There are these “reels” of memories — films short and long — playing out around your home. It’s like you’re living on the silver screen or some amazing Hollywood set that reinvents itself every few years. Or every season, really.
And here comes the new “film” season, billboards are strewn throughout the neighborhood as evermore elaborate Halloween decor has popped up in your neighbors’ yards.
Another season of back-to-back-to-back holidays means the cameras will really start rolling on new memories in your home’s same old spaces. So we thought it would be fun to seek some Hollywood inspiration for the film set that is your home.
Of course, films are often set in a specific time and era, but the ability of certain interior design approaches to evoke a particular feeling never goes out of style. And that’s what we’ll focus on today — style.
Namely, what we can glean from the silver screen (big or small) about how to use it as inspiration to achieve a look that’s classic and traditional, modern and trendy, or a style medley uniquely your own. And, of course, how upholstery can help you create those vibes and set the scene in your home for all memories soon to be made.
Sleepless No More: Using Fabrics To Get the Classic Cinema Style Vibe
For classic style inspiration, we searched for sets featuring a more traditional-looking design vibe. And there we found such rich clues about bringing that look into your home.
We’ll start with a modern classic: Sleepless in Seattle. Long before our two protagonists enter each other’s arms *um, spoiler*, we find ourselves in their family rooms, each decked out in new-school traditional furniture.
And each rocking an overstuffed super comfy-looking sofa dressed in neutrals (neutrals will be a bit of a theme today, btw) like an eggshell tweed. Their accent pillows diverge into patterns befitting their personalities, like (his) an earthy geometric pattern, and (hers) a windchime grey linen, sterling silver velvet, and a bit of floral (like ya’ do).
Let’s turn to another film that’s now something of an unexpected perennial favorite: The Family Stone. Here we see a family gather in a home chock-full of patterns and traditional Americana-style decor.
Their upholstery choices make way for that vibe. Amongst pieces making a cameo, we find a tufted armchair in mahogany brown leather (or perhaps chestnut faux leather). The family room sofa sings with simplicity in traditional piped upholstery in a muted neutral tone. The matriarch’s chair, highbacked and winged, looks positively fit for a queen in an heirloom patterned tapestry fabric.
Go Mad for Modern Upholstery and Have Your Home Feeling Like a Holiday
Let’s slip into something a bit more modern — midcentury modern, that is. A style that tends to inspire strong opinions one way or the other. If you love it, you really love it. And you love getting it right. Here we’ll shift to the small screen first. Because who does midcentury modern better than Mad Men?
We find inspiration in their warmly upholstered timeless pieces, all taut, crisp, and low profile. Like an exposed wood frame lounge chair and ottoman in black leather or faux leather. Tufted sofas in a veritable color-wheel of tones like saddle brown, vermillion red, and cobalt blue. And various armchairs, ready for whatever the conversation calls for, classically clad in bisque warm taupe.
Now a turn that might surprise you: The Holiday. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet swapping houses makes for some stellar design inspiration.
Diaz’s spectacular home offers such a welcoming, calming, and yet cleanly modern vibe. And it gets there with upholstery fabric choices like sofas and overstuffed modern chairs in white ivory denim and armchairs in rich chocolate brown contemporary chenille. The earthy neutrals continue with throw pillows in sandy beige duck, and bedding in white, silver, and graphite grey tones.
And can we talk about those curtains in something like a dark charcoal jacquard — and how they actually blackout light? Yes. Please.
You’ve Got Mail: And a Magical Home Design Style Medley All Your Own
We’ll stick with The Holiday to transition to this last section. Because Kate Winslet’s place in the film is just such a delicious style medley. It’s not modern like Diaz’s, but it’s also not simply traditional. It’s a medley of decor ingredients seemingly handed down or lovingly chosen along the way. No notion of adhering to anything strictly matchy-matchy.
This is about creating a house that decidedly feels like home — like her home. And that’s what this last bit is all about.
Kate’s character makes it uniquely hers with upholstery choices like a sofa in blush pink stripes, a tufted coffee table in fountain blue plush velvet, and two armchairs, one in natural white and the other resplendent in something like a pink floral print.
Back to our modern-day Hepburn-Grant. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail. Her character represents a quintessentially soulful and authentic person, and her apartment lives up to the hype. Here we find her snuggled up in a home spilling over with treasured objects and an array of soft, warm, almost folk art color tones.
Furniture looks at the notion of matchy-matchy and says an emphatic no. Instead opting for a sofa that’s an upholstered bouquet in florals like coral peach Crypton linen and paired with throw pillows upholstered in contrasting fabric patterns like indigo blue foliage.
Her bed is a festival of colors but with a foundational headboard upholstered in simple champagne gold stripes. And an overstuffed (and clearly well-loved) armchair — fit for the avid reader she is — is dressed something like a simple (and presumably snuggly) acorn beige chenille.
Roll Credits on the New Warm and Welcome Home Vibe You’ll Soon Have
A quick note as we roll the credits. There are SO very many films we could’ve chosen here. What we landed on (at least for today) lives at the intersection of which photos we found most readily for you to reference and some personal favorites.
The overarching design advice throughline remains the same as ever: you do you. Whatever your style vibe, whatever warm and welcoming means to you, trust it. You know how you want your home to feel. And you know how to set the stage for the memories to come.
Today’s specific Hollywood-inspired takeaway is don’t be shy about where you look for inspiration. When you find yourself not just wrapped up in a favorite movie but wrapped up in where the characters live or play, trust that instinct. And lean in to look closer.
Here at the largest upholstery fabric store online, we know paying homage to the fabrics you see on the big (or small) screen can help you set the scene in your home for creating new “forever memories” to treasure for years to come. And we’re here — popcorn popped and eagerly at the ready — to make your Hollywood home decor dreams come true. Reach out today.