fashionistas...A Great Gift Idea, Valentino The Last Emperor

This fim by Matt Tyrnauer is one of the most unique opportunities to see inside the world of a great fashion designer. Matt is an editor at large for Vanity Fair Magazine covering Architecture and Design and overseeing the magazines annual new establishment list. Matt and I corresponded via email last spring after the publication of the March 2009 Issue of  Vanity Fair (Obama on the cover)  and just a few weeks before the release of his Film, Matt had written an article entitled "Glamour Begins at Home"

In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, architect John Elgin Woolf and his partner, lover, and, later, adopted son, designer Robert Koch Woolf, gave the Beverly Hills elite a new kind of home, as glamorous as any movie set. The author traces the star-studded rise of Woolf’s “Hollywood Regency” style, and the unorthodox family he created. (excerpt from article).

As it turned out Gregg and I had just completed one of our projects in Montecito, a huge renovation / restoration of a John Woolf Home. I emailed the photos to Matt and he immediately responded very enthusiastically that he had become a lover of the Hollywood Regency Style and John Woolf's designs. He said that he had wished he had known about our project prior to the completion of his article. Me too! I wished him luck with the film and we briefly discussed my experience with Mr. Valentino while working in Peter Marino's office in New York in the late 1980's and about Gregg's and my encounter with Valentino while dining in London at the Ivy , he was dining with Joan Collins. At any rate, check out Matt's film it would make a great holiday gift for any fashionista. 

Valentino The Last Emperor.

Modernism & Glamour in Montecito,California

We meticulously restored and rebuilt this John Elgin Woolf estate in Montecito. The home was originally designed and built in 1959 for the Huntington family and was teh scene of many Hollywood parties when the estate was purchased by Joan Cohn Harvey. In rebuilding the property we completely respected the glamourous era into which the house was originally built. The modernity of the mid-century was blended with the technology of the 21st century, resulting in an unparalleled sophistication. John Woolf was the creator of the Hollywood Regency Style and had who's who in the film industry client list 1930's-1960's.

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About Us

Capturing the essence of “Wow” in all they do, John Maienza and Gregg Wilson are globe trotting architects, designers and decorators. They are creators of lifestyles and environments that capture the essence of “WOW”.

Mr. Maienza is a registered Architect and Interior Designer. He holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Bachelor of Arts (Art History) both from Tulane University. Mr. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science from Pepperdine, and has a decades long career in construction and management.  The  “brand” in design is simply the best. Their collaborative work has been widely published Internationally. Currently, John and Gregg are working on a production for television about design and lifestyle through their production company WowBoyz Media.

John and Gregg's Latest Available project in Montecito California