John and I had a relatively quiet weekend freezing our behinds off here in Boston. We’re fighting off colds, again, and so we spent a lot of time parked in front of the TV where we rented “This Is Where I Leave You”. Despite the bad reviews, I actually really liked it – I laughed, I did cry a little bit but mostly my jaw was on the floor because of the house.
I loooovee a good movie house. Home Alone? Classic. Father of the Bride? A flippin’ dream. Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Oh my effing G. And let’s not forget about Something’s Gotta Give. So I was pretty hopeful when the movie got rolling and I realized the characters would be spending the remainder of the movie at home. More specifically, this home:
I could tell in the first few frames that there was some house porn ahead. We’re off to a fantastic start with the wide white siding on top & white brick on the bottom, slate roof, black shutters and that glorious red door. The red is actually a hint of what’s inside this house, as you’ll see.
Many of the scenes take place in this room, and thank god. I love this mint & gold floral wallpaper, mixed with those yellow zebra-print chairs, the pale blue in the hallway and that red lamp.
I love how the trim here is a darker color, like a golden taupe, while the rest remains white. It’s a great ‘rule’ to break: not all the trim has to be the same color. I also love the art in this house – it looks like a real art collection, not something that’s been staged. That painting in the hallway is gorgeous, I wish I knew who did it.
I literally took this picture of my tv screen, because I am a maniac. But you can really see the painting here!
In the kitchen, there is a Saarinen marble-top table surrounded by classic black dining chairs. Awesome. And the windows! I love the color; it looks like it could be Green Smoke from Farrow & Ball.
The dining room is a vibrant red. I love the Rittenhouse pendant above the table and the pattern on the curtains. Notice the trim on the windows above is also painted red.
This is the less formal family room. There are a few different patterns in here, from the teal ikat chairs, the loose floral on the curtains and the geometric pillows. And I spy a red lamp.
So, just ignore Jane Fonda’s bionic boobs in these pictures: we’re looking at the pale blue hallway and, surprise, that’s red carpet on the stairs! I would never have thought to do that, but I have to say, it works.
Yes, it’s another screen image – sorry. I need help & a different hobby.
Ooo! We’re heading into one of the prettiest rooms.
Such pretty wallpaper in here, and I love the blue tile around the fireplace. There’s even some red in this room on her dresser, with those amazing large brass pulls.
The backyard ain’t shabby, either. These characters all talked about how they “got out” of the town and their old lives there, and how weird it was to be back. If I had grown up in this house, I doubt I would have ever left and you can rest assured I’d fist-fight all my siblings for it in the will.
If you want to peek inside other great movie homes, I highly recommend Hooked On Houses. It’s the best resource for movie homes, regular homes and what really goes on behind-the-scenes on all those crap HGTV shows.




















Pingback: Wes Anderson is for Design Lovers | this is the frontier
I have been scouring the Internet trying to find the artist who painted that picture in the hallway in This Is Where I Leave You but I have had no luck. How about you?
I have not! At this point, I’m ready to break out my oil paints and re-create it 🙂