2023 and 2024, have been important for cinema. With 2023 movies like “Openheimer" and "Barbie" dividing the audience and creating a phenomenon in pop culture we hadn't seen in years. At the same time, while we are only a month in 2024, Yorgos Lanthimos' film"Poor things" has already won awards and nominations, in events such as Critics Choice Awards, BAFTA, the very important and unexpected victory of the Golden Globe Best Film (Comedy or Musical) against " Barbie "and of course, the 11 nominations in this year's Oscars
For me and maybe for you, cinema beyond an artistic and recreational experience is also an interior design inspiration. Dozens (or in some cases hundreds) of designers, manufacturers and creators have worked on the sets we see on the screen. Their purpose is to create spaces that transport us to the site where the film unfolds, but at the same time to give us information on the relationship of the characters with those locations.
So I have collected a list of films that inspired me, some period, some modern, some realistic some surrealistic. I also combined them with some Hintsdeco products, which I consider to express their aesthetics. I hope these movies also inspire you.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
When we talk about Wes Anderson there are many choices. But as this film is primarily unfolded in a hotel, it gives us many choices in places from which we can get inspired. Wes Anderson's films are renowned for their meticulous design, which often makes them look like a dollhouse. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" combines originality and peculiarity with luxury. Each room in the hotel is decorated with the characteristic pastel or Jewel Toned shades of Anderson and with unexpected details. I can also say that the perfectly aligned shots of Wes Anderson allow us to enjoy even more the spaces and scenery.
The key words for The Grand Budapest Hotel are: Pastel, luxury, originality, retro
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Jacques Demy's 1964 Jacques Demy Opera "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is a technicolor feast of colors and patterns. I'm sure it was impressive for anyone who saw it at Cinema then. Unique, vibrant colors such as magenta, deep purple, and orange, striped or floral wallpapers and heavy velvet curtains, combine to create one of the most chic depictions of the sixties. All elements make up one of the most effective uses of color in cinema history.
It is worth mentioning how the characters fantastically reflect the colors and patterns of the rooms, making them even more powerful.
The key words for the The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: Color, 60s, patterns
Metropolis
Watching this movie, one of my thoughts was "how they did this movie, with no CGI". "Metropolis" is a 1927 silent film, which has inspired countless of the sci-fi epics that followed it. The futuristic urban landscape of Metropolis is combined with big, art deco interiors. "Metropolis" was one of the first films to use art deco elements. If you see this movie today, it may not look so avant-garde, but consider that it was created almost 100 years ago.
The key words for the Metropolis: Futurism, art deco, urban landscape
Batman (1989)
The 1989 "Batman" and the sequel "Batman Returns" share Tim Burton's aesthetics. Now many directors make dark versions of super Hero films. But Tim Burton has been a the firs, by introducing the genre we now perceive as modern comic book films. Its skillfully designed film sets not only include interesting details, but create an incredibly dark aura that supports the identity of the characters. E.g. Jack Napier (Joker) presents us as a fancy and self-centered character and the penthouse in which he lives, in the modern, 80s style, reflects exactly that. After the transformation of the Joker, the Axis Chemical factory reflects the change he has experience with a series of curved windows reminiscent of his smile. Correspondingly, we see Gothic and Art Deco style spaces, such as Bruce Wayne's residence, for which Tim Burton has used villas, hotels and castles that express his luxurious life and his dark identity.
The keywords for Batman: Gothic, dark, 80s, luxury
The Favorite
You can not be impressed when you watch Yorgos Lanthimos' 2018 movie. The luxurious home in which the film is shot is the perfect backdrop to host the palace's intrigue. "The Favorite" has a rich but highly focused aesthetic: the walls are covered with layers and layers of elaborate upholstery, which make the spaces look like luxurious cages. Wallpapers and paintings are everywhere, especially in the queen's room, where they act almost as teenage posters. In order to enhance natural light, many large windows, mirrors, glossy floors and even gold inserts were used in actors' costumes. Of course, I also have to mention Queen Anna's bed. Carved and hand-painted and of course giant in scale, it is one of the most impressive pieces of the whole movie.
The key words for The Favorite: Luxury, 18th century, wallpapers
It's complicated
We talked and we will talk about many high concepts and unreal scenes. Let's go to something a little closer to reality. Let's go to the 1920s Spanish -style ranch, with a terracotta roof and stone corridors of Meryl Streep in "It's Complicated".
Her kitchen certainly made many say, "I found the kitchen of my dreams." Its marble countertops, the open concept shelves, its white ceramics, the wooden spoons that fill the stone jars, blend beautifully to create a chic and warm effect. And of course, the perfect element for every kitchen: a central window that fills the space with natural light. Generally in all the scenes of the film, Nancy Meyers has used natural materials, such as linen and mats as well as light tones of wood. The spaces are casual and comfortable but with a unique personal style, such as paintings on the walls and books in the shelves. At the same time some color pops are used, mainly orange and blue.
The key words for it's complicated: Comfortable, natural tones, wood
Barbie
One of the most important and recognizable elements of this film is its sets. The designers behind the film's scenes were inspired by Palm Springs and Mid Century Modernism (such as Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House), trying to bring Barbie's plastic world to life. The announcement of this film alone and the first images and trailers released were a pop phenomenon and brought to the surface interior design trends such as the Barbie Core, with features such as Midcentury or 80s and 90s influences, beach elements such as the headboard in Barbie's bed reminiscent of a shell, features that look artificial and fake and of course the Barbie Pink. Barbie's house, of course, uses a variety of different colors, such as white, green, soft blue and yellow.
One feature of Barbie from which we can all take example is that she fills her home with things that make her happy.
The key words for Barbie: Mid Century Modernism, Palm Springs, Pink, Female
Poor Things
We could not miss the film "Poor Things" by Yorgos Lanthimos. Some were excited about this film and others not. But even the toughest critics admitted that it is a visual feast. Production designers James Price and Shona Heath rejected the word "Steampunk" to describe their work, although it seems as if there are some influences. They prefer to think about it as "a fantastic, adventurous and surreal world". Most of the backgrounds are real, with a few VFX elements. Of course as in previous films we mentioned here, the spaces say something about the characters. E.g. The character of Emma Stone, who begins as an "adult baby", first lives in a kid-friendly home: decorated with round walls, with protective lining. In general, the scenes are a combination of futuristic and retro elements from many eras, from 20s to 90s. The world of Poor Things is luxurious, but in a special, individual way.
The key words for Poor Things: Surreal, adventurous, steampunk, luxurious
I hope these movies and their unique spaces inspire you in your decoration. You don't have to stay in decorating magazines. You can draw inspiration from anything!
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