Last week, I stumbled across my dream house…
Have you seen the movie Knives Out? I just watched it (late to the party, I know) and really enjoyed it. It has an amazing cast and a compelling script, but to me, the real star was the epic home where the story takes place.
If you haven’t seen it, the plot centers on aging mystery writer Harlan Thrombey — a super-successful James Patterson type — and his kooky family. Thrombey lives in a gothic mansion one character describes as “living in the middle of a game of Clue!”
The set was actually comprised of not one home, but three — one for the exterior, one for the interior, and a third to stand in for Harlan’s top-floor study (above), where a pivotal scene takes place. Every inch is chock full of character, with books and artifacts and crystal balls galore. (Love a good crystal ball.) Every object seems like it must be connected to a story from some epic adventure.
More reminiscent of a library or a museum than a typical home, it certainly wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea — these images alone would probably cause the most dedicated minimalists to shudder — but I wanted to move in immediately.
For me, it’s right up there with Jess and Marie’s Upper West Side brownstone in When Harry Met Sally, and all the gorgeous houses — especially the kitchens! — from Nancy Meyers films. Apparently, there’s a Knives Out sequel in the works, and I can’t wait to see what they do with the set!
Do you have any favorite movie or TV homes? (When I was a kid, I wanted to live here. Anyone else? :)
P.S. 9 couples with the best on-screen chemistry and do you have a comfort movie?
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Kate Winslet’s Rosehill cottage in The Holiday. So Cozy!
The R&W designed house in Practical Magic!
Meryl streep’s house in It’s Complicated! Definitely my dream house
I suspect anyone who would like to live in the “Knives Out” home would also love the house in the show “Locke and Key.”
the interior of the house was actually my family’s estate way back when! I remember being dragged there during a family reunion when I was little and thinking it was so stodgy and boring, but it was so exciting seeing it in the film now I’m older and more appreciative (I’d love to live there now!) ;)
Whaaaat!? That’s so neat!! I don’t know that I’ve ever been to an ~estate~ so I’m not sure what constitutes one, but this is very cool.
The beach house in the film “Something’s Gotta Give”, and the library in Downtown Abbey.
I just watched Jojo Rabbit and I was drooling over all the gorgeous wallpaper in their home!
The beachouse in ‘something’s gotta give’ ❤️
My husband and I recently watched the Ricky Gervais series After Life and I was OBSESSED with his front door. Like, I couldn’t stop talking about it during every episode.
The apartment of Andie McDowell’s character in Green Card. Love the beautiful greenhouse.
Yes, I always loved the movie for the greenhouse!
Yes!
As a child I was obsessed with Muffy’s mouse apartment on the Canadian kids show Today’s Special. Something about the miniature space spoke to me, I dreamed of living there.
Ahhh this just kicked off a serious Google/YouTube nostalgia rabbit hole for me, thank you!
Oh my goodness-today’s special!
We call one of my friends muddy still to this day because I couldn’t say her name properly as a kid.
I was too! I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to revisit it on YouTube
Co house in Last Man Standing, Gilmore Girls house and SF house in Parenthood.
The house in Home Alone and/or Brothers and Sisters. I just want a big white house with lots of family!
Tie between Meryl Streep’s house in It’s Complicated and Diane Keaton’s house in Something’s Gotta Give.
Yes! A 1000 times yes!
My favourite always was and always will be the spooky house from »Casper« ?
Yes!!!
The house in the San Juans at the beginning of Double Jeopardy!
Tidalholm – the mansion in The Big Chill movie. Wonderful house and property
Yes!! Oh my gosh – I haven’t watched it in years and was just thinking about it and that I need to recommend it to my 20 year old daughter. Such a great movie! Such a great house!
I had the same feeling in this movie except toward the sweaters. I tried for WEEKS to find the lavender sweater Marta wears. Also never had any feelings about Chris Evans before this movie, but his shoulders in that fisherman sweater…I died.
Oh my gosh Emily, I was just all about the Knives Out sweaters too! After we left the theater (ahh, the old days) my partner kept raving about the movie and I kept raving about the sweaters. Whoever did the costumes brought their A game.
Same exact feelings for Chris Evans before and after watching Knives Out. I feel transformed; my eyes have been opened.
Same here about Chris Evans. What little I knew about him, he seemed more interesting as a person than his movie roles. I really am a fan after Knives Out. He can act! And like you said, those shoulders! I think I even commented that I loved his voice, lol. I’m a fan now.
i loved the chicago apartment from the break up with jennifer aniston and vince vaughn!
-The bad guy lair near Mount Rushmore in North by Northwest (love all the Hitchcock settings)
-Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford’s house in What Lies Beneath (the water/view!)
-Dennis Quaid’s house in the Lindsay Lohan Parent Trap
-I’m sure people have mentioned the Proposal too. Love.
Fun question! I saw some negative comments about fluff, but a distraction is quite welcome :) No time other than quarantine to think about dream houses.
I have a photo of me on a dock with the house from “What Lies Beneath” behind me. My husband and I (YEARS ago) went camping in Vermont and when we arrived at the campsite they told us that they were filming on part of the campground. I was told they built that house, then tore it town after.
The house was lovely.
For me it has to be Jack Ryan’s house in Patriot Games! <3
Ooooooh, good call!
Ooh, what a fun subject! I’d pick Green Gables from either the 85′ adaptation or the recent Anne with an E (because PEI in the fall is worth it alone), or the Bennet estate from 2005’s Pride and Prejudice.
My other contenders would go to Kathleen Kelly’s apartment or Carrie Bradshaw’s. Both unrealistically perfect in their own ways.
LOVE PEI. Visited the Green Gables house and Lucy Maud Montgomery’s house as well.
When I watched Full House as a kid I wanted to have house like that, preferably in San Francisco too. More recently I loved Otis’ house in Sex Education, so quirky with a deck overlooking a valley to boot! The
I love the house in Sex Education! My husband and I recently went in a internet deep dive to find the house and the beautiful location the show is filmed in. I’d love to visit that area of the UK in the future post-pandemic world.
The gorgeous home of the two aunts in Practical Magic! Swooon!
Absolutely – that kitchen alone was incredible!
Too many! But I’ll go with practical magic house ❤️ And Meg Ryan flat in You’ve got mail!
I agree!
TV dream house: Better Things
YES! we can share.
Oooooh yes, the house in Practical Magicac! And the Lake House as runner up.
Two very excellent choices!
The houseboat in Sleepless in Seattle – love!!
Trina I live 15 minutes from it, and luckily the owners are always very gracious about people boating past it to take a look and take a pic. In 2014 it sold for $2MM! Twenty-seven years later, it’s still a beloved movie and source of pride for the city. And yes, we know where many of the outside scenes were shot (even if the continuity of some scenes is off lol).
this is easy!! the house in home again. it’s the perfect blend of spanish architecture and modern eclectic style!
My dream house would be either the chateau in A Good Year or the house in Call Me By Your Name. Either would work!
Oh yes A Good Year! That whole village!
The house in It’s Complicated. That kitchen and yard was so dreamy!
that’s my all time favorite. I also loved Meryl’s necklace in that movie and searched for it for yearsssss
The house in What Lies Beneath! Such a great house on the water
Beautiful house, but it is no more. Built just for the film in DAR State park,Addison, Vermont, it was torn down.
I commented earlier… I camped at the DAR campground when they were filming!
Call Me By Your Name, that house is a dream!
Rear Window (1954)… that apartment’s aesthetic, plus the shared square it overlooks, just makes me feel so happy despite the creepy parts!
So many of the living spaces in Miyazaki’s animated movies are just so lovely and magical in all their…normalness. Also a huge fan of Wes Anderson movie homes.
I looooove Studio Ghibli interiors! I want to live in Howl’s Moving Castle after Sophie gets it all tidied up. :)
The house in Home Again with Reese Witherspoon. To me, it’s perfection.
The house in Sex Education!!!! I ADORE.
Yes! Oh my god. The house is unreal. Where the heck would that even be? I thought it was filmed in the UK (might be wrong), but the whole setup seems… otherworldly. I absolutely adore that balcony with a view down the hills….
Rose Byrne’s character’s countryside estate and studio in Peter Rabbit – that sunroom is amazing! I’m secretly an elderly English farmer…
Does anyone remember the beautiful sets in Gods And Monsters? Released in 1988, starring Ian McKellan in 1998 the whole thing was beautiful.
Yes, and I remember admiring the art on the walls.
the house in the royal tenenbaums, for sure! also can’t beat its location
YES! Former Harlem resident here and I often walked past that corner just to admire that gorgeous mansion. Convent Avenue is a great place to stroll.
I fall in love with Wes Anderson’s set design more than the movie TBH.
Not movies but whoever does the apartments for Mindy Kaling’s shows – Mindy Project, Four Weddings and a Funeral – is amazing. So much color, so many patterns, but they still feel like someplace I’d like to live.
YES! I loved Ainsley’s house in Four Weddings. . .swoon
This is the BEST topic! I was literally lying in bed last night scrolling through pics of Nancy Meyers’ film sets because they are all MAGICAL. I would happily live in any of them, but my absolute favorites are Cameron Diaz’s LA house in ‘The Holiday’, Anne Hathaway’s brownstone in ‘The Intern’, Diane Keaton’s Hamptons beach house in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ and Meryl Streep’s house in ‘It’s Complicated’. As a child, I was obsessed with the house in ‘Father of the Bride’! Ooh, and an honorable mention goes to Julia and Joel’s house in ‘Parenthood’. Love. All. Of. Them. :)
1. The Tuscan villa in the 1993 version of “Much Ado About Nothing.” I still have dreams about that one.
2. Drover’s Run, from the Aussie TV series “McLeod’s Daughters.”
3. Dawn French’s character Gina’s kitchen from the BBC series “Delicious.”
4. Barton Cottage from the 2008 version of “Sense & Sensibility.”
Totally agree on that kitchen!
I only put it in quotes because I knew it wasn’t the REAL Sitka location! :)
The Waterford’s house from The Handmaid’s Tale. That greenhouse, sigh…
“Something’s Gotta Give” Diane Keaton’s Hamptons house is EVERYTHING.
Could not agree more! Most of the houses in Nancy Meyers’ female characters have awesome houses. Meryl Streep’s character i It’s Complicated has another dreamy one!
Every single fabulous New York apartment in Woody Allen’s films.
yes to this
I would go for the house in A Bigger Splash, a sort of comedy-drama-thriller with Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes. The movie is named for a David Hockney painting and f-ing looks like one — it isn’t even so much the house but the SWIMMING POOL. I also vividly remember some sort of rock wall from that movie that affected me deeply. In honesty, I don’t even remember the film that well, except for a great scene of Ralph Fiennes dancing to “Emotional Rescue” by the Rolling Stones.
OMG I loved that movie so much I watched it twice back to back!
If anyone is looking for pure visual deliciousness, the Italian home in “I am Love” is incredible (the whole thing is *chef’s kiss* – perfection).
Other homes I would move into in a heartbeat:
-The Tanner’s House in FULL HOUSE (pencil bed!? Right on the park in SF! hello!)
-The family home in the Goonies (attic full of treasure? PNW realness? Sign me up!)
-The house the family builds on the island in the 1960 version of Swiss Family Robinson (intricate pulley system, majestic views, tropical vibes)
-BOTH homes in the 90s Parent Trap – the Dad’s house on the vineyard in Napa, California is sooo good, and then of course the mum’s perfect London home.
-The Grandmother (wendy’s) home in London in Hook — so magical.
-The Brady Bunch house (love an immaculate, vintage rancher <3 )
I live on the Oregon Coast and on of my good friends lives in Astoria. You can see the Goonies house from her kitchen! It blows my mind every damn time.
That “I am Love” house gave me an actual dream about living in a similar house in Italy – and I didn’t feel particularly moved by it watching the movie, actually. Apparently my subconscious loved it, haha. I’ve never been to Italy, btw. It does have a strong family vibe though and I had a close family in the dream – wild.
This is fun :)
I used the apartment Gwyneth Paltrow lives in with her cheating boyfriend in Sliding doors as inspiration for my home in the 1990s.
Awesome, Maria!
My dream movie house will forever be the ranch house in the original 1961 Parent Trap! guhhhhhh
http://makingniceinthemidwest.com/2016/07/25/parent-trap-1961/
Mine too!
As a kid, the converted firehouse in The Princess Diaries was my dream home. Mia had her own private loft and a fire pole to slide into the kitchen… I mean come on!
You can (or at least could) rent that apartment on AirBNB. I really wanted to when we visited San Francisco but my husband wasn’t a fan of the tall staircase to the top and a shared bathroom!
I was living down the street from the fire house they used for the exterior when the were filming. It was so much fun watching them film a rain scene. I’ve always remembered how polite Anne Hathaway was.
This is a very specific one, but the beach house from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 2, the episode where they have the beach house party from hell. It is my dream to live on the beach
The Father of the Bride house! That driveway, the trees, and “don’t! trample! the pansies!”
Can’t resist.. this house has been mentioned here so many times :) https://www.countryliving.com/real-estate/news/a38821/father-of-the-bride-house/
My favorite is Aunt Polly’s house in Pollyanna.
I can’t believe someone else said this! Me too! The Haley Mills movie. I loooves that house as a kid.
SAME!!! And the house in Meet Me in St. Louis!
Thanks for this post and reminding me to add Knives Out to my Amazon watch list! Recently I was reminded that The Lake House (2006) starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, would be leaving Netflix on August 31st. I just watched it last night. It’s such a sweet romantic movie and the house is gorgeous. Plus we see the history of it. I love time travel movies, so that hint of it is a nice bonus, for me at least. This movie is a remake of a South Korean film, Il Mare (2000) and I just saw that it’s available on Amazon Prime [https://www.amazon.com/Mare-Jun-Ji-hyun/dp/B07BHZMHHJ]. I’ve become a huge K-drama fan, so I’ll be watching that soon. It’s amazing how many American films and TV shows are remakes of Korean ones.
Just so happy to see someone else who loves the film The Lake House! I recommend it to people all the time. It’s Peak Keanu!
That’s easy! It’s not a house, it’s a castle and it’s called Hogwarts. (I’d like to be sorted into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor please.)
Omg definitely Meryl Streep’s house in Its Complicated! That garden, those gorgeous California hills❤️
ME TOO!!!! I salivate over it every time.
Yes!!!!
Check out the Hooked on Houses website! Its so much fun and does tours of famous movie houses
Can I just say first that I adore this post! Do you think you could do a follow up with a list of the movie homes & their real addresses/locations?
My favorites are:
+ the home from Nights of Rodanthe (Nicholas Sparks)
+ the home from Falling Inn Love (new Netflix movie)
Having had an acquaintance who lived in a house used for Twilight, I just want to put a Hard No on the second part of this. Please do not subject the people living in these houses to what happens when a bunch of people on the internet find your address on a “fun list.”
Kara, I had that thought, too– like, imagine a bunch of strangers crowding outside your house during a pandemic! I’m sure that’s not what Heather had in mind, but total zombie vibes to me. :)
I do recall being amazed by that house- reminded me a lot of houses here in Toronto’s fancy neighbourhoods. It’s funny that it was compared to a Clue game board because I am COMPLETELY in love and charmed by the house in the Clue movie. Everything from the bathroom to the salon to the conservatory to the kitchen. It just seemed so….thoughtfully done. I was heartbroken to learn that it was almost exclusively filmed at Paramount Studios sets!
Cute post, but when I saw how many comments there were I had to know why. My first instinct was that maybe people were commenting about the untimely-nature of this “fluff” post, since there is so much going on in our society right now. As it turns out, everyone just has a strong opinion about their dream home and really wanted to chime in.
Now I know this blog is not a news source, but with everything going on in the US (and the world) right now, this post just feels tone-deaf to me — I realize I might be the only one who feels that way, considering the number of comments on the post. However, there is a vast and diverse community of readers here and I feel we should encourage Joanna and her team to use their platform to address what’s happening at the current moment in our society. This is a historical moment that may continue for some time before any kind of resolution is reached.
This blog has the power to raise our collective consciousness in a more effective way. Maybe instead of just a post or two about black owned businesses there could be a week long effort to focus on topics addressing the current societal climate, in the Cup-of-Jo way that we all so enjoy engaging with.
Sometimes people just need a little fluff to get through the day, especially now. We come here because the content is the way it is, and I, for one, don’t need it to change. If I need different content, I can access a different site. Keep up the good work, Cup of Jo.
Agree 100%!
Maya M……..We don’t ALWAYS have to be talking covid, race, or global warming.
Good grief.
Perhaps you’re new to this site. There have been a variety of posts on this site, not just “fluff” as was described. If you dig deeper, you’ll find that posts here run the gamut or spectrum of “deep sea” deep, to “cotton candy” fluff.
A little levity during a time that feel oppressive is always a welcomed way to soothe the soul. Without a break from all the heaviness of what’s happening, we’d be a larger mess.
A week long focus on societal climate!? Holy cow!
HAHAHAHAHA. SLAP ME NOW!
I think everyone has the capacity to digest both hard news and “fluff pieces”. We are all complex and I for one need balance to enjoy both types of content.
100%
Can we please let people have a small moment of levity in an incredibly difficult world? Jesus.
Maya, thank you! The post feels inappropriate to me as well.
I totally hear what you’re saying, Maya, but I also really respect how CoJ balances her posts between the blatantly political (like the one when Kamala Harris was chosen as VP), subtly political (like the one about the joy of letter writing and the importance of the postal service), and, well, fluff.
Have you ever heard that analogy about activism being like singing in a choir? Sometimes, in order to sustain a note, you have to stagger your breathing — meaning you take a breath while others keep singing and the music continues without you for that one brief moment. CoJ is often where I come to take my breath. It allows me to pause my intake of the endlessly upsetting news cycle for a moment and think about other things, big and small. And I really appreciate that.
This blog has and continues to raise our collective consciousness. I think it also understands how humans operate. Cup of Jo is focusing on these significant cultural events, but I think it’s okay to post other material as well. In my day to day life, I follow the news, react and think about how I can be a part of social change, try to be a part of social change, and I still have to get up and fix my hair and pick out clothes to present myself for my job. I still have pets that I want to cuddle with on the couch and find a calming cup of tea in the evening. Cup of Jo is doing an amazing job balancing the work of supporting a better world and supporting our calm and wellness to get there.
Cup of Jo is perfect just the way it is :)
I feel the exact opposite of Maya. I come to this blog for the content of life, love, food, fashion, travel, etc. I don’t want to hear anymore about the “current social climate”, if I did I would choose another site.
Please don’t change anything Jo! This is my happy place on the internet.
I completely agree with Wendy. Thank you for all the work you put into this blog!
I really appreciate everyone’s comments (especially Emma’s, that analogy is great!). I have been a devoted reader of this blog for nearly 10 years and rarely comment. I totally get that people need a place to come for relief from the crazy news, and I know that CoJ strives to include many insightful and meaningful posts.
But I stand by my original post, with so much heavy stuff going on I’m just saying that the intelligent and funny CoJ team is so vital to helping it’s community digest and ruminate on what’s going on.
I’m married to someone with serious health problems; we’ve been a couple since college (25 years ago!). This being America, yes, his health problems meant bankruptcies due to medical bills and long periods of both short term and long term financial insecurity. So, while we’re financially okay now, I am intimately aware of the systemic flaws in American society. If I had approached our challenges with unrelenting intensity, I would have burned out in year 3. Regular treats (bubble baths, lipstick, books, silly jokes) are part of what allow me to handle the challenges. Also, on a cognitive level, one’s ability to interpret information and problem solve can be compromised if you only immerse yourself in intense stuff. In other words, a person needs regular doses of fluff to stay committed to serious stuff in the long term. In addition to their journalism, PBS and NPR offer music and other cultural programs. I remember seeing Nina Totenberg in the audience for the Tiny Desk concert for the emo puppet band Fragile Rock. I don’t think anyone should question Nina Totenberg’s commitment to reporting on the Supreme Court just because she takes breaks and does things like watching puppets sing about Fairuza Balk.
Maya – I felt a bit saddened by your original comment as I felt defensive of the Cup of Jo team who I think strive uniquely to balance content. However, I am prompted to write to say thank you sincerely for your response to the comments others made. How refreshing to see that you’d reflected carefully and respectfully on others’ comments and then stood by your initial conviction in a non-confrontational way; no inflammatory or defensive lashing out as so often is the way these days. I tip my hat and I hope we all think of you as an example when encountering conflicting views.
I love this community and because of that I sift through the comment section quite often. There is always someone who is unhappy with the post; the item linked is expensive, the voice doesn’t match their view, lack of body diversity…it goes on. The great thing about CoJ is that we see a response. Content becomes better because of the way this team listens to their audience. And you can see from the amount of comments responding to the prompt that this post resonates with the audience.
I don’t know. I hear what you’re saying (honestly, it’s why I barely log into instagram anymore. I have a hard time watching people’s selfies + meals and not rolling my eyes at the tone deafness there), but if this blog started only posting about things in the news right now, I would probably stop reading. I prefer to get that sort of content from experts and activists, not influencers. (no offense, Cup of Jo! I love your blog and content and appreciate your opinions and perspectives, when shared.) I read the posts here to unwind and decompress + be inspired and stimulated on other things
This blog has raised social consciousness more than any source that I follow on the internet. Raising a social consciousness is a process and it is mostly effective when it is done slowly, subtly and genuinely over the years rather than having everything thrown in your face in one week, month or six months just because it is the hot topic.
Thank you for your heartfelt and frank comment and reply. I have been coming her for over 10 years for the fabulous mix of style, parenting, cooking and related matters. I was very happy to see this blog evolve into a more conscious blog. I have been loving the recent posts about inclusion, the actual inclusion of many different points of view and the wonderful, respectful comment section. This blog has been a bit of a lifeline in crazy times for many women, it seems, especially due to the mix of posts: lighthearted and serious. I personally live between two fires in California, with friends having lost their homes, climate change looming very big, horrible air quality (in addition to the societal climate, the continuing murder of black men by police and the T presidency). So this blog provides a bit of a respite from all of that, without being too lighthearted. Sometimes a bit of fluff is good. Even NPR (love the comment below) has lightheartedness sprinkled in between.
Ditto SKM, exactly what you say. Respectfully done, aired, and shared. That kind of behaviour is what COJ represents above all. I differ in opinion to you Maya, but tip my hat to you too.
Hello Maya, thank you for bringing this up. I relate a lot to your point of view. I find those posts fun to read, and I love and appreciate so much Joanna and the team work in being thoughtful and inclusive when talking about important topics, and also when dealing with lighter subjects.
I understand also other readers, in the past months my anxiety and depression levels have been stronger than ever. What’s going on with the world is heartbreaking in so many aspects that some times I feel the need to breath too.
At the same time I feel that there is a cultural shift happening and I want to be a part of it. I am hopeful that people are paying more attention and I wish we could all listen and speak to each other and learn ways to improve the world we are living. I am looking forward to read more about it here and I hope you as a blog and a community keep being part of the conversation. Thank you
I am heartsick with *all* of the reality we have to contend with right now, I thank Cup of Jo for doing such a great job of keeping a good balance.
Personally I NEED a break – and that’s the healthy thing to do. How else can you restore yourself so that you can think clearly and make good decisions in a time deeply devoid of them? This is not a news blog – it is a lifestyle blog.
Give yourself a break – then jump back in as necessary. But don’t judge others people’s need for respite. Especially when they HAVE done an excellent job of being both deeply attuned to the news and inclusive.
I loved this, from tomandlorenzo.com today: “We all need escapes right now, but we also need to be honest with ourselves about how escapism is reserved for the privileged.”
I just don’t know what it is about COJ- it’s amazing! The sense of community and openness even when we disagree. I don’t think there is anywhere else like it on the internet! It just blows my mind! I agree with 100% with SKM.
Hi Maya!
I wanted to share: I’m on holiday in my own country, isolating with my family in a beautiful house with a pool by the sea! Right now, I would have something like 4 Solid beach months Right now and I haven’t been once. Our beaches have a COVID light system and they are all at full capacity. I am being responsible, I read multiple newspapers everyday and Even though all race conversation is less polarised in my country, we also had a terrible Wrongful death of a Cape Verde student.
I come for Cup of Jo for a bit of inspiration and different points of view. It helps me to get the opinion of others and to know what is important for them right now. It helps me feel less isolated.
When I saw this post a couple of evenings ago, I commented it with my husband: it is amazing how something so apparently prosaic is able to unite people all over the world. I was in awe of the way women I don’t know fell in love with the same houses I did.
I truly believe that content with this kind of unifying power is special and we should celebrate our ability to share beauty and love, even about the small things.
All my love to this amazing community, I hope we stay safe and fight for what What we feel is right. And that we are still able to share the lightness and the beauty around us.
Maya, that’s what NPR is for. I don’t want Cupofjo to be NPR, and I don’t want NPR to be Cupofjo. That’s the very definition of diversity.
Cup of Jo gets so many comments on posts like these for a reason. I hope this type of content does not change. I need fresh air like this in the midst of everything.
I go to news sites for my news, cup of jo for fun stuff.
Dr Louise Banks’ house in Arrival, without hesitation. And i just looked it up and found out it’s only 1.5 hours away from where i live! One can always dream…
I LOVE THAT HOUSE.
Definitely the aunt’s house in Practical Magic! That KITCHEN! The GREENHOUSE! The gardens! Take me away!
1,0000 percent this!!! Also– there was a very short lived tv show called “Witches of East End” and that house was a living dream….
The practical magic house always and forever!
That staircase!
Not sure if it counts, but Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in the original movie. The edible room was (and still is) my most favorite fictional place!
Oh this makes me laugh! I still think of Willy Wonka as THE original horror movie for me — no windows, no easy escape, something really bad happens to *almost* everyone — so entirely scary for me as a kid!! So it is quite literally the opposite of my “dream home”!! ;)
Can I just say thank you for this post, COVID escapism as its FINEST!!
In no particular order:
– Carrie & Big’s apartment in the SATC 2 movie (that closet!)
– Diane Keaton’s Hampton house in Something’s Gotta Give
– Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga’s woodsy California home in A Star Is Born
I’ve always loved the house in “Dan in Real Life.” The large porch, the lake-side location, the “lived-in” feel of a home that has seen a family through its struggles – what a charmer!
Yes! Me too! I also love Iris’ cottage from The Holiday and Kathleen Kelly’s apartment in You’ve Got Mail!
Yes!!! Love it! I love the idea of having a family summer home for the aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. And Amy O, was totally going to write those two homes as well. Great taste, ladies!
I love Meg Ryan’s apartment in You’ve Got Mail. So charming!
Yes!!! Also love the whole style of her movie character :-)
Every single house from a Nancy Meyers movie. Those kitchens! Are you kidding? Bonus points for a sexy cowboy Dennis Quaid in the Parent Trap vineyard house.
The Cullens’ gorgeous wood-and-glass modern home in the Twilight series. That house in that setting = stunning.
ugh, yes! in the first movie it’s the Hoke house. We used to live down the hill from it and would walk by regularly. it’s so dreamy!
The house from “Call me by your name”. Always and forever.
YES!!! I listen to the soundtrack all the time and it makes me so happy.
OH MY GOSH, yes!!
Yes, Claire, I listen to it all the time and it also makes me happy ?. That whole movie is like a warm embrace of the love of your life.
A bit embarrasing owning up to having seen it, but hands down the Cullens house in Twilight. I researched it afterwards and it was built for a Nike exec and it is in the middle of the woods.
Me too! So cozy and quirky! Plus you could use magic to clean it ;) I’d also love to live at Bag End- the woodwork, the garden, the community……
The Practical Magic cliffside house! The greenhouse, the staircase, the kitchen, the garden, the whole essence of it is just a breath of fresh air!
Jules’s Brooklyn brownstone in The Intern!
Julie Delpy’s apartment in “Before Sunrise,” loved the courtyard too!
– The NY apartment in Single White Female
– Andie McDowell’s apartment in Green Card
– The house in Little Women from the 1994 version
But all your suggestions brought wonderful memories!
If you ever get the chance, you should go to Concord to visit Louisa May Alcott’s home. So magical being inside the place where she wrote Little Women and they modeled the movie house after her real home.
Yes, absolutely, the March house as it was reimagined for the 1994 movie! Those sage-green walls, the Christmas wreath with the red rag bow . . .
And don’t change a thing, Cup of Jo! I come here when I want my eyes opened AND when I really need a fun break.
Hands down, the house (and movie) I’d want to live in the most is Practical Magic! It’s so whimsical and dreamy in every way. Midnight margaritas, anyone?
the house from Where did you go Bernadette, or Jo’s Granny’s house in England
Oh and the house from Stepmom!
It’s Complicated and The Holiday!
The Father of the Bride house! (Which I recently discovered is actually FOR SALE! *applies for mortgage*)
The aunts’ house in Practical Magic!!!
When I was a kid, I wanted to live in the house from Hocus Pocus. I wanted Max’s room with the cool loft. I grew up in the Northeast, but moved to DC about 6 years ago and realized that there’s nothing like autumn in New England : )
Obviously the Home Alone house!! It’s my dream
Sighhhh. It went on the market recently! — I’d also settle for room service at the plaza ;)
We saw this house in person a few years ago! It looks just like the movie outside still – the only difference is the owners put up a wrought iron fence to keep creepers like me out. We totally made our four year old stand out front and do his best Kevin McCallister impression.
Same here!!!
Don’t know if you have Netflix, but if you do, watch “The movies that made us”. Also talks about the house and such a fun show to watch!
Brian Keith’s California ranch home in the original Parent Trap! A beautiful hacienda with the marvelous indoor patio. I so wanted to be friends with the girls!
Under the Tuscan Sun and Mamma Mia! Those kitchens, courtyards, tiled floors. Openness and warmth!
Yes to both! I’d feel like I was on vacation every day.
That beautiful Santa Barbara abode in It’s Complicated. I don’t care if it was mostly a movie set–the interiors, the exteriors, the garden…all of it. Love it. Would love to live in a real-life version.
1) The house in Call me by your name, definitely. I have been saving images of the kitchen for future reference, and everything about the house reminds me of my childood growing up in the south of France, where some old family homes look a lot like this one (less magnificent obvs, but the orchard, the mini-pool built in stone were very familiar to me!)
2) Marianne’s Dublin appartment in Normal People
The house from Practical Magic is my forever dream home!
Father of the Bride House!
Call Me By Your Name or the cabin in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Kate Winslet’s cottage in the Holiday!
OMG SAME!!!!
Oh YES!
YAAASSSSS it’s my cozy living dream!
100%!
Meryl Streep’s Santa Barbara spanish style ranch home in “It’s Complicated”. The exterior as much as the interior. GAHHHHH.
The home in Parasite.
With or without the creepy secret basement room? That house is so gorgeous and just oozes wealth and architectural genius.
I was hoping to see this one on someone’s list! Secret passages and a modern aesthetic! The house was it’s own character in that movie.
Same. I read this article about the symbolism behind the architecture that it’s supposed to be a sterile, post modern house that could be in any big city, but dammmmmn I think it’s amazing. Those big windows! The kitchen with the big shelves! I would move in tomorrow w(but without the extra residents).
Also, the house in Father of the Bride or Jay and Gloria’s house in modern family, even Cam and Mitch’s place (or should I just move to LA?)
Susan Sarandon’s house in Stepmom!
Oh yes!!
I live near Nyack, NY, home of the Stepmom house…….home to many beautiful houses, right along the Hudson — including Helen Hayes’ house. She’s considered the First Lady of American theater, and I was lucky enough to receive a personal tour (with her as the tour guide) over 40 years ago. It was Christmas time; she was in the process of writing her Christmas cards, and I resisted the temptation to ask if I could leaf through the enormous pile of cards she had already completed. Most likely it would have been a Who’s Who in American Entertainment spanning 60 or more years. A story in itself!
If you are at all close to this section of the country, you really should make a day trip. And just a little further south (like five minutes) is Piermont.
ALSO a charming village, ALSO with some big screen credits.
By the way, the blog “Hooked on Houses” is based on TV and Movie houses (as well as other real estate items that are a bit out of the ordinary). It covers EVERYTHING in this category, giving background as well as the everyday appearance, and the real estate listing if it applies. Fascinating stuff.
@Sillylily: I live in Paris, France so it’s a bit far :)
The house is the reason I kept watching that show. Especially the kitchen!
The Tenuta Borgia estate on Pantelleria, where A Bigger Splash (directed by Luca Guadagnino) was filmed!
For sure the McAllisters in Home Alone! Love that house all decorated for Christmas and the 80s wallpaper. Swoon!
This was definitely my childhood dream house. It’s all shades of red cream and green and it looked like people really lived there. Plus it’s such a huge house!
The Tuscan villa in Stealing Beauty!
Yes!!!
The house in “Sitka” Alaska from the movie Proposal. (I think it is actually in Manchester, Massachusetts).
And the castle from Beauty and the Beast, just for the greatest library of all time!
Sitka is a real place! Though you’re right that that house is not there haha.
The homey, professorial Italian villa from Call Me By Your Name is just…perfection.
Mine is the townhouse from the Exorcist…..yup I know….
The house of Otis and his mother, in the TV series Sex Education (such a good series!!). Apparently it is for rent https://www.businessinsider.nl/photos-you-can-rent-otis-house-from-sex-education-2020-3/
Plus I second the house in the movie Totero.
YES! that house with that view!
YES! Those views are unreal.
– Kate Winslet’s English cottage in “The Holiday” that Cameron Diaz moves into
– Frankie and Grace’s beach house
– Midge Maisel’s (parents’) apartment
This thread is making me want to do a Nancy Myers movie marathon of gorgeous houses :)
The house from Stepmom. I’ve been obsessed with it for years.
Kate Winslet’s cottage in The Holiday. I had no idea this was a Nancy Meyer’s movie!
Oh gosh, I love this question! I know I’ll be an outlier with this one, but the amazing hangar/loft in the movie Wind! When I first saw it I crushed so hard!
The imagine my delight when I actually stumbled across it IRL! We even got to rent it, for an event once although it just a hangar not set up for living space.
The house in “Stealing Beauty” and the one in “Call Me by your Name” – any house in Tuscany!
Yes – Stealing Beauty. The garden and guest cottage too.
I want to live not just in the house and gardens but be part of the family in Call Me By Your Name – so so gorgeous!
The Family Stone house is beautiful and also Susan Sarandon’s house in Stepmom – perfect for every season.
Yes! Came here to say the Family Stone house. So traditional, cozy and beautiful.
The Family Stone house is my pick also – love that house!
Love both of these!!
Sex Education! The house where Otis Milburn lives with his mother is breathtaking, especially the balcony!
The Intern movie also has a beautiful apartment
That house + Jean’s jumpsuits, flowy pants, dresses and robes.
The house from Practical Magic, and just the whole aesthetic of the 1970s French fairy tale musical Peau d’Ane (Donkey Skin) but especially the princess’s bedroom– have been obsessed with her moss green velvet duvet covered in silk flowers for my whole life.
Oh, also, the villa from Under the Tuscan Sun!
100%, that’s my pick too!
Yes, Under the Tuscan Sun! Sign me up for the renovations too.
The cottage in The Holiday! I’m picturing a glass of red, candles, a bath, and lots and lots of snow
Yes! I watched Knives Out three times within a week just for the house alone – it’s so moody and sumptuous and intriguing, but also somehow warm (sort of). The autumnal weather doesn’t hurt, either. I LOVE that house!
The house on the coast of Cornwall from ‘About Time’ is my dream!
My husband’s dream has always been ‘The Burrow’, chaotic, full of children and love. It’s becoming more and more poignant as we’ve suffered two baby losses in a row. But we do have our one beautiful boy with a head of ginger hair!
About Time is one of my very favorite movies, and you’re right, the house is beautiful and homey and quirky and I would move in tomorrow.
I loved that one too, and I have a ginger haired boy (man). All the best to you.
Nancy Meyers houses (kitchens!) – totally on board! And the house from tv show Brothers&Sisters – that kitchen and pantry (and den, and pool…)
I would have to say the house in PRACTICAL MAGIC is my first choice (I could just live in the greenhouse), but I also really love the house in THE FAMILY STONE.
I love love love Cameron Diaz’s house in The Holiday and have ever since I first saw the movie as a teen. Recently I’m also loving the beach house in Grace and Frankie! Both are just light, fresh and dreamy.
I’m sure there are more, but the first two that jump in my mind are the Italian villa in Call me by your name and the huge flat in Pais in Tanguy.
My childhood heart wins – for me it’s the Sound of Music lakefront mansion!
I wish I lived at Bagend! (Bilbo’s house in Lord of the Rings), or in the house Van Tassel house in Sleepy Hollow; that whole village they built for the film is just so perfectly creepy and but quaint (the stag head sculptures at the gates are my favorite touch).
The house and the garden in Call Me by Your Name!
The house in the notebook, forrest gump and might be a little weird, but also the house in parasite! maybe without the basement tho.
also Otis’s house in sex education looks so cozy and beatiful terrace.
And there are quite a few beach houses coming to my mind..
My top dream house is the lake house from the movie “The Lake House” https://www.archdaily.com/281686/films-architecture-the-lake-house
1. The London Cottage from The Holiday
2. The Cornwall House from About Time (Rainy Movie Nights and cups of tea on the beach!!)
3. The New England House from Dan in Real Life
Love all these!!
This makes me want to watch Dan in Real Life again! I loved that movie.
The house in Home Alone, especially at Christmas. The house in something’s gotta give, especially in summer!
Troop Beverly Hills house! And Anne of green gables. I still want to visit Prince Edward Island.
The farmhouse in Field of Dreams!
YES!!! And, kevin costner in it. Thx.
The lake house in What About Bob
The mid- century masterpiece in A Single Man and the gorgeous modern home in Parasite (sans the whole creepy basement part).
Came here to say the Single Man house!
The Schaffer House in A Single Man
Full house. All I can think of when I remember that set is “how many more people are they actually going to fit in this one house?”
The beach house from Grace and Frankie. :)
Oh my.. such a great article Caroline! How could I choose?! I just read a reader comment that said Home Alone and I might have to agree.. I was so envious of that house as a kid. Another one that pops to mind would be The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mansion. It just looked so fancy!
-Abby
Amelie’s apartment has always stuck with me. Would I want to live there now? Maybe not unless I was on vacation, but when I saw this back in high school I was immediately enchanted and all of my visions of having my own apartment were based on the pure romance that was her apartment. I also painted my first solo similarly dingy city apartment walls red and deep green and put lamps everywhere.
Same here – when I was younger, Amelie’s apartment was the inspiration I needed to finally get my own apartment, overabundance of throw pillow coziness and all!
Sorry, I can’t seem to watch the trailer for Knives out, and I’m just so curious…. is it a light-hearted whodunnit? Or it it is more serious and sinister? I love a good, old-fashioned whodunnit(lighthearted and not disturbing!) but they don’t often make them!
It’s more in the lighthearted category. Definitely not sinister!
Pretty lighthearted and fast paced. Definitely not one to throw the viewer into despair– or terror!
Lighthearted whodunnit. I can’t do violence or gore or even suspense really (I’m a riot) and I enjoyed it, though the answer is revealed about 2/3 through instead of the end which was a little bit of a bummer for me, but all in all, easy watching so you’ll be fine. :)
It’s… hard to categorize. But as someone who doesn’t do well with scary/suspenseful (and someone who doesn’t typically watch or enjoy movies), I liked it!
It is most certainly a light-hearted whodunnit and, though predictable, extremely entertaining! I would highly recommend :)
Definitely more light-hearted and fun I’d say! It is based on a murder, but nothing kept me up at night.
It’s a relatively lighthearted movie – of course there’s murder and intrigue, but it’s not a dark thriller. Hope that helps :)
I think it’s classic in set up and delivery, but modern in themes. It’s not sinister. It has tense moments but also humour – I highly recommend it!
It’s hilarious! I think it’s right up your alley.
Totally lighthearted and amazing!!!
Lighthearted! I absolutely loved this movie.
It’s very lighthearted and comedic!
I dislike anything too scary or violent and I love Knives Out. It’s definitely a murder mystery but it’s fun. I didn’t find it disturbing.
Lighthearted who done it!
Lighthearted– a few serious moments but my sister and I watched it in the theater (ah! remember the theater!) and laughed the whole way through.
I am a Christie fan and enjoyed it very much. It is lighthearted and has lots of humor.
Very light-hearted. Not sinister at all!
I would consider it lighthearted – the movie is very comedic. I hate horror movies and unnecessary gore and I didn’t find it disturbing – the sinister elements are more tinged with comedy than with seriousness. I say go for it! I really enjoyed it.
Yes to Nancy Meyer houses, but especially the one in The Intern! It ALWAYS gets overlooked when people mention the houses in her films. It’s perfection — my dream home for sure.
This might be the best question EVER!
1. Royal Tenenbaums house
2. Hope and Michael’s house on thirtysomething
3. The house Julia Roberts moves into after she escapes her husband in Sleeping with the Enemy
I’m sure I’ll think of more as I’ll be spending the next week pondering this question! Thank you!
You have excellent taste! All of these houses are excellent.
Yes! The house by the sea from Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing & Dianne Weist!
The Napa Valley house from the Parent Trap remake! I spent so much time as a kid copying the floor plan and imagining my future life there.
Yes to the Sleeping with the Enemy house. I always thought that place was so charming.
OMG The Thirtysomething house! Haven’t thought about that show in years. Must be streaming somewhere, right?
The house in Something’s Gotta Give with Meryl Streep/Alec Baldwin. The kitchen, the garden…so good!
I think you mean It’s Complicated but Yes! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE her bake shop!
..But Diane Keaton’s home in Something’s Gotta Give is dreamy as well :)
It’s Complicated!!!! My fave too.
I think you mean It’s Complicated. But the Something’s Gotta Give house is gorgeous too – that’s MY dream house :)
Erin,
I live in the town that was the basis for Sleeping with the Enemy (Cedar Falls, Iowa) and while I do not live in that house I do live in an early 19th century bungalow on a boulevard with a big yard. It is funny because when I saw that movie my twenty something self wanted that house /neighborhood/hometown. I was originally from Iowa and living in a big city far from home and homesick. And yes we have a celebration that is like the 4th of July in the movie but it takes place a few weeks earlier in celebration of the city’s history. It is not perfect but I love it!
My other dream movie house – The California ranch house in the original parent trap with Haley Mills.
My friend Totoro
Yaaaaaaasssss!
Oh i just read a book about Totoro and they drew the house as a team thinking of everyone s dream house.
Yes! Just re-watched that last week. All the sliding doors, swoon.
Um, the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse!! Why has no one mentioned this? Best house, hands down.
yes yes and yes! i mentioned it too :)
The house in Practical Magic!!
Yes!!! Me too :) And the garden! (Maybe without any bodies buried there…}
Yes!! One of my friends even looked up blueprints to try to have it built for her and her husband!
Was just going to write this! Yes! That greenhouse, that attic, that view.
I love Lorelei and Rory’s house in Gilmore Girls! And the Dragonfly Inn. The wallpaper is amazing!
Not a house, but my dream apartment is Lauren Bacall’s in “Dark Passage”.
OMG! The firehouse in Princess Diaries! Who doesn’t want to slide down a pole?
Oh my gosh growing up that was my dream house!!!!
MINE TOO! With Mia’s cloud-painted ceiling and heart shaped Christmas lights on the banister! Twelve-year-old me wanted it SO BADLY
One of my good friends from childhood had a fire pole in his room that went down two floors to the kitchen! It had a door you could close and everything.
Father of the Bride House. I watched it the other day and had this exact thought!
The remake? I used to live near that house.
I have a top 3, The Family Stone house, Home Alone house and Father of the Bride house!
I really, really love the house on the Apple TV+ show, Servant.
Omg, yes! Love that house!
I just watched the movie Summerland, it was fantastic and the main character lived in cozy cottage on the english coast. I wanted to live in the movie! haha
Just rewatched sleepless in Seattle. That house on the water. Dream.
I second this!!! I always think I’d love to live there when watching that movie! :-)
Yes, this was my first thought as well!