Favorite Houses in Movies

You know when you are watching a film and you aren’t getting lost in the storyline because you are so distracted by the set design. Calla and I were at the video store the other night and on my way to the wall of kids’ movies, my eye stopped on The Holiday, a movie that I found a bit hokey, but remember absolutely loving the homes.

That got me thinking about some of my favorite houses in film, not always the greatest pieces of cinematography per se, but some houses I would definitely want to live in, or emulate in my own casa.

So let’s start with Cameron Diaz’s California house in The Holiday. Gorgeous. Director Nancy Meyer has extraordinary taste in set and production designers. Cindy Carr and David Smith, along with Production Designer John Hutman hit a homerun with this one. And how adorable was Kate Winslet’s cottage in the country?

Another Meyer film, Something’s Gotta Give is most famous for the Diane Keaton beach house, also with Production Designer John Hutman. I remember wishing I could go rent the place for the summer. Didn’t everyone? The Washington Post wrote a story that year about the popularity of that house.

Read more to find out what films the above pictures are from!

1. Something’s Gotta Give  //  2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off  //  3. It’s Complicated  //  4. The Holiday  //  5. North By Northwest //  6. Out of Africa

The attraction to set design for me began watching reruns of the Brady Bunch and the Dick Van Dyk show as a kid. How cool was Rob and Laura’s 60s pad? And come on, who didn’t want to live in the Brady house or the Huxtable’s brownstone.

Then in movies I remember loving the farmhouse in Field of Dreams, and the Father of the Bride house. As I matured, I coveted Lisa Bonet’s loft in High Fidelity and Cameron’s house in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or Meryl Streep’s house in Out of Africa. These spaces were true reflections on the characters, they were a crucial part of telling the story, they helped define it.

I wanted to hang out at the villa in The Talented Mr. Ripley and get lost in the Royal Tennebaum’s home. I loved the modern marvels in North By Northwest, The Ice Storm and One Hour Photo. But I loved some classics like Frances McDormand’s house in Friends with Money, Amelie’s apartment in Amelie and Julia Robert’s loft in Closer. Another fave was the fought-over Chicago apartment in The Break Up. And who didn’t covet the house in It’s Complicated?

Some others to love, in no particular order, are On Golden Pond, Gone with the Wind, the Big Chill, Pride and Prejudice, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Chocolat…

I polled some friends to see what some of their all-time favorites were. The answers ranged from the family compound in Godfather, to the Lake Como villa in Casino Royale to the elaborate set designs in the Great Gatsby. What are some of your favorites, the homes you wanted to pop right into the screen and live in, or at least find out who made that perfect sofa? When you have some time, check out the Set Decorator’s Society website, so fun to gawk at your favorite TV and movie set homes.

Can’t wait to see what houses you love! –Melissa

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