Robert Hanley, a member of the Southern California District of the American Institute of Decorators was based in Los Angeles. After serving in the Army and working with Raymond Loewy, he teamed up with architect-trained designer Joseph-Copp. Their firm Hanley-Copp designed interiors in the Los Angeles area.
Just a year later, Hanley opened an office on his own at 8649 Sunset Boulevard. His Sunset Plaza office also served as a retail outlet for pieces imported from Europe and Asia.
Hanley worked on residential and commercial projects with architects, such as John Lindsay, Smith & Williams and landscape architect Garret Eckbo. For the 1952 George Hepburn house in Bel Air Hanley selected pieces by Dan Johnson. He also designed the interiors for The Apple Valley Inn, New Scandia Restaurant, and even a private railroad car for writer Lucius Beebe.
He was president of the Southern California chapter of the American Institute of Decorators in the mid 1950s. During this time he also wrote a decorating column for the LA Times. In 1958 he was hired as a furniture design consultant for Warner Bros.