COTE DE TEXAS: Uncomplicated Nancy Meyers’ Own Home!

Uncomplicated Nancy Meyers’ Own Home!

 

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This year, Christmas Day is meaning one thing to me it seems – It’s Complicated finally arrives in theatres!    The newest eagerly awaited movie from Nancy Meyers has gotten early so-so reviews.   But what’s new?    Most of her movies don’t get raves from the critics, but the audiences love them.   Maybe this one will be the one that gets Nancy Meyers the respect she deserves.   It was recently nominated for Best Comedy by the Golden Globes and its star Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Comedic Actress for blogger favorite Julie and Julia AND It’s Complicated.   The buzz, despite early mixed reviews, is huge.   And of course, the 1920’s Santa Barbara house where Streep’s character lives is getting a lot of attention.  Traditional Home featured it in their latest magazine and recently added more pictures on their web site.    Even the New York Times has gotten into the act with a lengthy cover story of Meyers in its previous weekend magazine  HERE.   Right now, Nancy Meyers is hot – for once.

 

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The youthful looking Nancy Meyers with her trademark glasses.   Does she look like the most powerful woman in Hollywood?    Maybe more like a friend or  a sister?   I am a huge fan of the woman – reading in the NYT story of how she was booted out of her “power booth” in a trendy LA restaurant in favor of lawyer to the stars, Howard Weitzman, makes me admire her all the more.    The list of movies she’s either written, produced or directed includes so many blockbusters – it’s shocking she still can’t get a “good” table at restaurants – yet I’m not surprised.   She doesn’t look like a major Hollywood player, yet the author of the NYT article postulates Meyers is THE woman in Tinsel Town – the most powerful female working in film today.  

 

 

Private Benjamin:   One of the funnier scenes in the movie.   Eileen Brennan almost steals the movie from Goldie Hawn.

 

Nancy Meyers’ first screen credit was in 1980 with Private Benjamin – which she co-wrote and produced along with her partner and now ex-husband Charles Shyer.   I was a single, 26 year old when I saw that movie and related tremendously to Judy Benjamin, the spoiled Jewish princess who finds herself stuck in the army (well, ok.  I didn’t exactly relate to the Army part!!!)   One scene contains what I still consider a genius piece of comedic editing:    meeting the hopelessly gorgeous Frenchman, Henri, Judy is aloof.    A romantic Frenchman for a Jewish princess?   Not going to happen.     She ignores the handsome Henri’s attentions as a “lost cause” – he obviously is not marriage material, so why bother?   When in conversation he softly utters the words “I’m Jewish” – the scene immediately cuts to the two of them in bed together.    So funny, yet so true!   My friends and I howled over that scene.   It’s no wonder I related to Judy – Nancy Meyers was another Jewish princess, only five years older than myself.   But at that time, I had no idea we shared another quality – a love of interior design.

 

 

Meyers and  Charles Shyer on the set of “Irreconcilable Differences” in 1983.  Once her partner and husband, Shyer is now remarried with young children.   That hair!    It looks like they even went to the same beautician!

 

On the heels of the success of Private Benjamin, other hits followed:   Irreconcilable Differences, Baby Boom (with wonderful set design, a hint of things to come), Father of the Bride, Parts I and II, I Love Trouble, The Parent Trap, and then came the blockbuster hits – Something’s Gotta Give, and The Holiday.   While she produced and directed What Women Want, she didn’t write it, which probably explains why it’s not a favorite of mine.   It’s Complicated is sure to be another huge hit.    Helping fuel the excitement is “the house” – the silent star of Meyer’s latest movies.  She is becoming known more for her set design than the script itself.      Father of the Bride was her first movie where the house upstaged the actors.  I remember a friend bragging that her own new George Smith sofa was featured in that movie.  A George Smith sofa?   In a movie?  Seriously?     It really is no surprise that Meyers’ films would feature beautiful interiors when you learn her background - she grew up around antiques and good interior design.  Her mother was a decorator and other close relatives were in the antiques business. She spent her childhood traipsing through the fields at antique shows with her parents.   Her love of interior design spills over to her leading ladies, especially since the characters seem based on herself.     Meyers own house is a beauty that rivals any she has created for a movie, and indeed, her designer James Radin helped create the decorating themes for SGG, The Holiday and It’s Complicated.    Touring Nancy Meyers own house, the line is sometimes blurred between reality and cinema.  

 

 

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Father of the Bride, Part I and II were the start of Meyer’s career as the Interior Designer Movie Maker.   The house featured two slipcovered George Smith sofas and other expensive furnishings.   Steve Martin remembers thinking it was all a bit too fancy for audiences to relate to.  He couldn’t have been more wrong – Meyers interiors are a huge part of her appeal.   

 

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Father of the Bride – The Living Room.

Looking at the Father of the Bride living room from the opposite direction, this fabulous slipcovered wing chair is covered in an expensive tea-stained English linen fabric.   In the recent New York Times article, Meyers discusses and defends her reasoning behind using good fabrics and expensive furniture on her sets:  it’s part of the narrative.  The characters, women who resemble Nancy Meyers herself, are successful and independent.  Of course they would have fine furnishings – Meyers does herself.  If this movie was made today – the walls would probably be painted white, not yellow.  There would be very few pillows on the sofa, instead of the dozen there now.  The rug would be seagrass, and there would be a more important coffee table.  The lace curtains would be banned, the framed prints would have white mats, not dark ones, and the accessories would be larger and fewer.   The Father of the Bride was released in 1991 – 18 years ago and it’s amazing to see how much interior decoration has changed since then.

 

 

 

Father of the Bride Filming Location

The wonderful white Colonial in the Father of the Bride series.   With the picket fence and climbing ivy – how more American apple pie can you get?   One criticism of Meyers  is  her films have all white casts with very few ethnic minorities showing up in her world.

 

 

image Father of the Bride Part II revolves around the remodeling of the house with the addition of the baby nursery.   The gorgeous nursery was revealed with much fanfare by Franck – the wedding planner turned interior designer played by Martin Short. 

 

 

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The remake of Disney’s The Parent Trap featured two important houses – one for each twin.   The California house was filmed at the Staglin Family Vineyard.

 

 

 

The Staglin Family Vineyards – here is how the living room looks furnished by the owners.  Meyers replaced all the furniture, it appears, but the glorious and important painting – Fischmarkt.   Painted by Thomas Schindler in Berlin, 1989, it depicts the “common man” in 1970s Europe.   The poor worker is buying his dinner at a local fish market – just a few small sardines - yet he is surrounded by the much larger, whole fish.  Art plays an important role in some of Meyers movies.   In particular, the art used in SGG was an outstanding choice.

 

 

image In the Parent Trap, this is the London townhouse where Annie’s mother and Annie live.  Meyers said that she wanted the background to play up Lindsey’s coloring.  In It’s Complicated, she chose the cream and peach palette to make Streep’s complexion glow.  Matching paint colors to the owner’s complexion is a good trick to use – I’ve done it a few times and it really is wonderful.

 

 

 

Meyers and Shyer coaching the young and innocent Lindsey Lohan in The Parent Trap – London location.  This scene where Hallie tries to make the guards move didn’t make it into the final cut.

 

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Meyers on the set of the Something’s Gotta Give – the master bedroom.   This house is her Oscar winning performer – none before or since is as wonderful as this Southampton beach house!

 

 

 

Produktionsbild: Sets zu The Holiday

The Holiday, her last movie, featured two houses.  This one, Amanda Wood’s L.A. house, was more cold feeling than most of Meyer’s interiors.  Or course – this matched the owner – Amanda had emotional issues.

 

 

Produktionsbild: Sets zu The Holiday

Iris’ Cotswold tiny cottage was the favorite – the living room filled with Robert Kime fabrics, suzanis, lanterns, tickings, bamboo, and all sorts of wonderful clutter – was cozy and charming.    Everyone wanted to move in here!

 

 

image  The long awaited It’s Complicated.   Meyers takes a year off between movies, then spends two years making one.  It’s three years between her films – too long for interior design aficionados to wait!!!!    Meyers says she removed the walls between the living room, dining room and kitchen to make it all one big space.   Here – in a scene reminiscent of SGG, a lively meal is shared by friends.      Meyers is a casual dresser – seen here in what seems like a uniform, a sweater and a scarf - her own interiors are as casual as her clothing. 

 

In 2004, on the heels of the success of Something’s Gotta Give, In Style Home magazine visited Nancy Meyers at home in the Pacific Palisades.  At that time the house was five years old – its construction started during her marriage, but Meyers was single by the time it was completed.   At first she wanted an East Coast shingle styled house, similar to the SGG version, but a trip to France changed all that, along with Cote Sud magazine.   She attacked the design the same way she does movies – with great attention to detail and much research.    In the end, the house’s architecture was very French inspired, with a tiled roof, thick walls, stone fireplaces and floors, and beamed ceilings.    She and James Radin, her interior designer,  went back to France to shop for the furnishings.     The interiors are more similar in decorating style to the Father of the Bride house than the SGG house.   It’s yellow walls and toile, while French inspired, actually lend  an English vibe.    There are similarities in rooms to different movies of hers:   her kitchen is said to have been an inspiration to the famous SGG kitchen.    And similarities exist between her real life study and Erica’s workspace.    Her sunroom shares elements of the  Cotswold cottage from The Holiday.   Meyers bought the house for her two girls, but she is now an empty nester.  She claims no deep attachment to the house and instead is ready to pass it onto a younger family so they can raise their own children there.   She is moving on.    Armed with more notebooks of pictures and clippings, she is planning her new house and hopes to purchase some of the furnishings in the It’s Complicated house for its interiors.  I wonder if she will be changing from French to Belgian.  Will life imitate art?    After all, there is a distinct Belgian feel to the Santa Barbara house that Jane lives in.  

 

Nancy Meyer’s Personal House in the Pacific Palisades:

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The living room in Nancy Meyers’ Pacific Palisades house is casual – done in gold chenille with orange accents.  The fireplace has a limestone mantel.   This room reminds me of the living room in It’s Complicated. 

 

 

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It’s Complicated Living Room

The casual, cluttered and cozy living room in It’s Complicated resembles Meyer’s living room – though here the furniture is covered in white slipcovers.  Where Meyer’s living room has a French feel to it, this living room is more Belgian inspired.  Despite these differences – it isn’t hard to see that the same woman is behind both rooms.   Both are “living rooms” but both seem more like casual family rooms.   Meyers is definitely not one to live with fancy, “no touch” interiors.

 

 

 

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Nancy Meyer’s Office

Meyers’ home office is off the living room and the octagonal library (not shown in the magazine.)   The ceilings were copied from a house she saw in France and the wood desk in front of the windows is eerily similar to Keaton’s writing area in Something’s Gotta Give.   The beautiful chintz covered chair and ottoman are English styled, giving Meyers a spot to nap while writing – something she likes to do.  I love the wicker magazine holder and in-box on her desk.  The brass lamp is great, as is the lantern.   The ergonomically designed desk chair needs to go, though!   Maybe she could slip cover it????  I have to say I am in love with that chair and that fabric!  It reminds of the fabric used in the dining room of SGG.

 

 

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Something’s Gotta Give:  Erica’s workspace resembles Meyers workspace.

While both desks look antique, Erica’s has turned wood legs and Meyers’ desk legs are straight.  Isn’t this desk from the movie fabulous?  Poor Erica – she looks so unhappy here!!!!  

 

 

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Something’s Gotta Give – Erica Berry’s work space

Erica, unlike Meyers, has a charming chair – an old fashioned office chair - probably from Pottery Barn.  What a beautiful room, what a beautiful house!  One day I would love to write a book about it and how it influenced houses across America!!!!

 

 

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Nancy Meyer’s Dining Room

The casually elegant dining room in Meyer’s house is my favorite room.   The chairs are covered in Bennison’s toile in charcoal.   The mirror is a reproduction - velvet framed – a copy of one Meyers found in France that couldn’t be restored.  The mirrored and crystal sconces are charming and the wonderful antique chandelier is perfectly reflected in the mirror.  I’m not sure where that fireplace seen in the reflection is located – perhaps the octagonal library has a fireplace?   I covet her blue opaline goblets!    Of course some type of textured rug is used here – it looks like a sisal.    The dining room really doesn’t remind me of any of her movie houses.   Though the SGG house has patterned covered chairs, the rooms are totally different. 

 

image Nancy Meyer’s Kitchen

 

The kitchen in Meyers house is said to have been the inspiration for the famous SGG kitchen.  A major difference is the white marble used here versus the black slate used in the SGG house.    Meyers says she loves kitchens – she wrote It’s Complicated around a kitchen remodel after all!   She spends a lot of her time here along with her two daughters - the younger one Hallie is pictured here.   Though some of the cabinets have glass fronts like the SGG kitchen – I don’t think the two are all that similar, do you? 

 

 

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Something’s Gotta Give – the famous kitchen inspired by Nancy’s own.

Similar in some elements, but mostly different.  The black countertops make a big difference, as does the subway tile.  Meyers’ kitchen has the marble slab backsplash.  The stainless hood is similar.  Today – six years later – a more decorative wood or stucco hood might have been used in both kitchens.   But one similarity is the second island with the wood countertop!    Those are exactly the same in the real house and the movie house.

 

 

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Nancy Meyers – The Sunporch:

Another wonderful room is upstairs  - the sunporch, which Nancy reports is also a much used room.  Again, this room has an English feel though the house was modeled after a French country home.   The furniture is cushy down English styled upholstery.    The ticking on the chair is wonderful – as is the antique drum doubling as a table.   The walls are yellow, the curtains toile.   The tufted ottoman doubling as a coffee table is very similar in size and function to the SGG living room coffee table.    But – surprisingly, this room resembles The Holiday’s Cotswold cottage the most.

 

 

 

imageA full view of the sunporch – from the magazine In Style Home – pardon the missing portion of the picture!  I love this room!

 

 

Produktionsbild: Sets zu The Holiday

The Holiday:  The Cotswold cottage

In The Holiday’s Cotswold cottage, there is the tufted ottoman and similar curtains to Meyers’ own sunporch.   And, the antique drum is a dead ringer for Meyers.    Both rooms, though so different in their architecture, share many similar elements:   tickings, patterned fabrics and rug, and a general cozy, cluttered feeling that is prevalent in both houses.  I’d bet Nancy would love to have the Cotswold house for a second home.  Like some of her movie houses, the exterior was built for the movie and the interiors were filmed on a sound stage.  

 

 

Film-Szenenbild zu Something's Gotta Give

In SGG, the tufted ottoman makes another appearance, although a throw covers much of this one.  I love this shot from the movie!

 

 

 

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Nancy Meyers’ Master Bedroom:

 

Meyers’ bedroom has white walls and light blue fabrics used throughout.   This room is the most French in feel -  the headboard is French, as are the yellow silk bergere and end table.

 

 

scan0017-1     Nancy Meyer’s Master Bedroom:

Two vintage styled armchairs in blue velvet sit in front of a fireplace  - the curtains are cream with a blue vine running through them.  The bedroom was inspired by London’s Dorchester hotel.  Not sure if their furniture is French too?   The blue bedroom doesn’t resemble any of her movie bedrooms that I know of.   None come close.  But the blue and white decor theme is found in the SGG house – it’s famous living room is a vision in the same colors!

 

 

 scan0022-1 Hallie’s Bedroom:

 

Hallie’s bedroom is a typical teenager’s room – with a canopy bed, white linens and a red toile chair.  Her father, Charles gifted her the poster of her favorite movie, Audrey Hepburn’s Funny Face.  

 

 

The teenaged daughter’s bedroom in It’s Complicated.

This bedroom is much different from Hallie’s– colorful and textural, there is no really no similarity between these two rooms.   Nor does Hallie’s bedroom resemble the twin’s bedrooms in The Parent Trap, either.

 

 

image Hallie Meyers-Shyer. 

Now 21 and living in New York, she is collaborating with her father Charles Shyer on scripts.  She is going into the family business she quips.  A bit of trivia – Hallie’s older sister is named Annie.   The twins played by Lindsey Lohan in The Parent Trap were also named Hallie and Annie!  And both the real Hallie and Annie had bit parts in the movie as girls at summer camp.  

 

 

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Nancy Meyers back porch.

The porch leading off Nancy’s office is French inspired with its wicker furniture, French doors, and lanterns.  In the doorway, you can see into the office, with its chair and ottoman and lantern above.    The house is painted yellow, with blue shutters in true French Provence fashion.    Similarly, the movie It’s Complicated has several outdoor locations similar to this:

 

 

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It’s Complicated:  The Porch.

It’s hard to believe the It’s Complicated house was actually built in New York for the movie – though it’s supposed to be in Santa Barbara!   Here the porch is not French like Nancy Meyer’s house, but the outdoor space has a similar feel.   Wicker and lanterns are similar elements. 

 

 

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Another sneak peek at It’s Complicated.   This porch looks into the living room and the brick is painted red here, not white – I wonder why?

 

 

It’s Complicated.  

I can’t wait to see the movie!!!   What a charming work space!! 

 

 

Here you can see the red tiled roof of the Santa Barbara house from It’s Complicated.    Meryl Streep’s character owns a bakery and apparently she is a avid gardener too, judging from the pictures. 

 

 

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The Master Bedroom from It’s Complicated.  It’s nothing like the light blue master bedroom Nancy Meyers sleeps in at night. 

 

A very special thank you to a Cote de Texas reader who graciously mailed me the pages from In Style Home of Nancy Meyers’ house.   It is so interesting to compare her private house to her movie houses.   I definitely see a commonality between the interior designs – mostly casual, cluttered, warm and cozy, lots of wicker and linen, slips and sisal, the houses are all welcoming and inviting – spaces you would love to spend time in.   It will be fascinating to see what her new house will look like – will she go Belgian like the It’s Complicated house, or will she go East Coast like the SGG house?   Perhaps she’ll go Colonial like the Father of the Bride house.

And while anxiously awaiting Christmas day to hopefully sneak off and go see It’s Complicated - I remember well  Christmas night of 2003.   I received a call from a client – she was hyperventilating.   She had just left the theatre after seeing Something’s Gotta Give:  “That’s what I want my house to look like, exactly that!!  The dining room, the living room – that’s what I want.  OMG, you HAVE to go see that movie asap.”     A  few days  later, I dragged Elisabeth with me to go see it – though on reflection, she clearly was not old enough for the subject matter.    Of course I had the same reaction to the movie that most who saw it did.     I’m hoping it’s repeated again with the It’s Complicated house, but I’m not convinced.   The SGG house was special, so very special – even the two The Holiday houses couldn’t touch it.   I don’t have high hopes that the It’s Complicated house will knock SGG off its throne – but who cares?   The movie itself looks fabulous.

Here’s wishing everyone out there (not sure anyone is reading blogs though!) a very Merry Christmas!!!  Be safe, no drunk driving please, and stay warm!!!   It’s going to be freezing here in Texas so that means it’s probably freezing where you are too!!!!

114 comments :

  1. Hey Joni,

    I do not have time on Christmas eve to be checking blogdom but I am so very glad I did. Informative and oh so fun article on Nancy Meyers and her movie decor. I am a fan of Nancy as well. My daughter somehow has connections and Monday night we got to go to a screening here in Greenville, South Carolina. Laughed my head off. It is wonderful to watch a piece from a woman's point of view. And by the way the entire theater was howling almost constantly. She has another hit on her hands and to " " with the critics. Alec Baldwin is perfect in this part. Of course Meryl becomes whomever she portrays.

    And by the way thanks for the comment about our chair transformation. Happy New Year!

    Victoria/MacGregors Designs

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  2. Joni-

    Fabulous photos! Can't wait to see It's Complicated!!! Thanks for the home tours! Hope your holiday was lovely!

    xoxo-

    Michelle

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  3. The reason I started reading design blogs is because of Nancy Meyer's interiors. I believe a quick google search of "Holiday Movie Amanda's house" brought me to Linda Merrill's blog post on the movie interiors. Her blog led to others, including yours. I love all Nancy Meyers movies, also can't wait to see her new movie--mostly for the interiors.
    I loved this post--I also saved the InStyle Home article years ago, but I had forgotten that it was Nancy Meyer's house.

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  4. Love this complicated post!
    I loved the article in the NY TImes. It's like you read my mind Joni - I was trying to find pictures of Nancy Meyers' home and there it is done for me by you!
    You're the best.
    xo xo

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  5. can't wait for the movie! love her work and now her home. thanks for sharing!

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  6. joni,

    so that's what i'm addicted to;
    'Architectural Porn' !!!!!!!

    i think i will go to see 'it's complicated' right now by myself.

    my ex husband gave my the only, and greatest compliment ever when he saw 'something's got to give', he told me that i was exactly like 'Erica Barry' (the main character in the film) .
    but all ever really wanted out of life was her house on the beach.
    lol
    happy new year my dear one!!!!

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  7. Wonderful post! Now back to my list. Time's growing short.

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  8. This is an awesome post. It's only recently that I realized that all of my favorite movies are by Nancy Myers, and at some point in my life I've tried to emulate the interiors of all of them. I can't wait to go see this movie, too!

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  9. Loved this post! Took me 30 minutes to get through it ..but LOVED it! As for the critics...poo on them. I know what I like and I do not need them or anyone else to tell me if it is good or not.

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  10. ha ha - almost forgot..

    I am having a blog give away - if you are interested. Stop by www.ridingaside.blogspot.com and post a comment.

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  11. I'll always take time to check out your latest posts, Joni. When they pop up on the screen, I'm coming over, no matter what! Which is saying something today, as I'm in charge of Christmas Eve dinner!!

    But as usual, your posts never disappoint! I loved the Nancy Meyers article in the Times last week, and this is icing on the cake. What a treat to see so many photographs of her work, both real and on film, in one place. And she really rather resembles Diane Keaton, doesn't she. Like you, It's Complicated will be the movie of the holidays for me!

    Wishing you and your family a lovely holiday season! From both Edward and me!

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  12. Hi Joni,

    Thank you for all your wonderful posts. You are, by far, the best interior design blogger.

    I live in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and it's cold and sunny here on Christmas Eve.

    I wish you and your family a very merry Christmas.

    Denise, Chatter and Squeak (the last two being kitty cats!)

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  13. Er, what am I doing here???!! Having a great time,of course,and as you said, it is freezing in Dallas,roads are congested,so... I am enjoying another great post by you! I cannot wait to see this movie either!!! I have so enjoyed you and your blog (gotta think of a better word for it) this year,thank you for your generosity of spirit.NO matter what happens, I know I can count on my Joni.

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  14. Great post as always. Like you and so many others, I cannot wait to see the movie. It's going to be stellar. From our home to yours a Very Merry Holiday Season..
    hugs ~lynne~

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  15. You even showed a gravel terrace! Perfect.

    Took the New York Times magazine to bed Sunday nite to read the Nancy Meyers article. Of course wonderful but my attentions went to her pictures.

    Did you notice how FABULOUS Nancy Meyers looks now vs. her early years?

    Nancy's landscapes, movie & real life, are incredible. When SGG began it had me at the garden, well before any of the characters were fleshed.

    Read somewhere that her real house was made to look older by landscape designing it as if it were sited in an old olive orchard.

    Joni this was great........

    Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

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  16. It's Christmas Day already here in Australia. Thank you thank you thank you for thinking of your readers at this time - I got a real surprise when I woke up this morning and found that like Santa you left a little surprise for us.

    Regarding SGG - every room in that movie was perfect and each room had a WOW factor so nothing will ever beat it.

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  17. Joni,
    it's Christmas morning here in Australia and this post is the BEST Christmas present EVER.

    Joni, you've done it again! You are my greatest inspiration.

    Thanks
    Victoria

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  18. I love this post. I am going to church tonight but will be at the movies Xmas day. I am taking a chemo that has a side effect of making you cry...at everything..funny things and anything. So I was going to shut down my blog when 3 people finally signed up as followers. The blog has given purpose to my life but no one reads it. Very depressing. I agree with you. No show will ever measure up design wise to SGG.
    I love you Joni. Your blog somehow just keeps me going. I cannot imagine a day without checking you out to see if you have posted.nancy
    www.rivieraboardwalk.blogspot.com

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  19. Joni,

    Thanks for the great post. Seeing all Myers' movie sets in one place is phenomenal. I can't wait to see It's Complicated. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Happy New Year!

    Gwen Driscoll
    Ragland Hill Social

    P.S. Like I have time to be reading blogs on Christmas Eve. What am I thinking?

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  20. Fabulous thesis on one of your favorite subjects. I wonder how long before you are contacted by Miss Myer's office to talk about doing that book?

    I am on for the first showing tomorrow...what better for Christmas day than some interior design porn?

    Keep warm and plan your escape.

    Peace and hugs,

    Jane

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  21. Hey Joni great great post, the best christmas present for me!!!
    You must write that book, I lived in Argentina, and my bedroom is tottally inspired in Erica`s suite
    Peace and happiness for everybody
    Mercedes

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  22. Hi Joni! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to you! what a great post! I too loved Private Benjamin and its one of my all time faves...who can resist Goldie as the Jewish Princess who thinks she has found love with the Army and Armand??? He was gorgeous!! I will look forward to seeing the house in 'Its Complicated' !!

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  23. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year.

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  24. Hi Joni
    It's Xmas day here in Australia Haven't got time to read and absorb this post now, but tonight it will be enjoyed. Thank s for never disappointing with youk fabulous blog
    Kind Regards
    Karen
    Ps Just got the movie the holidaty as a gift can't wait to watch it.

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  25. It's these posts Joni that make me love you even more!!! Thanks for a great Christmas eve present!!! When I saw SGG I remember remarking to my friend- I think the star of that movie was the house!!!

    Stay warm- we are all cozy up here in Maine!! Off to eat cheesy cheddar chowder!!! Love you and love your blog!! You are an inspiration!!! Happy 2010!!!

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  26. Great post - the color of the hall in the London townhouse was the inspiration for my orange dining room (which is now Farrow & Ball clunch).

    I can't wait to see this movie! Maybe tomorrow...

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  27. I can't wait to see the movie tomorrow!!

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  28. Oh boy, am I glad I checked your blog tonight, Joni. A little Christmas present to me. I can't wait to see this movie. I have all of those InStyle Home pics in my "inspiration binder". So pretty. Awesome post, thank you!!!

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  29. Hi Joni,
    Quite a few reading by the looks of it. Loved your post and all the yummy photos. I've loved all her movies and can't wait to see It's Complicated although I think we have to wait until February downunder. Hope you have a wonderful holiday. I have loved reading your blog and listening to you girls at the table. We've just finished Xmas lunch here so everyone has gone off to find their quite spot. I thought I'd escape to blogland - my favourtie spot.

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  30. Hi

    Great and very helpful article, i really like it thanks for sharing this useful information with us but can you tell me something about Wedding lights if yes, then please let me know..

    thanks

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  31. Waiting on Santa and reading your blog (haha). I am dying to see It's Complicated on Christmas Day but probably won't go until the 26hth. All the reviews I've heard are great and so are the previews.

    THanks for this inspiring post.

    Judy

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  32. Wow - fabulous post! Can't imagine how long it took you to put it together. Thanks! Have a happy holiday!

    ReplyDelete
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  35. Hi Joni,

    Wishing you a Wonderful Christmas & may 2010 be a year filled with Happiness and Love for both you and your family.

    Thanks for all your fabulous posts this year.

    xx Coty

    ReplyDelete
  36. yes i'm a big fan of NM too! I love her movies, specially SGG, and I love all her interior design sets, including both homes in The Holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Great post! I'll be using it as a reference!

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  38. If I have some energy left after feeding in grand style 21 people, i am planning to chill, relax and enjoy this movie to night,.
    I have so enjoyed reading your posts this year. thank you for brightening my very early mornings or my very late sleepless nights...
    Happy New Year
    Francine

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love looking at these homes, over and over, Joni, did you get my email. I may have some problems with Roadrunner.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi Joni, Once again reading your post opened my eyes to so many design details that I would have missed. Thanks so much for all of the wonderful posts over the past year!! So much work and commitment--and they are all appreciated. Have a wonderful day at the movies. I'm spending mine surrounded by family--couldn't be better. If It's Complicated" inspries a new design craze---I'm ready!!!

    ReplyDelete
  41. You are our Christmas present that we reopen throughout the whole year - sometimes to find an update or new view or explanation of a past subject, sometimes to show us something new, and other times to share your life with us. That's why we read your blog (and pour and repour over your every word), even on Christmas Eve and Day.

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Joni,
    YOu always get the scoop on the most current and cool photos for the story (I hope you are getting rich on this blog in some way because you are awesome)
    Thanks for such a fascinating post, you never disappoint!!
    Merry Christmas!
    x
    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  43. Joni,
    YOu always get the scoop on the most current and cool photos for the story (I hope you are getting rich on this blog in some way because you are awesome)
    Thanks for such a fascinating post, you never disappoint!!
    Merry Christmas!
    x
    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  44. Happy Holidays Joni!

    Just stopping by all my favorite blogs to wish you a very Merry Christmas. Although I hardly comment on your posts, I do read every single one of them and aside from enjoying them, I learn quite a bit at the same time. Thank you for your inspiration.

    xoxo
    Julio & Family

    ReplyDelete
  45. One of my children is a senior in a college Theatre Conservatory program, and we love to talk about everything movies,including set design. In the movie Zombieland, Bill Murray's character was,according to Woody Harrelson's character, the biggest and best movie star in the world. Murray's house was full-on tacky...pretentious,ostentatious,gilded,etc. It is worth seeing the movie just to see how much fun Hollywood had with parodying the very bad taste of the nouveau-riche.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thanks, Joni. This post is the best Christmas gift! All the best to and your family!
    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  47. Exquisite, Joni! I can't wait to see the movie.

    I love, love, love the fabric on Nancy's dining room chairs!

    Happy Holidays!

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  48. Wishing you a very merry Christmas, with lot`s of blessings -Gypsy Purple -Chamara

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hi Joni,
    I really enjoy reading your blog, thank you for this look at Nancy Meyer's home. I live in Australia and I recall reading a copy of British Homes and Gardens a year or so ago. It featured a home by the architect William Hefner in Los Angeles (On his website the house is referred to as South Bristol Circle). In the article the interior designer said the owner had asked her for something like the SGG master bedroom. It was the first time it had occurred to me that other people were also obsessed by the house in SGG.
    Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
    Leonie

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  50. Hi Joni,

    I have had to come back to this post three times now, things just kept getting in the way. I was hoping you would do a post on Nancy Meyers as you had previously mentioned, and as usual you haven't dissapointed. It was wonderful to see her home and compare the movie interiors. I have to agree with you and say they are all fabulous. I think a study in having the interiors beautiful but also liveable and cosy. Happy Hanukah to you and your family and have a wonderful start to 2010.
    Take Care
    Janine
    XXOO
    Tasmania, Australia

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hi Joni
    I'm off this afternoon to finally go see It's Complicated...Hubby will just have to wait for Sherlock! Thank you so much for this very imformative post.

    P.S. I love the fabric on her chair & ottman in her bedroom,as well! If you find out, please share.

    Happy Holidays!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Joni....it is
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    ReplyDelete
  53. What a kindred spirit;
    I feel the exact same way about Meyers movies!! Playing the settings over & over, taking notice of the interiors & exteriors!
    Thanks Joni;
    I am looking forward to "studying" this new film!!
    Leslie

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  54. I love this article, and am in the afterglow of having seen the movie last evening. I was so delighted that your blog had this! I love your blog, it is one of my fav design blogs. I yearn for a "second me" to be the designer I always yearned to be.

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  55. Thank you for the great holiday reading Joni.
    I am desperate to see this movie.
    Am I a horrible mom if I take Leila? I promise to cover her eyes during the sex scenes!
    A design obsessed woman has to do what she has to do!!!

    xo
    Brooke

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  56. What a fabulous post...i had no idea these rooms were designed by the same person but it makes sense because they are ALL my fav's! Movies that I like to watch just for the pretty homes!
    Happy New Year!
    xx Trina

    ReplyDelete
  57. I'm sure I'll have to grab a girlfriend and see it. I heard from a reader that she loved it AND the interiors too. Said I HAD to see it.

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  58. Great Post Joni, as always reads even better than any shelter magazine. I really think you have a book in you and I know you would have lots of readers of your work.Just a thought for the new year. Hugs Kathysue

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  59. Joni, a lot of different topics you can deconstruct and analyze from SGG. Excellent job on this one, of course! (I was a HUGE fan of JN's character's NYC townhouse, as well as DK's character's house.) Waiting to hear your report on It's Complicated.

    ReplyDelete
  60. A SUPPORTED BY THE DEVELOPER TOOLS? It was interesting. You seem very knowledgeable in ypour field.

    ReplyDelete
  61. I had to miss it for Alvin & The Chipmuncks the squeakquel, but I have plans to take my mother in law ....I am Dying to see this!!!! Great still and photos!!!

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  62. Easily I to but I think the collection should acquire more info then it has.

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  63. Hi Joni;
    Just went to see It's complicated yesterday afternoon....you were right on, the decors was absolutely perfect...thanks to your posts, i have never paid so much attention to the setting and furnishings....and what a garden...it is heaven. I have inspirations of such a vegetable garden, will try harder this spring.
    On a side note, I had quite a contingent of texan friends over for Christmas lunch, from San Antonio and much of the conversation was about houses and design, since my friend's mother is in real Estate. Of course, I spoke to her about your blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  64. I found Cote De Texas after googling the SGG house
    and have been an avid reader of your blog ever since.
    Thank you Nancy Meyers for your beautiful movies and thank you Joni for your beautiful blog.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Joni, Merry Christmas to you and yours! and thank you for today's post. You really should write that book!!!

    Well...inquiring minds wanna know...did you get to see the movie? and if so, what did you think? :)

    ReplyDelete
  66. Did you go see it Joni? I'm hearing good things about it. What a great idea to compare NM house with her movie houses! What a talent she is! Seeing these photos of her movies, I realize that, when I see her movies, I invariably fall in love with the homes in the movies, and I always remember with such clarity the decor. Thank you for adding her home into the mix. That was fun to see how often her movie sets reflect something in her home. laurie

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  67. I thought about you when I was watching It's Complicated. During the movie I wanted to scold Meryl's character for wanting a new kitchen. The one she had was amazing, as far as I was concerned!

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  68. I LOVE Meyers!!! And I went to see the movie on Christmas Day! Oh yes I did....I just got up from the table, cleaned up a bit and announced 'I'm going to see It's Complicated now' and it was super. I laughed so hard...I mean really hard. The visuals and design are incredible. She wants to renovate the home..but it's perfect already..and her bakery is to die for. Joni, you will love it. (We need to roll a virtual joint to smoke amongst us all...when you see the movie you'll understand that....ha ha ha)

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  69. Really a great ,entertaining movie.....fabulous sets. Any one know whose fabric is on the pillows on the white sofa.......cafe au lait color with leaves?

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  70. Your post on Its Complicated was great! It inspired me to go see the movie & it was hysterical! One of my new favorites...for sure. The set was georgous but the moving being so great made it even more applealing.

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  71. A number of the paintings in both The Holiday and It's Complicated are by Mitchell Johnson...www.mitchelljohnson.com

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  72. Wow - great photos, Joni. You are so resourceful. We saw "It's Complicated" on Saturday. My favorite scene was when Meryl & Steve were in the 'working' gravel outdoor courtyard going over the blueprints. Being an outdoor girl & avid garderner, I was drooling. Overall though, I still prefer the living & dining rooms of SGG. Of course, the Meyers SGG kitchen still reigns supreme & untouchable from my viewpoint.

    Loved the funny laughter of IC and dreamy views of Santa Barbara but the interiors of SGG were not matched in IC. Wouldn't you just love to see just how the new kitchen and addition would have been? Thanks for the details and effort you put into this priceless post. xoxoxo Rita

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  73. Hi Joni,

    I really enjoyed your article about Nancy Meyers. Many years ago, while working for the Architect Robert Orr, I helped design for a house for Nancy and Charles. I don't belive the project we designed was ever built. And I never saw the original article about Nancy's own home in In Style magaizine, but I'm wondering if you can tell me who the architect and interior designers were.

    Thanks so much.

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  74. Laughed my derriere off at It's Complicated - not really, it's still there. New Years Resolution #1!

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  75. I really can't think of any MALE directorm, writer, set designer who matches this woman's level of excellence.

    Move over boy's club! She is what women want. :)

    ReplyDelete
  76. Great post, Joni! I just saw the movie today and was thrilled to see my Orange Chair Silhouette print hanging directly behind Meryl Streep in the bathroom scene at her daughter's house!! Nancy has produced another gem. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  77. Where can I possibly get a coverlet and Euro shams like the one in the master bedroom of It's Complicated? I have been looking everywhere! The moment I came out of the movie I started planning on redoing my own bedroom to match.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Hi Joni! I'm coming out of hiding - love your blog...I must admit I'm a little behind in my reading (as you can see I'm leaving a message on an old post!) I definitely share your love of Nancy Meyer's movies (I love that she always uses Diane Keaton) The interior designer of "Somethings Gotta Give" and "The Holiday" is actually a very talented man named James Radin (you can see all of his work at www.jamesradin.com) I became absolutely obsessed with his work after "Something's Gotta Give"! Love your blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  79. Thanks for so many great ideas. This must have have taken ages to put together...and it's appreciated. I just love her style!

    ReplyDelete
  80. stumbled upon on your blog while looking for the beautiful pictures of Amanda Wood's house from The Holiday. Awesome article!!

    ReplyDelete
  81. Please correct me, if I am wrong.....I recall a Barbara Walters interview back in the eighties...with Calvin Klein in his house with then wife Kelly Klein, maybe the Hamptons....and since the deli interiors were similiar...

    I believe the SGG interiors were either Calvin Klein's house or to resemble it....

    Do you think yes?

    Thanks, a furniture porn fan of Meyers

    ReplyDelete
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