A JOB IN A MILLION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19454, 13 October 1937, Page 10

A JOB IN A MILLION

FILM STARS' ARCHITECT LUXURIOUS HOMES EXPENSE DOES NOT MATTER LONDON, July 20. A Hollywood architect Mr. Russell F. Buntz, who designs the famous Beverley Hills palaces of the stars, is visiting London. His is a job in a million, for when lie builds, expense just does not matter at all. Each new home he designs must be more magnificent, luxurious than the last. He. has scoured the world for rare woods and marbles, fixed bathroom plumbing of 22-carat gold, and seen his wildest architectural dreams come true. A World Hunt Now he is idea hunting round the world, going to China, India, Japan, Java, spending six months sketching, asking questions and looking for oddities to please the fanciful palates of the stars. "I think the nicest of the Hollywood homes I built was Jean Harlow's house," Mr. Buntz said. "Not only had I to' design the building, but also the interior decoration, which had to fit her glamorous personality. "The style I chose was eighteenth century Georgian. Every room was panelled and painted a soft shade of ivory. Even the rugs and carpets had to be dyed to match, ivory-coloured, with just a suspicion of yellow—the 'colour of her lovely hair. "Her bathroom was one of the most beautiful in Hollywood. The floor was onyx, all the plumbing of 22 carat burnished gold. She chose French furniture, her bed a magnificently canopied one brought from an old French chateau. "Jean Harlow loved that house. No, it had no name, it was known to everv one as just 'Jean Harlow's house.' Now her mother lives there alone. Ruth Chattcrlon I "I built Ruth Chalterton's home, too, and have recently completely remodelled the interior. Beautiful as it was, she had tired of it, and regardless of any expense I was commissioned to redesign all the lovely rooms. "The style is Italian renaissance, the interior Venetian. Originally everything had to be green, for that was her favourite colour. Now everything is white, except the carpets, which remain green, and the effect is very beautiful. "Miss Chatterton is delightful to work for. Anything I suggest must be done, money doesn't matter. William Powell "I did a lot of work on William Powell's old home, too—he has sold it now. It is one of Hollywood's finest houses. Of them all, however, Pickfair, once the home of Marv Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, is supreme still for luxury. It was the most expensive of all the Hollywood homes, it really is a palace. "Until recently all the new buildings had to be in the Spanish style. That was the fad of the moment. Now it is all Georgian and early colonial, and wood panelling is being used more than ever before. I have just panelled a house in eastern white maple, very expensive, but very beautiful."