Legends of La Cienega

If you are in the Los Angeles area next week, be sure to attend the 2010 Legends of La Cienega event as they celebrate design in film and television. Sponsored by Elle Decor magazine, the event will feature vignettes and lectures of interior designer's work inspired by many of our favorite films along with tributes to some of the leading set decorators in the business:

Interior Designers and Showrooms:


• Auntie Mame by Woodson & Rummerfield at Baker
• Breakfast at Tiffany's by Richard Hallberg at Navona Antiques
• Dangerous Liaisons by Tim Corrigan at Reborn Antiques
• Dr. Zhivago by Dayna Lee at George Smith Handmade Furniture 
• The Fountainhead by Oliver Furth at Bausman & Co.
• Goldfinger by James Radin at Mecox Gardens
• L.A. Confidential by Kevin Corn at Maison Schembri
• Lawrence of Arabia by Philip Nimmo at Compas Architectural Stone, Inc.
• A Passage to India by Peter Dunham at Hollyhock
• Pillow Talk by Sheldon Harte at Gray Morell


Leading Set Decorators:


• A Tribute to Film Noir by Laura Richarz (True Blood, Cheers, and Three's Company) and David Smith (Cirque du Freak, Shop Girls, Imagine That, and Holiday) at Jean de Merry
• A Tribute to Black and White Television Classics by Peter Gurski and Melinda Ritz (Will and Grace) at Scalamandré
• A Tribute to Romantic and Musical Comedies of the '50s and '60s by Melissa Levander (The Conspirator,   Made of Honor, and Little Miss Sunshine) at Dragonette Ltd.
• Barbara Munch, Glee, at Jamal's Rug Collection
• Ann Shea, Big Bang Theory, at Todd Hase Furniture, INC.
• Amy Wells, Mad Men, at Paul Marra Design
• Amy Wells, The Single Man, at The Nanz Company and Remains Lighting


This is a partial list and there are many more events and vignettes planned.
For more on the event, see their website.

A Tale of Two Crowns

Sequels and remakes seem to be the order of the day in Hollywood as filmmakers continually try to improve on a classic and practice the old adage "imitation is the sincerest for of flattery." Most of the time they miss the mark and should leave well enough alone. And often the remake provides a fresh new take on a classic. Thomas Crown Affair is a perfect case in point of the latter.

I was watching a Tonight Show interview with Pierce Brosnan the other night and the discussion of a possible sequel to his remake of Thomas Crown Affair came up. Apparently no script has been decided
as of yet but hope springs eternal. Both films captured the style and glamour of an era and tell the tale of a cat and mouse caper with a multi millionaire protagonist  and his sophisticated suitor.

The original stars Steve McQueen (who goes against type) as a bored playboy/corporate titan who decides to pull off a bank heist in Boston. Chased by insurance investigator Vicky Anderson (Faye Dunaway), the elegant stylish film is filled with polo, art auctions, dune buggys at the beach and a memorable soundtrack. The film is said to be McQueen's favorite and the part was originally offered to Sean Connery (who would have made an equally wonderful Crown).

The remake stars Pierce Brosnan as the billionaire Crown and Rene Russo as Catherine Banning as the insurance investigator. Similar plot lines but this time the heist is a Monet at the Met and the playground extends from Manhattan to Martinique and racing on the beach is replaced with a flight on a glider and polo is replaced by crashing a catamaran.

Dune buggy scene shot on the beach in Ipswitch

The two seat German glider scene was actually filmed in the studio

Dunaway's wardrobe was designed by Theodora Van Runkle. Faye Dunaway noted in the book Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design (Harper Collins) "It was the age of the mini, just as it was starting to happen. I said to Thea, 'Let's go very short, this woman doesn't do anything by half measures.' And the micro-mini was born."

Both Dunaway's updo and Russo's hairstyle caused a sensation  and were highly requested and copied....

as were the use of oversize hats in both films....

Production designer Bruno Rubeo and set decorator Leslie Rollins were not allowed to shoot in the Metropolitan so they developed ingenious sets that were identical to the portrait galleries. The interior of the New York public library was used as well as a soundstage.

Crown's to die for townhouse was also shot on a soundstage. Shown below are designs for the entrance hall and study.

Here's hoping for Thomas Crown Part Three....

Photo Credits: MGM, Leslie Rollins, IMDB

There is Style in Giving Back: The Genesis Awards

The old saying "every dog gets his day" came true last week at the Humane Society of the United States 24th annual Genesis Awards - think of it as Oscar night for the animal kingdom.  The star studded awards show celebrates individuals and the media who make a difference on behalf of animals.

Celebrity presenters such as Keely Shaye and Pierce Brosnan, Antonio Banderas, Big Love's Ginnifer Goodwin and Teri Hatcher gave awards to shows such as the Academy Award winning Up and The Cove to the Ellen Degeneres Show, Family Guy and Whale Wars.

Mr. and Mrs. Brosnan

Ginnifer Goodwin

Teri Hatcher

Melanie Griffith presented her mother Tippi Hedren (many will remember her in Hitchcock's The Birds and Marnie) with the Genesis Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her work for the preservation of big cats. For over forty years she has worked tirelessly in raising awareness and on legislation to ban the breeding and trade of exotic cats. Hedren's Shambala Reserve is a loving home to 70 discarded big cats -- leopards, servals, tigers, panthers, bobcats and lynxes to name a few. The reserve is forty miles outside of Los Angeles and open to the public. Congratulations Tippi!

Tippi Hedren

Hedren with daughter Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas

Jazzy the bobcat

Rowdy the Lion

The show will air on Animal Planet April 24th at noon and April 25th at 1:00 PM Eastern time.
To read more about the Genesis Awards, see their website. For the Humane Society, go here.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of the Humane Society and Tim Long/Long Photography and Shambala Reserve. The Birds courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Divorce, French Style

Every now and then a little film comes along that doesn't necessarily enjoy major box office success but is high on style and an all star cast.  From director James Ivory (who has a new film I will be reporting on soon - The City of Your Final Destination), Le Divorce (Merchant Ivory, 2003) is the tale of a pregnant American wife (Naomi Watts) who gets dumped in Paris by her French husband. Kate Hudson plays her visiting sister who has an affair (and gets a red crocodile Kelly bag as a reward), Leslie Caron a chic yet meddling mother in law along with supporting roles by Glenn Close, Stockard Channing and Sam Waterston.

French production designer Frederic Bernard created the wonderfully French appointed interiors and costume designer Carol Ramsey did the wardrobe. Based on Diane Johnson's novel of the same name, it's love, betrayal, crimes of passion and the great divide between French and American culture..... and did I mention great sights of Paris? Besides the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, you might recognize Cafe de Flore. and Le Georges.

Hudson's character gets a French update to her looks post - affair

Caron's pattern on pattern bedroom. Note the charming doghouse!

While I won't ruin the plot the aforementioned Kelly bag, a priceless painting and a Chanel scarf play a role. Only in France...

Diane Johnson's book is available on Amazon.

Photo credits: Merchant Ivory Productions

Movie & a Makeover and a few questions...

I  had the pleasure of meeting the very enigmatic Brian Patrick Flynn while in Los Angeles recently when he was on the panel with me at the Schumacher "It's Not Complicated" event. Brian is the on-air talent of the fun and right-down-my-alley TBS show Movie & a Makeover which shows makeover tips - fashion, beauty and of course, interior design. The movies range from our favorite Something's Gotta Give to this month's schedule that includes Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality 2, Jerry MacGuire and Bewitched.

I asked Brian a few questions about his interesting design career:

Cinema Style: You have one of the more interesting design careers, tell me about how you got started.

BPF: I started my career as a news producer, then moved to the TV department working on home makeover show. Eventually I got in front of the camera and at the same time I started taking on residential clients as a decorator. When people ask what my occupation is it's easiest to say TV producer -- everything I do is somewhat of a production: upholstery, draperies, kitchen build outs, etc.

For the past seven years I have been Associate Producer AND the on-air talent for Movie & a Makeover. This past year I also launched Decor Demon (great product, innovative interiors and behind the scenes looks at TV and set design).

CS: What is the difference between designing furniture for home versus a television set?


BPF: While homes are meant for comfort and self-expression, sets are a workplace with a ticking clock. Dimensions need to fit the task at hand -- the Chesterfield inspired sofa from our set is only 17.5 inches deep for our small framed host Mia Butler to sit astute and quickly deliver her talking points. (In reality the sofa should be between 22-23 inches deep to allow for comfy lounging).

A set from Movie & a Makoever 

 CS: Are there certain patterns that work better on camera versus residential interiors?


BPF: Designing for the camera and designing for real life are two completely different worlds in relation to textiles. Tight, busy patterns confuse the camera -- large scale graphic patterns are the way to go. If you chose a pattern too large, it becomes too prominent in a scene, taking the focus off your subject.

70's inspired graphic wallpaper

CS: Is there an element you use in your residential interiors that we might not find on your sets?


BPF: Texture! My affinity for texture comes into play more so with residential interiors because texture doesn't always translate too well to video. When designing for TV, color trumps texture, however in the home of real people, it's vice versa.

Brian notes that "Accessorizing is at its best here as I stuck with my routine of large, graphic objects with different textures. This is an example that would translate exceptionally well on TV."

CS: And lastly, what is your overall style?


BPF: Theatrically liveable. A mashup of eras riding the line between masculine and feminine. There is always something theatrical to very space I do which can be scale, accent color, pattern or finishes.

Basically when you walk into any of my spaces, there is a moment of "I feel like I am on a Hollywood set but I also have the urge to take off my shoes and lay down on the floor."  Every time I hear that, it totally makes my day.

Brian's insistence on working with flea market finds started out of necessity due to tight TV set budgets. Now he's turned it into his calling card. On Movie & a Makeover, Brian showed viewers how orphaned dining chairs can quickly become designer grade with sandpaper, glossy spray paint and professionally made cushions. Below is a bachelor pad gets an updated  50's diner look.

Flynn's fresh take on a classic black and white Hollywood look for a bar area. "The strong contrast adds interest to an otherwise bland space, then punched up drama and glamour with a rococo mirror finished in bold cherry red."

For Brian's new series Decor Demon, he stuck to his Hollywood-inspired roots to design a bachelor loft for writer/producer roommates. One of his signature styles is the masculine approach to glamour. To achieve this look, he used graphic wallpapers, rich fabrics (think velvet or mohair) and added a few touches of femininity with curved furniture lines such as this Victorian inspired sofa (below) that was, which he found in the trash and spray painted!

Photos courtesy of Brian Patrick Flynn 

Photo credits: Sarah Dorio 

The Good Look of the Good Wife

Set decorator Beth Kushnick of The Good Wife just launched a new blog on the design of her show. The recent post I did on her show was so popular --  she received numerous questions on how to get the look of the sets. Now you can contact her directly!!

Congrats Beth! You can visit her site here.

Photo Credits: CBS Television

Easter Parade

Since Easter Sunday is upon us, I thought it would a great time to revisit a beloved holiday film, aptly named Easter Parade (MGM, 1948). 

Starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire as a dancing team who fall in love. Set in 1900's New York, Garland plays Astaire's young protegee who Astaire vows to make a star by the next year's Easter Parade. Hence, the name. The film is naturally filled with wonderful choreography set to Irving Berlin show tunes naturally (just try and get the lead song out of your head) and fanciful parade clothing designed by Irene Lentz- Gibbons. Other tunes made popular were "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and "Couple of Swells."

Gene Kelly was slated to play the Astaire role but a broken ankle intervened. Cyd Charise was replaced by Ann Miller due to a torn ligament and performed her dance numbers in a back brace. Supposedly Judy Garland danced with pinched nerves in her back. Astaire was coaxed out of retirement to make this film and amazingly it marked the first time he and Garland had met!

The vintage lithographs by artist Virginia Fisher of costume designer Irene Lentz-Gibbons designs were the subject of an exhibit at the LA County Museum of Art several years ago. Lentz was the sister in law of famed art director and MGM production chief Cedric Gibbons who designed over 150 films while at Metro. You can read more on Lentz at her website. Her work can be seen on a variety of films ranging from The Ziegfield Follies and Flying Down to Rio to Lover Come Back and Midnight Lace. 

Virginia Fisher's works can be purchased through Art Sellers. All are signed and numbered and many initialed by the actresses themselves.

Happy Easter!

Photo Credits: Antique Helper, Art Sellers, MGM