8 Movies with Stunning Interior Design

Interior design was never meant to be confined to still imagery. It’s meant to be the setting for the drama, tragedy, comedy and romance of our lives. Watching movies is a great way to see how different styles come to life in different eras and with diverse characters, and maybe get a little inspiration for your own design projects. Here are some standout movies with stunning interior designs.

1. Parasite (2019)

The house where most of the story takes place could be considered the real star of this Oscar-winning Korean film. Instead of being decorated by an interior designer, it was built and staged from the ground up by the film's director, Bong Joon Ho, together with Lee Ha Jun, production designer, with special emphasis on the moods created through lighting. The result is a minimalist, monochromatic marvel.

2. Pain and Glory (2019)

For Spanish director, Pedro Almodóvar, decoration is a fundamental tool, as can be seen in really any of his 20+ films, including his autobiographical Pain and Glory. Expect to see vibrant colors with an apparent predilection for lipstick red, kitschy prints and a mix of contemporary and mid-century furniture.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Wes Anderson’s unmistakable aesthetic touch is arguably at its finest in this comedy drama, with its warm pastel palette and satisfying symmetry. While the hotel's stunning pink exterior is actually a miniature model, the interior snapshots capture thoughtfully produced Art Deco vignettes, born from a myriad of inspirational sources, including Photocrom postcards from the 1920s and 1930s.

4. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

André Aciman's novel was inspired not by a person, but by a villa in a small Italian village, and director Luca Guadagnino conveyed this spirit in the film adaptation by choosing Lombardy's Villa Albergoni, a former fortress, as the dreamy setting for this coming-of-age summer romance. 17th century meets 1983 under high ceilings, made cozy by the family's collections of relics of their love of travel, art and history.

5. Ex Machina (2014)

This unsettling sci-fi film needed the main character's house to reflect his "wealth, technical ability and intellectual status," according to production designer Mark Digby. The story takes place in one house, but is shot at the Norwegian Juvet Landscape Hotel and a private summer house called The Residence, both designed by Jensen & Skodvin Architects. A rock formation juts out into the sleek, modern living room, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows frame the stunning surrounding nature.

6. Amélie (2001)

A beloved French masterpiece featuring vintage furniture and eclectic-gone-kitsch details everywhere. Think patterned tiles, polka dots, and one velvet fringed ottoman. Vibrant, rotating color palettes and use of furniture play a key role in telling the story with all its emotional peaks and reflecting the solitary character of the protagonist, played by the young Audrey Tautou.

7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Clean, curvy furniture and fluorescent light beaming across white ceilings, walls, and floors. That’s how Stanley Kubrick imagined the interior design of the future from where he sat in the 1960s. The legendary chaise longue from the Djinn collection, designed by Olivier Mourgue, is part of the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York, but the same model, as well as other pieces of furniture featured, are available for purchase.

8. The Great Gatsby (2013)

Another imposing display of Art Deco, Baz Luhrmann’s drama set in the roaring 20’s is nothing short of grandiose. Besides an extraordinary collection of costume designs, the film boasts glamorous interiors: meticulous designs loaded with crystals and gold, cubist and futurist influences within classic architecture, and a notable bias for geometric lines, shapes, and zigzag patterns. Best watched with a glass of champagne.