CINEMA STYLE: DESIGN CUES FROM DARK SHADOWS! There's nothing that says "stately manor" more than the rich feel and look of damask fabrics -- and as you can see in this movie still from the new Dark Shadows film, a fabulous settee is upholstered with a wonderful soft satiny Art Nouveau-like damask and a snakelike stretcher beneath which accentuates the settee's back profile. We like the big bold damasks from Michael Miller Fabrics (1 & 2) -- particularly "Dandy Damask" in Bloom (left) and "Dainty Damask" (right) in brown and black. You can also do your walls in a contrasting damask in a completely different colorway -- why not? Notice how the lighting throughout the sets of Dark Shadows is a mixed bag from different eras -- such as the fringed Victorian lamp (3) with its bronze base and deep rich shade that adds soft, subtle drama to a room. Antique shops, yard sales and online auctions are where you'll find these gems. The floors in this great room at Collinwood Manor are paved with custom-cut grey-blue slate tiles (4) which impart more rusticity than marble. As in any teen household from the '70s -- gothic or otherwise -- you can't stop the young ladies in the manor from reading those Donny Osmond-filled teen magazines from 1972 (5) as you can see by the reading material on the floor -- while the young master of the house, David (portrayed by Gulliver McGrath) plays with his dinosaur toys (6) that were all the rage during the '60s and '70s. And if you look throughout Collinwood Manor, there are caryatids (7) everywhere -- which is a good thing, because we love them! Caryatids, ornamental brackets, corbels, molding, plant stands, chair rails, wainscoting and wall-mounted candle holders are great ways to imbue interiors with that extra touch to help flesh out otherwise barren wall and ceiling space.
http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/MMF/Home.cfm?Gid=1296
http://www.ancientsculpturegallery.com/fiberstone_bracketscaryatids.html
http://www.dinotoyblog.com/
http://darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html
Film still courtesy Warner Bros. Entertainment
