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Take a Tour of Jayne Mansfield's Pink Palace

Take a Tour of Jayne Mansfield's Pink Palace

Nestled in Sunset Boulevard on three and a half acres of land with twenty-five unique and gaudy rooms lies The Pink Palace, the Barbie dreamhouse created by Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield. Drenched in gold leaf and of course, pink, the iconic LA property was home to many celebrities including singer Englebert Humperdinck, Cass Elliot of The Mamas and Papas, and Ringo Starr of The Beatles, who allegedly told friends that no matter how many times he painted the walls white, the pink always found a way through. The Pink Palace epitomises the wonder, whimsy and unabashedly feminine philosophy of Scarlett Gasque and is an essential piece of 1950s Hollywood history that has inspired elements of our brand. Join us in La La Land as we take you on a tour of the iconic and fabulous Pink Palace of Hollywood.

Spanning 10,000 square feet over three floors, Mansfield and her husband Mickey Hargitay hired Los Angeles set decorator Glenn Holse to make some alterations to their ‘Spanish Colonial' home. The crisp white exterior was painted Jayne’s favourite colour, pink, which supposedly contained crushed rocks to give the walls a sparkle in the sun. Her initials were swirled into the wrought iron gate (again, in pink), a fountain spurting pink champagne overlooked the piano room and a giant 40-foot heart-shaped pool with “I love you Jaynie” spelt out in gold leaf mosaic tiles was installed in the garden. 

The yard also featured a giant kitchen dining area with a sweeping curved stone bar and an outdoor fireplace displaying a stone heart centrepiece. Both inside and out, the palace had an inescapable theme of ‘love’ and was decorated with pink lights, heart motifs and cupid iconography highlighted in fountains, ornaments and painted straight onto the walls. 

Inside, the decor gets even more wacky and wonderful. The living room, coined the piano room due to the enormous gold Steinway grand piano that sat centre stage, was carpeted in pristine white shag so deep her miniature chihuahuas had difficulty traversing through it. The room featured cupid statues on pedestals perfectly tucked into bespoke alcoves, walls painted with love motifs and Mansfield’s initials, curved dark purple velvet sofas with bejewelled heart-shaped cushions strewn atop, and a garish gold iron wrought balcony overlooking the room.
The gold iron wrought decor continues as you explore the home, sectioning off rooms such as the family room, complete with an ostentatious polar bear rug and shiny pink metallic curtains.
Venture deeper into this fabulous house of fun and you’ll find the couple’s home office, with walls, ceilings and desks aptly decorated with bright red leather, thick dark wood panelling and wooden doors ornately carved with flowers and geometric shapes that create an ‘oriental soft room’ effect, perfect for getting into the right headspace to respond to fan letters.
Upstairs, lies probably the most famous room in the house: the pink bathroom. Clad top to bottom in baby pink shag with a heart-shaped jacuzzi bathtub in the middle, this room encapsulates Jayne’s personality which was flirtatious, extravagant and pleasantly absurd.
Despite having an IQ of 163, allegedly speaking five languages and classically trained in the violin, viola and piano, Mansfield took her cues from Marilyn Monroe and played the part of the ‘dumb blonde’ to further her acting career. Dubbed the ‘Working Man’s Monroe’, Jayne was openly and overtly sexual, vibrant and loud, unafraid to poke fun at herself but always looked the part of a Hollywood bombshell.
Taking the overarching theme of ‘love’ to the next level, the pink fluffy bathroom sported a pink marbled bathtub and vanity, complete with a porcelain skin decorated with cupids and hearts, gold taps shaped in the likeness of swan’s heads and a gold cupid towel railing. 
The pink master suite where Mansfield shot a Playboy spread so raunchy it would eventually be banned in Chicago, is soft and sensual with emerald green satin bed sheets contrasting the fluffy pink carpet, light pink wardrobe and fireplace with a heart-shaped opening. The light pink walls were delicately adorned with painted cherubs hiding in flowered vines and a giant gold eight-candle wall fixture, of course also proudly showcasing a heart centrepiece topped with a cupid smiling down on the couple’s bed.

The Pink Palace may not be to everyone’s taste, but it references a time in history when the blonde bombshells ruled Hollywood and women began to find the freedom to create their own fantasy homes without any man to answer to. The demolition of this once-great home is a travesty to the history of Hollywood, “Seeing it demolished was like losing a member of the community,” remarks Alison Martino at Vintage L.A. “There was nothing else like it.” Scarlett Gasque emulates the wonder and whimsy guests of the Pink Palace would experience as they explored the house with its unapologetic femininity and over-the-top glamour. Jayne Mansfield continues to inspire us today, and her influence can be spotted in our future collections…

Follow the @scarlettgasque instagram for sneak-peeks and collection reveals coming very soon, but in the meantime, enjoy some of our Jayne Mansfield inspiration boards!

Can’t wait for new Scarlett Gasque pieces to arrive? Shop our debut collection now, featuring bubble-gum pink lingerie so you can live out your Pink Palace fantasy!

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