Posted by
Iris Benaroia
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:09 AM EDT
To me, Oscar time is the brunch of seasons: that awkward period between winter and spring that doesn’t feel quite cold enough to call winter, or warm enough to call spring. It’s sprinter!
Personally, I like to celebrate this most mercurial time of year by getting my film freak on. By that I mean: watch a lot of movies and get inspired by film sets that I particularly love.
In 1997 when As Good As It Gets was up for an Academy Award, I copied Diane Keaton’s now-famous vanilla kitchen by painting my cabinets and parquet floors off-white. (It took about 95 hours to sand the sheen off the floors, but that’s another story.) Here are some of my favourite contenders to copy for 2012:
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
The look: Enchanted Bohemian
via Anomalous Material
The loot:
J’adore Paris! From its croissants to its curlicue wrought iron that blankets the city’s gates, railings and balconies, this beautiful city is the setting for Woody Allen’s rom-com about a couple on the rocks. The film transports viewers into different time eras, including the literati-laced 1920s and the 1890s Belle Epoque period, Paris’s Golden Age.
Antique french birdcage, 1stDibs.com; crystal chandelier, Etsy.com; vintage crystal decanter, Etsy.com; antique french chair, 1stDibs.com; reproduction french settee, 1stDibs.com; antique french iron-base table, 1stDibs.com
Add a little je ne sais quois to your interior with these pieces: a crystal decanter, Victorian wing chair, gold velvet settee, wrought iron birdcage, a piece of artwork in a thick gilded frame, jewelled chandelier, marble-topped wrought iron table, burlap throw pillows, ornate porcelain kettles, decorative scrolling and Louis XV chairs.
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
The look: English 1950s Revival
via IMBD
The loot:
Sayonara 1940s! It’s early 1956, and Marilyn Monroe is in England sashaying through the countryside on a dalliance with a film assistant in My Week With Marilyn. Seeing the film icon, played by Michelle Williams, in the turquoise tub, made me really wonder why mine was white. If you’re not ready to get that extreme, bring 1950s fab to your home with these pieces:
Fabric by Robin and Lucienne Day via Kitch Cafe blog; Sputnik ceiling pendant lamp, 1stDibs.com; three-tiered dessert stand, Etsy.com; MidMod collapsible table, Etsy.com
Coral pink, mint green or other eye-popping pastels in long and low furniture. Think Bakelite arms, sputnik-inspired light fixtures, a rotary phone, kidney-shaped table, magenta walls and the bright, happy patterns of British textile designers Robin and Lucienne Day for walls or pillows.
Any movie style in your home?