Interior Design at the Movies

Star-studded and quirky style courtesy of films with interior design ‘It’ factor 

Many a movie has achieved iconic status because of its eye-catching sets. So successfully do directors and designers seize our imaginations, that the next thing you know, your sitting room has transformed into the Jack Rabbit Slim diner from Pulp Fiction. It should therefore come as no surprise that they’re also a big influence on interior design outside the home, be that in hotels, restaurants or exclusive hangouts.

One of the biggies in interior style influence is of course the great Wes Anderson, filmmaker extraordinaire and trailblazer for innovative, inventive and thoroughly unorthodox film sets. So, in homage to Wes’s 11th motion picture offering, Asteroid City, we’ve put together our exclusive mustard ID short-list of film sets to inspire interior design professionals all over planet Earth.

First up is Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

The dystopian theme is perfectly suited to the hyper-stylized interior sets, which ooze early 1970s maximalism.

Based on the 1962 Anthony Burgess book, this Kubrick classic embodies a dystopian theme coupled with hyper-stylized film sets. These sets capture a retro-futuristic, mid-century take on interior design. Loud and bold interiors appear throughout, complemented by the iconic bowler hat and single fake eyelash look of lead character Alex, as portrayed by a youthful Malcolm McDowell.

Who doesn’t love the post-modernist flat where Alex lived, complete with square-printed orange, lime and silver wallpaper in the kitchen, no less.

Then there’s Mr and Mrs Alexander’s house, a real Hertfordshire property called Skybreak, an ultra-modern structure filled with space-age furniture. Designed between 1965 and 1966 by architecture firm Team 4, the main living space is a typical Mid-Century conversation pit. Being 1971, it’s decorated with a steel and glass-topped coffee table, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a Saarinen Executive Armchair. Design for the daring.

For our next choice’ we’re holding a magnifying glass up to 2021’s Licorice Pizza.

This Paul Thomas Anderson-directed flick dials back the clock to the City of Angels circa 1973. However, unlike Kubrick’s 70’s dystopian vision, Licorice Pizza dives head-on into the design clichés of the era. From teak furniture, wood-panelled walls, waterbeds, and abundant leather and lime green (natch), there’s no escape from the kitsch. But that’s the point – we don’t want to escape it. For playful and fun, these interior designs are equally at home in boutique hotels and no-tell motels. And don’t forget your Rayban Aviators.

It would be a crime if we didn’t include a Wes Anderson movie in this Wes Anderson-inspired list.

Apologies, Mr Anderson, for bypassing Asteroid City, but this time round we’re shining our spotlight on the award-hoovering The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Way, way back in 2014, Wes situated his 1920s caper within a maximalist world of jewelled and pastel hues, and it’s no stretch to believe that the movie won an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Production Design. Injected with art nouveau style, each and every set is stuffed with eye-popping colour. From cherry-red carpets and sugar-pink walls to the sparkling chandeliers of yesteryear, the sets metamorphose into the starkness embodied by the Sixties – fading glamour within a stripped back minimalist world. It’s this kind of mix ‘n match that grabs the attention of us all in the here and now.

There’s something about the look of these movies that can transfer successfully into any interior design project and be riffed upon. If you’ve got ideas that can match these stellar offerings, then mustard ID have the kind of job opportunities that will make you swoon. We’d love to hear from you, and the number to dial is 0117 929 6060.