The 'old money' living room of Anna Hathaway will be a major style in 2024

Actress Anne Hathaway and her husband, jewelry designer Adam Shulman, have imbued their Californian retreat with layers of ‘old money’ charm and wonder

An ‘old money’ aesthetic is the most in-demand interior design trend of the moment, but Anne Hathaway’s Californian cabin-style home embodied the quiet luxury trend long before social media caught on.

Designed by Pamela Shamshiri of Studio Shamshiri, this 1906 country house takes its cues from the romance and idiosyncrasy of architect Myron Hunt’s vision for a Swiss chalet improbably planted in Southern California.

The goal of this renovation was to preserve the integrity and charm of the original architecture. Shamshiri added new layers of room color, texture, and furnishings that embodied old-world charm, but would also reflect the evolution of the home over time. Its owners, actress Anne Hathaway and her husband, jewelry designer Adam Shulman, were eager to embrace the chalet’s storybook theatricality.

According to Shamshiri: ‘Conversations with our clients about the mood they wanted to create brought up names like Yves Saint Laurent, Wes Anderson, and David Bowie. We all imagined a house filled with music and beauty.’

A quiet opulence and glamor were key here, and the finished design doesn’t disappoint.

Designed for gatherings, this space has sociable back-to-back sofas, while the gold-lead-filled table and vintage disco ball add a celebratory feel.

Pamela worked with Anne and Adam to create mood boards while studying the style of the original architect. ‘We came up with a narrative together, then made it happen.’ Wood paneling all over the property, originally designed as a hunting lodge, made the interiors feel dark, so the house was swept with the lighter touch of soft pastel shades.

The cavernous former ballroom (now the music-cum-living space) with its stable door and exposed rafters was central to one anchoring theme – an extravagant New Year’s Eve party. An antique Turkish mirror ball crowns the space, riffing with the gold edges of the coffee table, while the luxurious velvety textures of the generous sofas lend contrast to the newly paneled walls and rustic beams.

In a conversation with Homes & Gardens contributor, Juilet Benning, Shamshiri says: ‘We wanted to preserve as much of the original “bones” of the house as possible.’

Great effort was made to choose ‘old money’ furnishings that would suit the period. With Anne and Adam enthusiastic collectors of antiques and mid-century modern decor, especially Italian, design pieces the house is articulated with intriguing furnishings and artworks. Numerous faces peer from the portraits on the walls and it’s easy to imagine that they enjoy watching the fun, buzzing social atmosphere that the homeowners foster.