Inside Rolex’s Official Oscars Greenroom With Its Sustainable, Rainforest-Inspired Design
Just before or after they step onto the Oscar stage for film’s biggest night, presenters, nominees and winners have an exclusive lounge, the Oscars Greenroom, where they can relax, calm their nerves or share a moment of joy after taking home the coveted statuette. Designed and presented by Rolex each year since 2016, the Greenroom has undergone a sustainably minded update for 2023.
Conveying the vibe of an eco-luxe lodge in a tropical locale, the exclusive Oscars Greenroom puts not only the color green front and center but also celebrates the natural world by using sustainably sourced materials in artisan-made design elements.
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This week, THR got an early tour of the Greenroom ahead of the Oscar telecast. Subtle woven wallcoverings adorn the walls this year and provide acoustic cushioning. A canopy of emerald-green leaves, all made of glass, runs riot across the ceiling. Lending a backdrop to custom-designed seating areas are stands of bamboo made from glazed ceramic. Any winner for Avatar: The Way of Water on Sunday night should feel right at home amid this inviting, rainforest-inspired design.
“Together, all the elements of the decor play a role in delineating the room organically. By inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the world of a rainforest, Rolex pays tribute to the explorers and scientists taking action on the ground, day after day, to protect the planet,” says the Swiss watchmaker in a statement about the 2023 Oscars Greenroom, where Rolex’s classic Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 timepiece is on display. In other years, the lounge has taken design inspiration from such themes as Hollywood architecture, polar exploration and a Swiss chalet.
To realize its vision, Rolex’s design team worked along with Italian furniture designer Paola Lenti, who is known for her keen sense of color and for developing and using recyclable textiles and yarns. Lenti’s outdoor furniture has been spotted in the innovative, environmentally conscious home of Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey.
The design of the space also is a natural outgrowth of Rolex’s own Perpetual Planet Initiative. Launched in 2019 and drawing on the Swiss company’s long history of supporting planetary exploration from mountaintops to the seas, the initiative supports visionaries and scientists in their goal of protecting the earth. Its partners include the National Geographic Society and marine biologist Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue initiative.
The watchmaker has a deep connection to Hollywood as well, beyond adorning the wrists of countless stars both in real life and onscreen. Rolex has been a partner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences since 2017 and is a founding supporter of the Academy Museum, which opened in 2021. And its more than two-decade-old Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative supports rising creatives in film and other artistic disciplines; one of the program’s most recent pairings was filmmaker Kyle Bell with directing great Spike Lee.
