Hooked On: Movie Homes

Have you ever gone to a movie and just fallen in love with the house in the film? That was the case with one of my favorite chick flicks released in 1998: You’ve Got Mail. I watched it again last weekend – a perfect escape from the cold and snow!

Set designers can do such incredible jobs creating a sense of home in their movie sets and isn’t that what we all long to do in our own homes? Even though it’s been more than a decade since the movie was released, the brownstone’s decor is timeless – a hallmark of good design.

The main female character Kathleen Kelly (aka Meg Ryan) lives in New York City. Our first peek at her home is from the exterior. She lives on the Upper West Side in a comfortable brownstown.  Here are two screen captures of the exterior:

Notice in the  screen shot of the window the ornamental detailing that frames the opening. The set designers incorporate a similar trim in the interior, seen around the doors in the screen capture below. Repeating this architectural element on the interior helps to create connection, exterior to interior, and also builds in a sense of place and history.

Inside we notice many of the walls are painted the same color as the doors and trim, only the sheen/finish of the paint seems to differ. This monochromatic treatment of the walls has been used since our early days as a British colony. During colonial times if walls and trim were painted the same color, it signified a high social status because pigment was expensive.

If only the trim was painted, it indicated a lower status (less surface painted communicated that one didn’t have the money to paint more surface).

In these interior shots notice how the desaturated wall treatment provide a wonderfully understated, yet elegant, backdrop to our character’s furnishings. Kathleen’s books practically POP off the walls – providing a visual cue about our main character. Before we are told anything about her, we know that books are important to her.

In a movie, the set is a character. Sets communicate aspects  that may go unspoken but are none-the-less important about our main characters.

The monochromatic backdrop of this set allows the textures of the furnishings to create a sense of time, providing a “collected through the years” feeling to the space. The space is not dark and serious. It’s soft, warm, welcoming and very feminine.

I tell my clients that color needs to be repeated in a space at least three times in order for it to look purposeful. You can see that principle at work in this screen capture. The light wood tone of the desk is repeated in the occasional table next to it as well as the matchstick blinds on the window above the sofa and in the wallpaper. When designing your own space, you’ll want to incorporate this design principle to create a space that has a sense of balance. This scattering of color helps move the eye throughout a space.

As we tour the flat, notice that in no one room do we have a matching suite of furniture. The set designers do use matching & coordinating pieces of furniture throughout the home but never place two matching pieces in one room. Check out the photos below and pay close attention to the green/white pieces of furniture.

This is one of those designer secrets that kicks your decorating up a notch.  Suites of furniture were invented to sell more furniture, NOT to create good design.

IF you have a matching suite, separate your pieces. My suggestion to clients is no more than two pieces of furniture from the same suite in one room.  Re-purpose a bedroom dresser  into a sideboard in a dining room.  Instead of matching night stands on either side of the matching bed frame, move one of the tables into the living room and use it as an end table. Replace it with something that will add texture and shape to the room.

I will often use the coordinating night stand on HIS side and bring in a round table for HER side. The curves introduce a feminine shape to the room. It can be a skirted table or glass and another item like wrought iron or wood.

On the “You’ve Got Mail” set, the designers used the green/white furniture pieces to visually connect separated spaces. Color helps create a sense of unity so when you have a small space, as we do with our movie flat, use color to create a sense of flow. This will also help make a smaller space feel and look larger.

One last “did you notice” the french doors flanking the kitchen entry? A small but lovely detail that transforms a usually forgotten transition into a wonderful architectural element. If you have a pass through from one room to another, consider adding french doors to frame the opening.  The instant architectural detail  can take a home from builder basic to basically beautiful!

To see what others are hooked on, visit Julia @ Hooked On Homes!

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Tagged as: chick flicks, Movie Homes, You've Got Mail