Posted by Willy

By Jade Blackmore

If you look closer at your favorite films, you’ll notice that set design is often as important to a movie’s success as the rest of the production. A character’s home or workplace often gives you an insight into their psyche and can even propel the plot forward.

You can get inspiration for decorating your own home from any film you watch – whether it’s a sci-fi blockbuster, a low budget indie, or a period piece.

You may not have the set designer’s budget or be able to find the exact vase or sofa you admire, but you will find something comparable with a little research. The next time you’re watching your favorite movie on Netflix, take time to notice the decors. It might look just as good in your home as it does on screen.

Here are a few ideas for putting your own spin on décor from a dozen popular movies.

Breakfast at Tiffany, starring Audrey Hepburn as the free-wheeling Holly Golightly, highlighted the titular characters sparsely furnished bohemian digs.

Try adding a splash of exotica to a hardwood floor with a zebra throw rug, adding a few throw pillows on a bare couch, or juxtaposing various-sized crates as decorations or end tables. Paint crates or decorate them with stickers or costume jewelry; or leave them unadorned for an industrial look. Use a lattice folding screen to separate a single room into two private spaces, and don’t forget the champagne flutes for your morning milk.

Hitchcock’s Vertigo is best known for its intensity and intrigue, but it also won an Academy Award for Best Set Design in 1958.

Midge’s (Barbara Bel Geddes) huge San Francisco apartment may seem cluttered at first, but there’s a lot there worth imitating. Put a potted plant or Buddha statue on a work desk or hang Madri Gras or sock and buskin masques to a corner of your wall. Use a free-standing closet or armoire to save space and add panache to a large room.

Bridget from Bridget Jones’s Diary spruced up her kitchen with Mason Jars on shelves between her retro cabinets, but you can use plaques, small paintings, or framed photos, too.

Pin up a mirror over your sink (make sure it’s secure) for an unexpected view of the dining table – or the fridge. Use a Victorian lampshade on your floor lamp to add a bit of mystery to your living room, like Bridget, or a sunray-design mirror or wall clock for above the fireplace.

Carrie Bradshaw’s infamous apartment in Sex and the City: The Movie is a hodge-podge of pieces that work well together.

You can incorporate this New York chic style anywhere with a comfy black leather armchair, a few unevenly-spaced shelves and shocking blue walls with scattered, framed photos.

Call Me By Your Name reminded viewers that soft, romantic hues are better for the soul than the toned-down grays of modern minimalism.

Fill up a drab room with floor to ceiling bookcases, or add a gold-edged triptych mirror to your living room for a glamorous look. Hang curtains on the wall above your bed instead of a painting or poster.

You may not have the mega-bucks of the family in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, but you can burst out of your comfort zone by painting your walls melon or hot pink instead of using the customary pastels.

Light up your parlor or living room with a candelabra lamp or use rattan chairs indoors and in the bedroom. In the kitchen, display brightly colored bowls, teapots and mixers on shelves book-ended by potted flowers.

Imitate the retro-bohemian style of Eliza’s loft in The Shape of Water by using a wall (or half-wall) of open storage boxes to show off shoes, appliances or knick-knacks.

The 1950s style Formica dining table and padded chairs in the give a cozy vibe to any dining nook, and you can add a shelved, standalone closet to store kitchen items and save space. Use large white brick tile in the bathroom to continue with the retro theme in every room. (Aquatic creature not included.)

Opt for the industrial look of Ex Machina without having to seclude yourself with an eccentric billionaire by substituting a tablecloth covered picnic table for a traditional dining room table.

Hang metal pendant lamps from the living room ceiling to illuminate overstuffed sofa and bright blue armchairs.

Stanley Kubrick’s controversial film A Clockwork Orange offered some of the most outrageous décor of any film in the 1960s.

Decorate any room – even the bathroom – with framed pop art prints, or spring for a painting of an irreverent or random subject. Use gold, purple or patterned wallpaper in your bedroom or living room as a conversation starter. Use a Mid-Century credenza to display pop sculpture or barware. Admire it while listening to vinyl records on a turntable with on-wall speakers.

The Graduate was one of the defining films of the 1960s, and the film’s décor is just as inviting today as it was then.

Take a cue from Mrs. Robinson’s monochrome bar and use white vinyl or leather stools as a contrast to black leather armchairs in your living room. Use decorative bottles and decanters in the kitchen, to decorated desktops, tabletops or anywhere you want to add a dollop of color. In the bedroom, upgrade a simple dressing table mirror with one outlined by lights, Hollywood style, along with a white and lilac stool.

Director Baz Luhrmann’s films are known for their glitz and glamour, and The Great Gatsby is no exception.

The 1920s décor is to die for, including Tom and Daisy’s mostly white sitting room. Do your own Art-Deco version of it with a geometric pattern throw rug, a melon-colored armchair and an elegant ivory sofa flanked by gold-and-white end tables. You might also try pale pink or white loungers for a similar subdued, romantic style.

Coco Before Chanel tells the story of the famed fashion designer before she hit her stride. The set design features replicas of such items as the designer’s beige suede sofa.

Add hardcover or leatherbound books to wood shelves above a couch or anywhere to add a classic touch to your home. And you may not be able to create a mirrored staircase, like Chanel, but you can add mirrors to hallways and entrance ways to create an illusion of space.