Because nobody demanded it . . . the obligatory Sex and the City post

Check out the shoulder pads on Samantha - yikes


From Traditional Home - June July 2008

I know you're all sick of Sex and the City the Movie blog postings, so I apologize in advance. Having said that, I spied the bureau in Samantha's* L.A. office and realized that a.) I like it and b.) I'm seeing it quite a bit lately, namely in Jan's booth at the Ravenswood Antique Mall and also in Hilary's gorgeous town home.

Upon doing a bit of research, I found an article in Palm Beach Life that tells a bit about the piece, the Espana, which was originally designed by Dorothy Draper and which is still available in antique stores and through Kindel Furniture Company.


Hilary's town home


Jan's booth at the Ravenswood Antique Mall

And just to get it over with, here are some other photos. I don't know about you, but I liked Carrie's apartment better before she decorated.




Miranda's place

* Did Kim Cattrall piss off the wrong person (and I think we all know to whom I'm referring) or what? The formerly fabulous Samantha spends most of the movie in L.A. - miserable and sexless.

To make matters worse, Ms. Cattrall's scenes include her wolfing down chips and guacamole, getting fat and getting stood up while cold sushi adorns her naked body. As she fumes, she can hear her anonymous (not to mention hot) neighbors go at it. The final moments in the movie finds Samantha and the gals celebrating her fiftieth birthday.

I can't wait for the sequel where she'll undoubtedly battle hot flashes and premature Alzheimer's before finally finding love (and all the men she can handle) in a nursing home.


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Design In the Movies . . . Vertigo

Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak in "Vertigo."

My buddie, Liz, thinks Vertigo is a "snoozer," and I can understand that opinion. Vertigo's a slow boil, but if you stick with it, the heat continues to build and it's too late by the time you notice all the bubbles around you. From that point on, it's sheer terror; it's one of my favorites.

Like all films, it's been analyzed to death, so I'm going to stick mostly to design commentary this time. Long story short, Jimmy Stewart plays Scottie and Kim Novak plays Madeleine / Judy. They fall in love twice, both times ending in tragedy. Other stuff happens.

Frankly Scottie's aging bachelor status, taste in furniture and best gal-pal, Midge (played by Dallas matriarch Barbara Bel Geddes), makes me less curious about why he keeps chasing women to their deaths. There's nothing like a little grieving period to delay certain inevitable suspicions from family and friends. Remember when Scottie undresses Madeleine after her splash in San Francisco Bay? Honey, you had nothing to worry about.


Jimmy Stewart clearly has a chair fetish to go along with his blond one. Check out the sharp, plaid pattern in the left corner. And look at the Barbara Barry-esque back on the occasional chair in the right corner; what kind of single guy has an occasional chair in the bedroom (we're not talking bean-bag)? This is an awesome room.


And in color. Is that a Burberry pattern? Well, well, isn't that fancy, Ms. Stewart. The dresser in the back is very cool. The piece's heft is moderated by its elevation, creating a sense of space in what looks like a small bedroom.


And here's his best bud, Midge's house. Midge is a very butch name, isn't it? I wonder why she set her sights on Scottie? She's a little long in the tooth to be single at her age too. It's been awhile since I last watched this movie; is he doing a dance routine here?

Design in the Movies . . . Rope

It's Hitchcock month at Strange Closets, and today the focus is on "Rope." The entire movie takes place in one room, so Hitchcock knows better than to make it boring. The set's floor to ceiling windows create a magnificent backdrop for the diabolical duo played by John Dall and Farley Granger, who decide to commit a murder to see if they can get away with it and impress their mentor played by Jimmy Stewart.




The windows are particularly eerie, not for what they look like but for what their contemporary lines suggest about contemporary life, that something as horrific as a murder can happen in plain sight and that the masses will not only be ignorant to it, but also to eat hors d'oeuvres and attend a party thrown by the killers and staged around the corpse.

It makes me wonder what's happening in all those multi-million dollar penthouses with similar views. Are we at the party right now, clueless about what's rotting beneath us?



As the tension ratchets up and suspicions flare, we, the viewer, can take in the slowly darkening sky through those gorgeous windows. Don't worry, Jimmy Stewart comes to the rescue, exposing their scheme, horrified at how far they have taken his hypothetical proposition.



While the focus is on the actors and the decor is deliberately subdued in favor of the view, I do love the set, with its neutral color palette and contemporary feel. I especially love how the modern lines of the window and long mid-century sofa are softened by the antique French side chairs, occasional tables and benches, as if to suggest that it's not too late; we don't have to charge full-speed ahead into the modern world.

Similar chairs are being re-imagined (the Napoleon chair is shown here in black velvet) and are available at shops like Chicago's own Jayson Home & Garden. And Room and Board has a nice selection of mid-century inspired sofas.

Design In the Movies . . . Rear Window

Have you ever watched a movie and given more attention to the design than the movie? From time to time, I'll point out the ones that tempt me to trade spaces with the actors . . . even if I might have to dial M for murder. That's right, this month is all about Hitchcock. And to kick things off, we'll take a look at my absolute favorite, the classic, "Rear Window," starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.

Check out this stunning chandelier. It's sexy, feminine, flirtatious and formal all at the same time, curiously enough, qualities that describe Princess Grace herself. How does design both contrast and reinforce not only the mood, but also the characters? After all, this chandelier is in L.B.'s (Jimmy Stewart) apartment, not Lisa's. Is it a stand-in for Lisa? A hint as to his true feelings? Or just something he takes for granted while he's traveling the world on photography gigs?
















You can also spot it in a photo from the most recent Vanity Fair, which brilliantly aped Hitchcock's films with today's Hollywood A-listers. That's Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem as Lisa Fremont and L.B. Jeffries. Not bad, huh? I wonder where they found what appears to be either exact or very close approximations of the original props? This idea is swell, but let's hope the remakes stop at still photos. Remember Vince Vaughn in Psycho? No? Exactly.




















The photos below show two other apartments in L.B.'s complex. Why can't I live in a New York city apartment with windows like this gentlemen does? Unlike many of the people L.B. spies on, this fellow puts it all out there, emotionally (remember his blow-up? That's how I feel after wasting a whole afternoon painting a room the wrong color) and through his music.


















It's only fitting that his windows are large and dramatic and open to the world. His openness is what saves the downstairs neighbor from taking her own life. Check out that lamp in her apartment. It looks dated in context, but something similar and new would probably run you a few hundred dollars.


















The song writer draws her out with his music, and in the end, she's not dining alone in her little ground floor apartment with the tiny rectangle window. Instead, she joins him in his apartment, visible to all through those glorious windows.


















What are your favorite movie sets and how did they impact story and characters? Email me at t8_1974@yahoo.com, and I'll include them in an upcoming post.