An Orange Moon
In 2009, Ty and Lynne McDaniel
founded An Orange Moon, a Chicago vintage shop that specializes in Mid Century Modern. Lynne tells us about the moment she fell in love with Mid Century Modern design: “When we were newlyweds, one day, while out antiquing, Ty spotted eight Jens Risom chairs. I have an antique background. He has a medical background. He’s an analytical thinker. I thrive on beauty. Ty understands the building of the piece, primary and secondary woods, wood fi nishes, quality and important design. So when he explained the Risom chairs to me, my antique life died before my very eyes. And just like that— poof! Goodbye, antiques; hello, modern!”
AN EYE FOR DETAIL
Design is in Lynne’s DNA, and Ty has an eye for design and a knack for restoring furniture. Lynne elaborates, “We pride ourselves on acquiring the best from some of the most prominent neighborhoods and celebs Chicagoland has to offer! Many homes we source from have rooms that never see the light of the sun, let alone a human being. As we like to say, most of the furniture we sell hasn’t been touched by the human hand or bum in decades! Also, we upholster everything. That fabric may look pretty on the outside, but be forewarned! There’s dust and crumbs inside. Upholstery is a must!”
MORE THAN A FURNITURE STORE
While An Orange Moon has a furniture showroom, they also offer design services. “Although we are not interior designers per se,” Lynne says, “we love a rehab! We are curators of art and
FOR MORE ON AN ORANGE MOON, SEE ATOMIC- RANCH. COM.
vintage furniture and will curate your place if you need us to. Just ask!”
In addition to their designing, An Orange Moon has furnished several TV and fi lm set designs. “Word simply got out that we rent to set decorators and sell to interior designers,” Lynne says.
When we asked Lynne what her favorite part of her job is, she had an emphatic reply: “Hands down— meeting people! We’ve met everyone from the heads of Hermès— yes, they visited the shop in Chicago for our assistance— to Julia Louis- Dreyfus to Robert Herjavec to our kind neighbors that live down the street from An Orange Moon and always wave as they pass by our shop. Helping folks turn their house, condo, loft into their forever home warms our hearts.”
Even if you’re not in Chicago, you can still get involved. Visit anorangemoon. com to learn more and sign up for their newsletter.
storied career in interior design began in the most unlikely way— he was fi red. In the 1920s, Haines was one of the Silent Era’s breakout leading men, starring in dozens of fi lms at Metro Goldwyn Mayer and one of the few Silent Era stars to successfully make the jump to talkies.
In 1930, the fi lm industry adopted a set of “moral” guidelines governing the behavior of fi lm stars known as the Motion Picture Production Code ( Hays Code). Billy Haines was openly gay and lived with his longtime partner, James Shields, despite widespread societal pressure to remain closeted. Haines’ career was under persistent threat from the Hays Code. In 1933, following a scandalous arrest and the
Anna Marcum refusal to hide his relationship with his partner, Haines’ contract with MGM was terminated, effectively and unjustly ending his fi lm career.
A NEW BEGINNING
A few years before, Haines had become part- owner of an antiques store on La Brea Avenue, which would become the foundation of his design career. Combining his impeccable taste with an illustrious roster of Hollywood friends and acquaintances, Haines quickly became the most in- demand interior designer in Los Angeles. Haines deftly combined contemporary forms with antique fl ourishes and luxurious materials, creating an eclectic urbane style that became known as Hollywood Regency; however, many of his
designs had a modern edge. His signature chair and sofa pieces featured plush, intricately tufted upholstery in fine fabrics, made modern through their low- slung profile and horizontal massing.
MODERN STYLE
William Haines regularly partnered with many of Los Angeles’ most notable architects. One frequent collaborator was Mid Century Modern icon A. Quincy Jones. In his furniture and interior designs for Jones’ projects, Haines leaned into abstracted antique silhouettes through the use of clean modern lines and minimal finishes.
The first in a series of significant projects with A. Quincy Jones was the Brody House, designed in 1949 for noted art collectors Frances and Sidney Brody. The art- filled home was Jones’ first large residential commission. For the project, Jones rounded out the Los Angeles “modernist dream team” with the addition of landscape architect Garrett Eckbo. The home was designed to make the transition between the indoors and outdoors seamless. Haines designed custom furniture featuring low- slung profiles, luxe upholstery and geometric wavelike framing. The pieces present a minimal, modern aesthetic with a playful flair that can easily be incorporated into myriad spaces.
SUNNYLANDS
Walter and Leonore Annenberg’s sprawling Rancho Mirage estate, Sunnylands, was the last collaboration between A. Quincy Jones and William Haines. Designed in 1966, Sunnylands is now considered a Mid Century Modern masterpiece. In his designs for Sunnylands, Haines did not shy away from bold colors, sumptuous materials and historical references. Letters between Haines and the Annenbergs detail lavish lacquer finishes, Celadon damask, silk canvas and quilted treillage pillows. The Sunnylands furniture featured Haines’ signature tufting in streamlined shapes that beautifully married modern and historical. The coffered ceilings throughout the estate were complemented by the tufted upholstery, while the low- slung furniture profile heightened the compression- and- release phenomenon so well employed throughout the home.
In both his professional and personal life, William Haines was unapologetically authentic. He effortlessly blended centuries- old antiques with modern forms to create a style that was uniquely his own.