Who wouldn't want to live in a Wes Anderson world? With over 20 years and 10 feature films under his belt, this auteur has provided us with a perfectly symmetrical, pastel-colored respite from reality when we need it most. Never has this been done more than in this year's whirlwind comedy, The French Dispatch. Set in a fictional French city, the film follows an imprisoned artist (Benicio del Toro) who paints abstract frescoes on the prison walls. From JKL Berendsen (Tilda Swinton) to Lucinda, a series of whimsical stories. It follows a crew of journalists chasing a story. Clements (Frances McDormand) is tracking a student uprising led by a chess revolutionary (Timothée Chalamet). An oasis of lemon-colored walls, patterned wallpaper, midcentury modern sofas, antique tables, rotary phones, film cameras, and candy-colored typewriters.
Among those responsible for the film's arresting visual style is set decorator Lena DeAngelo. He is known for his work in stylish period dramas and previously won an Emmy for Mad Men and was nominated for an Oscar for Bridge of Spies. “For The French Dispatch, the vibe we wanted was post-war Paris,” she told Vogue, clarifying that she wanted a lived-in feel and a bit of a rough-hewn feel. “It wasn't your typical romantic postcard Paris, but it was still very beautiful.” Once she and her team arrived in the French capital, they scoured prop shops and flea markets for pieces they thought were authentic. I looked around for it. Later, upon arriving in Angoulême, where most of the filming took place, they found an estate liquidator with a warehouse full of antiques. “We were able to find a lot of things, and others were created from scratch,” she added. “I’m very proud of how everything turned out.”
So how can The French Dispatch inspire your next interior transformation? Below, DeAngelo shares six tips and the story behind the film's extraordinary sets.
Wally Wolodarsky, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson appear in the sepia-toned world of The French Dispatch.
Provided by Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 20th Century Fox Movies, Inc.
Take cues from French films of the 50s and 60s
“Wes gave us a list of French movies he loved to watch,” D'Angelo explains, including François Truffaut's The Four Hundred Degrees of Blow (1959), Albert Lamorisse's Red Balloon” (1956), and Jean-Luc Godard's “Masculine Feminine” (1966) and “Band.” Some (1964). She added that the latter cafe, where Anna Karina, Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur danced, was the inspiration for The French Dispatch's bright yellow Le Saint Brague cafe. “I just loved glass and mirrors.” The French New Wave classic should definitely be a must-see for anyone considering a kitchen or dining room renovation.
Choose vintage wallpaper
From the galloping zebras in Margot Tenenbaum's bedroom to the vibrant prints inside The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson is known for her love of quirky wallpaper. The most striking design in The French Dispatch (seen in the trailer) is the bathroom where Frances McDormand's Lucinda Clements meets Timothée Chalamet's Zeffirelli, with its bold, almost cubist floral motif. . “We found that wallpaper on site,” DeAngelo says. “And in that building, we also found extra rolls from when it was on display in the '60s.” Elsewhere, her team found eye-catching rolls of print from the 1930s to her 1970s. We relied on Hannah's Treasures, a vintage wallpaper supplier specializing in sourcing.
Hannah's Treasures 1970s Geometric Vintage Wallpaper
Scalamandre House Zebra Wallpaper
The French Dispatch's Hippolyte Girardot, Stephen Park, Jeffrey Wright and Mathieu Amalric are in a dining room stuffed with barley twist legs.
Provided by Searchlight Pictures. © 2021 20th Century Fox Movies, Inc.
Get a desk with burley twist legs
“When we were shopping for furniture, every time I showed Wes something with twisted barley table legs, he would say, ‘That’s nice,’” DeAngelo laughs. “So I made all the desks in the writer's office that way, too.” Spiral details also appear elsewhere, including Benicio del Toro's Moses and the electric chair in which Rosenthaler briefly sat. Masu. “Wes said, 'Wouldn't it be great to have an electric chair like that?'” So a set dresser who was also a carpenter built it. I've never seen anything like it. ”
Country Barley Twist Wine Table
English oak side table, c. 1900
Add green accents (and lots of lamps)
“There was a green lamp on Arthur Howitzer Jr.'s desk.” [the editor of The French Dispatch, played by Bill Murray] And that shade of green is very Wes,” DeAngelo continues. “Whenever I saw one in that color, I bought it. I also bought all the nice lamps I could find. You can never have too many.”
ASEA, Sweden 1950s Hans Bergström table lamp with green shade
Charlton Home Norridge 14.5″ Banker's Lamp
Arthur Howitzer Jr., played by Bill Murray, stands in the lemon-colored office of French Dispatch. He is surrounded by typewriters, rotary telephones, and vintage electric fans.
Provided by Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 20th Century Fox Movies, Inc.
Rethinking Formica and Linoleum
The once-maligned material has quietly enjoyed a resurgence over the years and remains key to Wes Anderson's aesthetic. How do you incorporate them into your home? “Maybe find a vintage table and redo its top in Formica,” suggests DeAngelo. “People love the brand now, so we have a lot of products in vintage colors from the ’50s and his ’60s.”
Achim Nexus Mosaic 12 Inch Floor Tile Pack of 20
1960s French red laminate dining table, aluminum base
Pilgrimage to lesser-known flea markets in France
“I went to the flea market in Saint-Ouen, and it was very expensive,” Deangelo muses. “We had the budget. One of my assistants suggested another market, so we went there instead. They only went to Chartres and Le Mans once a month, and we I went there in a truck with a bunch of people. They were running around saying, “This, this, this!” It was amazing. I spent half a year shopping at flea markets in France. What could be better than that? ”
Antique LC Smith & Corona typewriter, circa 1920s
Art Deco Cast Iron Siamese Cat Bookend
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