Renovation fatigue

The work on my new place hasn’t even started, but I’m already having renovation fatigue.   I’ve scoured bookstores, friends’ bookcases and magazine stands looking at design references.   I’m running out of Post-its to bookmark the ones I want to copy.  I thought, for a change, I should go to the movies for further inspiration.

Art direction in movies is as vital as having a great script.  It sets the mood and tone of the movie, and defines the key characters.  If not done right, the movie would flunk the requisite ‘willing suspension of disbelief’.  I especially like how the ‘look’ or details are amplified for a delicious visual experience. 

I like the clean, strong, masculine lines in –

Gattaca

Inception

The Holiday

Plant life will be sculptural –

The Lake House

Old, ornate mirrors must figure –

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Must have a statement sofa –

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

A very modern bathroom –

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

I’m not doing 60s but there could be some splashes of color from the 60s –

A Clockwork Orange

In the Mood for Love

The charm of 50s furniture –

Revolutionary Road

Yup, red is a favorite accent.

Twilight

Volver

Ocean's Thirteen

Amelie

There’s a lot to borrow from a recent movie that’s bad but beautifully art-directed.  All from Sex and the City 2 -

Must also copy the iconic blue door in Notting Hill.

I love how movies make you dream.