Design firm Commune dresses a pop-up Oscar lounge in Hollywood style
Los Angeles-based design firm Commune’s famously casual sense of style has helped transform everything from a rundown motor lodge in the desert to a majestic John Lautner home in Glendale.
This week, the designers are creating a glamorous temporary lounge from a loading dock at the Dolby Theatre for Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Commune co-founder Roman Alonso described the greenroom — a hangout for Oscar presenters and honorees — as “very California” in attitude, with inspirational touches from legendary Hollywood interior designers such as William “Billy” Haines and Billy Baldwin.
Additionally, Alonso said the designers were greatly influenced by the candid photographs of Hollywood celebrities by Jean Howard. “We looked at all of the pictures in ‘Jean Howard’s Hollywood: A Photo Memoir’ and were inspired by how much fun they had,” Alonso said. “They were all in tuxes having a ripping good time. They looked so relaxed. We thought, ‘Let’s create a room that feels relaxed yet glamorous.’”
Working with lead actress nominee Julianne Moore, the designers envisioned a room that is comfortable and residential, but not an event space. “They have always gone for Old Hollywood glamour,” Alonso said of the yearly greenroom sponsored by Architectural Digest. “We wanted to design something that looks like a home — a room that feels glamorous whether you’re wearing a bikini or a ball gown.”
To help give the indoor-outdoor room a comfortable feeling, the designers relied on layering. The room will feature contemporary furnishings by Holly Hunt and Clarence House and, to accommodate smokers, a variety of outdoor pieces by Sutherland. Handcrafted lighting, including a Triple Dome chandelier from Commune’s new line of Vienna Secessionist-inspired lighting for Remains Lighting in New York, will add warmth. A custom off-white banquette is reminiscent of Haines’ 1950s era Hollywood Regency style, along with a light color palette, white oak finishes and Walker Zanger limestone flooring. Further complementing the room’s casual glamour will be a centerpiece Calacatta Nuvo bar by Caesarstone and a custom jasmine fragrance by Commune.
Building on the event’s media aspects, Commune has also designed a “window wall” composed of 16 Samsung television monitors. As a camera takes in the iconic Capitol Records building and downtown Los Angeles on the horizon, the monitors will offer a live feed of Hollywood. “You will feel the change of time, “ Alonso said.
Speaking of time, one can’t help but wonder if five-time nominee Moore, who is up for an Oscar for “Still Alice,” will finally be cradling a statuette in the room she helped design. Stay tuned. The 87th Academy Awards will be televised live on ABC beginning at 4 p.m. PST Sunday.
