11 Movies Designers Watch—and Rewatch—for a Rush of Inspiration

Need a jolt of design adrenaline? Add these gorgeous films to your streaming queueThe opulent decor might be the true star of Marie Antionette©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionMovies are supposed to temporarily immerse audiences in enthralling worlds. But there are some films so full of hypnotic interiors and arresting architecture that they continue to inspire the creatives who design captivating homes, hotels, restaurants, and shops long after the screen goes dark. From the luxe furnishings in Death Becomes Her, to unbelievable filming locations like the Milan villa in I Am Love, to the trademark coastal grandmother aesthetic that’s become synonymous with the properties in Nancy Meyers’s movies, the visuals in these films give design pros a rush of inspiration after every rewatch. That enchantment runs deep, as each movie holds design lessons that are woven into its very ethos.In other words, even those of us who don’t design stunning interiors for a living could learn a thing or two from these cinematic masterpieces-turned-master-class-in-design. Let this expert-recommended lineup be the blueprint for your next movie marathon, and take note of the exemplary craftsmanship exhibited in each production.To Catch a Thief (1955)Grace Kelly and Cary Grant cozy up on a silk-covered couch. Sunset Boulevard/Getty ImagesSet in the South of France, this Alfred Hitchcock–directed film centers on a retired jewel thief (Cary Grant) who sets out to prove his innocence after a series of jewel heists that mimic his signature style make him a prime suspect. The romantic thriller “captures the French elan,” says Betsy Kasha of Kasha Paris, and “has the timeless elegance I love and could watch again and again.” In its entirety, the film is “a visual delight, including the cinematography, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, and of course, the fashion and jewels,” adds Kasha.What inspires her most, though, is the architectural and design landscape. “In the suites at the Hotel Carlton, I love the classic elegance of the wall mouldings,” she explains. “At the villa where the masquerade ball is held, I love the garden terraces and verandas. And in John Robie’s hillside villa, I love the simple elegance of the interior.”Auntie Mame (1958)Rosalind Russell as Auntie Mame during her chinoiserie period. Courtesy Everett CollectionDesign bravery radiates throughout this dramedy, which “is a feast for the eyes and a rite of passage for every decorator or design enthusiast,” says Alexander D. Wilson. He explains: “The majority of the film takes place within Mame's duplex apartment at 3 Beekman Place, a fictitious version of the storied 1 Beekman Place in New York City. Viewers are transported through six design types—Chinese, Twenties Modern, Postmodern Neoclassical, English, Danish Modern and East Indian—reflecting the changing storylines and Mame's unconventional personality.”The far-from-basic residence showcases courageous expression. “Mame's individuality and fearlessness in her design choices are inspiring and a reminder to live life as fabulously as possible,” adds Wilsons. “Mame's joie de vivre inspires me to take the same approach with decorating projects, both for myself and for clients. To quote Mame, ‘Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!’”Fatal Attraction (1987)The lovers in the spare loft belonging to Glenn Close’s character. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett CollectionThis classic, in which a lawyer’s casual affair with a book editor turns into a serious stalking situation, is the epitome of residential design that truly reflects its occupants. “Few films use interiors as effectively as Fatal Attraction,” says AD100 designer Brigette Romanek of Romanek Design Studio. She adds that, in the Adrian Lyne–directed thriller, “the apartments capture a very specific moment in New York design history.”Romanek points to Glenn Close's downtown industrial loft—with big windows, light gray and white brick walls, and understated furnishings—as an environment that represents creative freedom and “feels both seductive and slightly severe, just like Glenn Close's character, Alex Forrest.” As she says, “it was always a little bit unkempt, just like Alex’s hair.” Then there’s Michael Douglas’s prewar apartment, which, Romanek says, acts as the perfect counterpoint because it’s “conventional, domestic, and orderly with neutral colors, oversized furniture, soft lighting…with everything worn in like a home that's been loved and full of soul.”Both homes make it so clear who the characters who live in them are. “The minute you see those apartments, you can feel the homeowner's love and what they care about,” says Romanek. “The very first question I ask my client is how they want their spaces to feel, and I learned that by seeing certain interiors that immediately gave off a feeling. I always say your house is your love letter/diary to yourself.”Green Card (1990)A dreamy courtyard is part of the appeal of the coveted apartment in Green Card. ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett CollectionGreen Card zeroes in on a design lover’s willingness to do whatever it takes to secure the home of their dreams. In this case, the dream home is an incredible New York City apartment—one that the building’s board will only lease to a married couple. Naturally, the urban horticulturalist played by Andie MacDowell finds someone willing to marry her ASAP, namely a French man (Gérard Depardieu) whose visa is expiring. “Her apartment is so classic—the architecture, the beautiful courtyard garden,” says Jessica Davis, who notes that she doesn’t typically rewatch movies but does come back to this one. “The ambiance of the space is amazing, and the lengths someone would go to acquire such a stunning space!”The bones, essence, and layering of that apartment form a mini masterclass in design. “I always love to take architecture as a jumping off point. And while my designs are bold, I like to think of them as classic,” says the AD PRO Directory designer and principal of Atelier Davis. “Watching that movie made me really think about ambiance and layering.”Death Becomes Her (1992)The luxurious house of horrors in Death Becomes Her. Archive Photos/Getty ImagesKnown for its dark humor and groundbreaking CGI, Death Becomes Her astounds with ornate design detail and extravagant furnishings. Noz Nozawa was eight years old when she first watched the horror-comedy—which follows two women (played by Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn) who vie for the same man (Bruce Willis) and drink a magic potion in pursuit of eternal youth. “The movie's interiors informed my childhood love of opulence and formed my understanding of how symmetry, material richness, and details really make a space,” says the AD PRO Directory designer and principal of Noz Design. “Every time I watch it (over 50 viewings so far), I observe a new detail, like curved 1980s mouldings on arched doors.”The furnishings are so integrated into the story that, Nozawa says, they feel like characters, “which is so aligned with how I want our designs to function for our clients.” She explains: “Besides the iconic scenes of Meryl Streep and Bruce Willis falling down their curved stairs, there are multiple scenes where actors magnificently recline (among other behaviors!) onto seating. The placement and style of these seats communicate the character's power and presence, or vulnerability and softness. It's something to be studied!” And, perhaps, something to be copied. “In one scene, Goldie Hawn, with a hole in her torso, surrenders into an oversized blue 1980s-Regency sofa,” says Nozawa. “I am searching for the right project to bring a today-version of that piece to life!”The Parent Trap (1998)The formal dining room of the London townhouse in The Parent Trap. Courtesy Everett CollectionA California property on a vineyard and a classic London townhouse make up two very different, yet equally enviable, living arrangements in Nancy Meyers’s The Parent Trap. But it’s the city oasis that Jessica Bradley continually visualizes. “Anytime I need to reset and remember what ‘effortless elegance’ actually feels like, I think about that space. It’s not loud or showy,” says the principal of AD PRO firm Jessica Bradley Interiors. “It pulls you in over time—with dark lacquered walls, a library that feels like it’s been there forever, brass that’s just worn enough. It leans Old World, but it doesn’t feel stiff, and that balance is something I’m always chasing in my own work.”Beyond the London flat’s bones, its interior design is layered and doesn’t feel staged. “You’ve got stacks of books with cracked spines, frames that aren’t perfectly lined up, and a desk that actually looks used,” says Bradley. “It all feels real. That’s something I think about a lot: Does a space feel lived in, or does it just look styled?”She adds, “More than anything, that flat feels like it belongs to someone. It has a point of view and doesn’t try to soften it. That’s what I want my work to feel like—not perfect, not generic, just specific to the person living in it.”The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)The sunkissed villa in The Talented Mr. Ripley. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett CollectionObsession, identity theft, murder, an all-star cast—this psychological thriller has it all. The cherry on top? It portrays an idyllic, sun-drenched lifestyle on the Italian coast that’s intoxicating. “What draws me back repeatedly is how the interiors never feel overly decorated or performative,” says Manny Varas. “The spaces feel lived in, emotionally intelligent, and deeply connected to their surroundings. There is a quiet sophistication in the architecture, materials, lighting, and pacing of the environments that reflects something I believe is missing in much of modern luxury design: permanence and authenticity.”For Varas, the movie is a reminder that impact isn’t achieved through excess, “but through composition, texture, scale, and emotional experience,” he says. “Whether it is the coastal Italian villas, layered natural materials, aged stone, soft lighting, or the relationship between indoor and outdoor living, every setting feels timeless rather than trend-driven.”That philosophy heavily shapes Varas’s work in ultra-luxury residential building. He explains, “I’m constantly focused on creating homes that feel cinematic yet enduring—spaces that evoke emotion decades from now rather than simply impress in the present moment.”Marie Antionette (2006)Tea for two in the opulent palace of Marie Antoinette. ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionHistorical dramas tend to steadily unfold across deeply compelling places—and for Summer Thornton, that is absolutely true of Sofia Coppola’s retelling of the infamous French queen Marie Antoinette’s ill fate. While the AD PRO Directory designer often looks to film for inspiration—she’s keen on anything directed by Baz Luhrmann, including Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, and Elvis—this period piece tops her rewatch list for its balance of splendor, cheekiness, and audacity. "The film has this amazing juxtaposition of the grandeur of Versailles but a modern irreverent edge from Sofia Coppola and an amazing music track,” Thornton says. “In my work, I'm always trying to blend tradition and history with modernity and whimsy to make it feel fresh and a little bit mischievous.”I Am Love (2009)The privileged family at the heart of I Am Love. ©Magnolia Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionA wealthy mogul’s wife (Tilda Swinton) sparks a romance with a chef (Edoardo Gabbriellini) at a luxe Milan villa in this film, known in Italian as Io Sono L'Amore. At the same time, the audience can indulge in a love affair with the lavish design spaces throughout the Luca Guadagnino–directed film. “It is partly shot at the Villa Necchi Campiglio designed by the Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi,” says AD100 designer Leonora Hamill of the drama. “The first time I saw it in 2009, the year it came out, I had somewhat of an epiphany. I was totally enthralled by the interiors; the shimmering family dining room scene in particular really stayed with me.”The film reigns supreme on Hamill’s long list of beloved, visually juicy films, which also includes The Leopard, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Teorema, Stealing Beauty, Call Me by Your Name, and The Age of Innocence—all of which have influenced her projects, from New York to Tuscany, in various ways.A Single Man (2009)Julianne Moore and her groovy headboard grace A Single Man. ©Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett CollectionTom Ford’s directorial debut is a paradigm for balancing visual restraint and sophistication. Set in Los Angeles, this Colin Firth-led drama features a midcentury-modern house in which “every space feels intentional, layered, and emotionally evocative without ever feeling overdesigned,” says Nina Magon. “What I find especially inspiring is the way the interiors balance modernist architecture with warmth and sensuality. The use of rich wood tones, natural light, tailored textures, and sculptural furnishings creates an atmosphere that feels both timeless and deeply intimate.”Magon says it’s that “quiet confidence” in the design language that she admires and references in her own work. But the AD PRO Directory designer also loves “how the film demonstrates that luxury does not need to be excessive to feel impactful,” she says. “The interiors are refined and cinematic yet still incredibly livable. It’s a beautiful example of how thoughtful materiality, proportion, and atmosphere can shape the emotional experience of a space.”It’s Complicated (2009)How could you not be happy in this expansive open plan kitchen from It’s Complicated? ©Universal/Courtesy Everett CollectionCozy, aspirational interiors are an undeniable ingredient in Nancy Meyers’s filmmaking recipe. The director’s rom-com It’s Complicated, starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, is one Heather French of French & French Interiors revisits time and time again because “there’s a casualness to the house that feels deeply lived-in and completely unforced,” says the AD PRO Directory designer. “It has the warmth and soul I’m always searching for in design.”French appreciates the longevity and easygoing nature of the film’s standout property. “The adobe architecture, reminiscent of the romantic California work of George Washington Smith, feels timeless rather than styled,” she explains. “Nothing feels too perfect or precious, which is exactly why it’s so inspiring. I’m constantly looking for interiors that are grounded, layered, and soulful—spaces that quietly tell a family's story. It’s Complicated captures that balance beautifully. Plus, the vegetable garden is pretty swoonworthy!”Not a subscriber? 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