Decorating & Design
June 14, 2024
The Secret To Nancy Meyers’ Style
By Lynda Reeves
Why do we love the rooms we see in the movies of filmmaker Nancy Meyers? Think back to Father Of The Bride, Baby Boom, Private Benjamin, What Women Want, The Holiday, It’s Complicated, The Intern, and of course Something’s Gotta Give.
In every one of these films there was at least one memorable room that I can close my eyes and remember perfectly. I’ll bet you can too. That’s because the decorating in every Nancy Meyers set is styled to perfection. Her rooms tell a story about the characters who live there and are as much a part of the film as the dialogue. And while the style of her rooms varies, they are usually an updated take on American Coastal decorating, with a twist. It’s effortless chic at its best, which is why “Nancy Meyers homes” has become one of Pinterest’s hottest search trends in 2024. Again!
Over the years I’ve written about Nancy’s film sets more than once. In 2010 it was the set of It’s Complicated that inspired a story. And in 2016 It was the kitchen in The Intern.
Nancy Meyers rooms are dreamy, beautifully lit and accessible. They shout “comfort” and even though a sofa like the ones in Something’s Gotta Give may cost 10 thousand dollars — they don’t scream money. They could just as well have been old sofas from a vintage shop, slipcovered for a song.
In Father Of The Bride, the white American Colonial house was the idyllic family home with a trad living room right out of Pottery Barn circa 1991. And in Father Of The Bride 2, Martin Short was not only a great wedding planner, but he was a closet decorator who knew exactly how to build the nursery of Diane Keaton’s dreams.
Baby Boom saw Diane Keaton’s character move to Vermont to a classic farmhouse with a country kitchen that held the ultimate antique hutch. Remember when she opened the doors to show it packed with glass canning jars filled with the homemade baby food that launched her empire?
The Intern had us drooling over Anne Hathaway’s Brooklyn Kitchen. I wrote a piece about it back in 2016 because it had all the hot trends from the Victorian mantel, to the open shelves and big island all painted in on trend dark blue.
Remember the house that Helen Hunt bought in What Women Want? When she showed it to Mel Gibson it was empty with dreamy sunlight pouring through the French doors. Who wouldn’t want a townhouse, perfectly renovated in classic Haussmann style with Parisian detailing? That was 2000 and here we are 24 years later, and the style is as coveted as it was then.
In Private Benjamin, Goldie Hawn moved to a chateau in France that we coveted, but that classic Parisian mix of antique and modern didn’t fit with Nancy Meyers’ signature style at all. But then again, Private Benjamin fled the chateau and didn’t marry him. Maybe that’s why…
In The Holiday, it was Cameron Diaz’s quintessential L.A. house with its sensational kitchen, media room and pool. It had the latest technology that Kate Winslet’s Surrey cottage — with all its charm — could never have. Remember Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) modern farmhouse style kitchen with sleek black cabinets, no uppers and chef style appliances…
If you could choose between Cameron Diaz’s L.A Spanish modern rancher or Kate Winslet’s quaint cottage what would it be? I guess it would depend on whether Jude Law came with the cottage — right?
Then, there was the house in Something’s Gotta Give, the most talked-about interior from any movie ever. Could there be a more perfect beach house for a successful New York playwright with great taste — or for any of us, for that matter? Designers tell me they still field requests to reinterpret the black-and-white beach house kitchen from Meyers’ hit starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
I remember being stuck on a plane when Ms. Meyers’ film, It’s Complicated, opened in my city. I was so disappointed: it meant I had to wait an entire week before I could see her latest dream house come to life. The day after I got home I rushed to the theatre, filled with excitement. Well, diehard House & Home readers, I know you’ve seen the movie by now. So, let’s discuss Meryl Streep’s Santa Barbara cottage. As in all Nancy Meyers movies, the house is yet another character in the film. In It’s Complicated, Streep’s long-awaited kitchen reno is the matchmaker that brings her together with a gentle architect played by Steve Martin. Her house is less picture-perfect than, say, Diane Keaton’s Hamptons beach house. This one is funky, eclectic and homey. The open, unfitted kitchen-dining room is friendly with a farmhouse vibe and clearly belongs to a serious cook who loves to feed her flock. The palette of the whole house is dreamy creamy with accent hits of orange in every room.
In every Nancy Meyers movie, there is always one piece of furniture or an accessory that I need to source the minute I see it. In It’s Complicated, it’s the black armchairs with burnt orange seats around the dining room table. My bet is that they’re antiques.
It’s that casual imperfection that viewers liked best.
The combination of the footed tub, gilt mirror and black window frame feels on trend in this bathroom from the 2015 set.
The broad porch is romantic and beckoning.
Streep’s living room and bedroom are cosy: worn out, but still great. Slipcovered roll arm English sofas and armchairs, lots of tables placed exactly where you need them and a huge French country armoire. Sisal matting, a mix of table and floor lamps a la Ralph Lauren Home, and a palette that is creamy dreamy with hits of navy, black and the odd bold accent color for pop: that’s the formula.
What is so remarkable about those rooms — and the reason we are still writing about her signature style over 20 years on — is how they manage to look timeless, totally comfortable, and yet – for the most part, not too dated. It’s true that they are not edgy or modern or of the moment. And yes, there are elements that could stand some updating. Meyers and her set designers understand that we want to see her characters in aspirational yet accessible rooms. We like seeing design trends from decorating magazines come to life on the big screen. We want her to exaggerate the perfection of each detail so we can almost taste those rooms. If we wanted reality, we’d visit our neighbors. But this is Hollywood, after all. We want perfection! What’s so complicated about that?
10 Basic Rules For Getting That Nancy Meyers, Creamy Dreamy Look In Your Rooms:
- Do Your Floor Plan For Comfort First: Include a generous, deep sofa in tuxedo style preferably with a linen or linen-look slipcover. Choose deep comfy armchairs with at least one ottoman for the living room. You can use performance fabrics, so long as they have a linen look.
- Palette: Your basics should be cream, taupe, white, occasional off black or dark navy: all solids. Striped, slipcovered armchairs in a soft ticking stripe are fine, as are faded, classic chintz patterns. Nothing loud or multicoloured.
- Rugs: They should be vintage looking in soft, washed patterns, or flat weave dhurries, striped or solid.
- Antiques: A few antiques are a must for this look. Mix them in. Small side tables, chests, mirrors, whatever you can find that is English or French, not heavy and classic Georgian period. Look at the classic English armchairs in the dining room of It’s Complicated
- Don’t Be Lazy: You have to go on the hunt to find just the right elements to make these rooms look lived in and interesting.
- Books: Include books, bookcases — ceiling to floor if you can — these rooms are educated and well traveled.
- Fresh Flowers: Fresh florals or great fakes are very important to the look!
- Vintage lighting: Or vintage styles. Nancy uses these often. Check out the ones over the island in The Intern, for example.
- Include Drapes: Soft, simple, floor-to-ceiling drapes that never left in the Nancy Meyers look.
- Art: Fill your walls with art, gallery style. Include old and new, drawings and paintings, family photos — the works.
When it comes to sourcing, look to Pottery Barn, Ralph Lauren Home, Restoration Hardware, Urban Barn, Robinson lighting, ELTE, Home Societe, West Elm, Anthropologie, Williams Sonoma, Hammertown Home, Serena and Lilly, vintage stores — even your mom’s attic.