Take a serene Santa Barbara setting with to-die-for interiors, add a triangle mixing love, divorce, and renovation, and you have all the elements of an unusual romantic comedy.
In theaters on Christmas Day, the sophisticated yet relaxed California-style interiors in Universal’s upcoming film It’s Complicated will vie for attention with a star-studded cast–Meryl Streep, Steve Martin (both seen here), and Alec Baldwin. The comedy weaves the tale of a divorced mother of three and bakery owner (Streep, as Jane) involved romantically with both her ex-husband (Baldwin) and the architect (Martin) helping in her kitchen renovation.
Written and directed by Nancy Meyers (who has given us such design-rich films as Something’s Gotta Give and The Holiday), It’s Complicated is reminiscent of the classic Hepburn-Tracy comedies of the ’50s (think Desk Set). In true Meyers fashion, it features a strong female lead, snappy dialogue, a memorable sound track, and trend-setting interiors.
Besides being a master with pen and camera lens, Meyers is a dedicated design devotee as well. From the Hamptons beach house of Erica Barry (Diane Keaton) in Something’s Gotta Give to the Wallace Neff bungalow in The Holiday, with Amanda Wood (Cameron Diaz), Meyers’s imprint is seen in every club chair, paint color, and light fixture. Apparently it’s in the genes–Meyers’s mother was a designer who worked well into her 80s.
As in all her movies, the house as character plays a major role in the latest Meyers film. After a decade as a divorcée and now facing an impending empty nest, Streep’s Jane decides to redecorate her 1920s Spanish-style ranch.
“Since more than half of the movie takes place in the house, we really get to know the place,” says Meyers. “What the characters wear and how they live and decorate really say something about them.”
The film reunites (for the fourth time) the director with production designer Jon Hutman. “My job is to try to understand and interpret Nancy’s vision,” says Hutman. “What I do, with strong and special guidance from Nancy, is make the sets real, striking something in people.”
Working with set decorator Beth Rubino (who decorated the interiors of the much-admired beach house of Something’s Gotta Give), Hutman designed the sets with a key component in mind–storytelling. “I like the sets to look the way they feel to the character,” he says.
The overall design direction came directly from Meyers, who wanted a “Belgian look that is reflected in the house’s furnishings and a quiet palette with natural linen.”
Hutman’s interiors reflect a sophisticated influence mixed with California casual. “Whether in the Hamptons or Santa Barbara, the world of Nancy’s movies is one of casual elegance and not just a fancy way of life,” he says.
Rubino mixed high-end furnishings–Calvin Fabrics and Dessin Fournir and George Smith furniture–with antiques from 1st Dibs and items from West Elm. “My goal was to capture the essence of Meryl’s character as someone who dances to the beat of her own drum, ” she explains.
The open kitchen that receives a makeover in the movie plays a pivotal role. “The kitchen has individual style,” notes Hutman. “It’s makeshift and funky.”
Hutman and Rubino studied Tuscan, California, and French kitchens to arrive at the finished product–a functional room that reflected Jane’s tastes as well as her budget.
Ever the method actress, Streep inhabits both character and space when making a movie. The Academy Award-winning actress advised Meyers to reduce the size of the kitchen and add water damage to the ceiling for a touch of realism. “Meryl got involved very early in the process,” says Hutman. “She had special ideas on who the character was, how she lived, etc.”
The sets also included a bakery that was influenced by everything from London’s Daylesford Organic to New York’s City Bakery and Dean & Deluca, among others.
Even the nuances of bread display became a factor–the design team worked closely with Martha Stewart alum, Julie & Julia food stylist, and cookbook author Susan Spungen on the details.
Unfortunately, Meyers’ next production will never be seen on film. She is building her own house with the help of her long-time interior designer and film collaborator James Radin (whose California design aesthetic can be seen on Meyers’s past three films). A true design aficionada (she admits to following the design blogs), Meyers looked at hundreds of images for the film’s interiors, and plans to purchase some of the set decor for her own house.
she’s an independent career woman and mother who is building a house, she appears to have much in common with her main character. (One exception–she is not involved with her architect!)
This designing director clearly writes what she knows.
– Article and Photo From Traditional Home
21 comments ↓
Can't wait to see this movie! The decor and furnishings are fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
GDFierce
Xoxo
Stylish blog! You obviously lead a charming and charmed life.
Please fill me in if you can: Where to get the lamp in Meryl Streep's home in "It's Complicated?" You show it in the photo where she's serving her friends three pies (and 'fessing up about her hookup w/ the ex).
Thanks ever so–
Nice BLOG! FYI – many of the paintings in both The Holiday and It's Complictaed are by Mitchell Johnson…www.mitchelljohnson.com
Where did the dining room chairs (black with orange cushions) come from? Exactly what I've been looking for!
Can you tell me if there is a floor plan for the house in It's Complicated?..I love it,and the backyard to.
Does anyone know who made the black dining table chairs…I love them! I can't seem to find out who makes them.
Does anyone know what the paint color of the den/dining room is – the room where Meryl is talking with her girlfriends – a taupy/chocolate color.
Hi! I posted a similar home tour of the beautiful house in It's Complicated. I would love for you to take a peak and give me a shout about what you think! http://recklessbliss.blogspot.com/
I love this kitchen and can't wait to see the movie, just have been so busy have not had the chance yet. I am new to your wonderful blog, I too love planning parties and all things Domestic!!
i just saw the movie today and whispered to my poor husband the whole way through how much i loved her house, her yard, her shop, her life!! who decorated the set??
I am wondering where I can purchase the black, wooden kitchen chairs as well?
Thanking you in advance!
I love the wine and water glasses, what kind are they and where can I get them? The entire set is fabulous!
Need to know where upholstered headboard in the hotel room can be found – or at least a picture of it.
Thanks
I want to open a Gluten-Free Bakery in Los Angeles, I love the floor plan in the movie. Is the bakery in the movie a real location in Santa Barbara that I could go look see.
Thank you,
Clarissa
Does anybody have the layout and floor plans of the “It,s Complicated house?
We have 7.5 acres and are reviewing floor plans. From what I can see this one is a perfect retirement haven for my husband and I. Is there a floorplan? I see many requests but do not see a response. How many bedrooms? What is the square footage?
Please help,
C
i really love the stone industrial square coffee table and have found one similiar through arhaus.com, but like the size of this one. would you please let me know where i can purchase this one. thanks!
The house is perfect. Needs a large lot. I am looking for a fixer to re-create this perfect house in 1920’s Spanish style with the Tuscan/French charm. I love it. I guess I am not the only one who loves it.
Not sure but I believe the glasses used during the dinner with Steve Martin are the Vietri Puccinelli glassware line.
I would like a pic of the hotel room headboard, please.
Thank you so much Kelly Schiavo for naming the glassware line in the scene with Steve Martin, I have been looking for them everywhere and now I have finally found them on vietri.com. They are called the Puccinelli Classic Clear Iced Tea Glass for anyone else who also loves them.
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