Thursday, May 10, 2012

Cinema Style: Design Cues from Dark Shadows! Part I

CINEMA STYLE: DESIGN CUES FROM DARK SHADOWS!  From Gothic to Gothic Revival, Regency, Victorian, Edwardian -- with touches of the Baroque and some 1970s hippie-moving-into glam rock thrown in -- the new Dark Shadows movie is a visual delight every minute of its 113-minute running time!  Set decorator John Bush really brought home an eerie feeling that evokes a timeless atmosphere for Collinwood Manor, the ancestral home of vampire Barnabas Collins (portrayed by Johnny Depp) found on the misty coast of Maine.  This melange of styles is appropriate too, considering the family has continually lived in this mythic manor since 1752 -- and with the film taking place in 1972, the added bonus of a psychedelic/glam rock music poster-strewn room for young Carolyn Stoddard (portrayed by Chloe Grace Moretz) brings a colorful visual relief to the otherwise wonderfully gloomy interiors. So, let's begin to transform your abode into something equally timeless, filled with this and that from a wide range of sources, both highbrow and low (which is really the secret for creating memorable spaces!).  1) A George III knife box is a lovely find from yesteryear -- you can have lots of fun scouring antique stores and auction houses such as Christie's for these decorative but still functional boxes.  2) Well, well -- who'd thought that we'd come up with the (most likely) inspiration for the fabulous ship in a storm painted mural found in the Collinwood dining room? At Studio of Style, we leave no ottoman unturned to bring you -- our stylish reader -- the insider scoop! Russian-born artist Vladimir Bibikov will be most happy to create the "Storm Ravaged Ship" painting, measuring approximately 41" x 28" in those wind-tossed sea colors of greens and blues. 3) Hailing from the '70s, this orange Fire King coffee mug made by Anchor Hocking is almost a close match for the one on the Collinwood dining table! Resale shops, yard sales and Ebay are the places to look for these -- and what fun they add to today's contemporary/retro place setting. 4) True to the period of the film, Mrs. Butterworth's pancake syrup was a big hit in the early '70s, mainly for its shapely bottle -- and its original TV commercials featuring the voice of actor/comedian Cliff Arquette who used a falsetto voice to say "Hello, Mrs. Butterworth here!"  We love old men who impersonate women, don't we??  5) French ormolu candelabra -- like these late 19th century ones by Bardedienne of Paris, found at Christie's -- are still a great way to light up the night! Why not mix several pair in different heights and number of lights for a really unique look?  6) Speaking of a classic look, you needn't go any further than the bistro/cafe Picardie tumblers, such as these which were introduced by Williams-Sonoma more than 40 years ago and have remained popular since.  You can drink anything from them -- hot or cold, day or night! 7) We knew that when we brought these herringbone linen napkins by Anichini to you back in December 2011, that somehow they'd be back in some form on Studio of Style -- and lo and behold, we spied a rolled-up green linen napkin on the Collinwood dining table!  We said that you'd use them for every occasion, now didn't we? Also shown in the photo above: a carved, gold-gilt serving console and a simple, but handsomely proportioned chair rail.  Keep reading below for more.....
Posted by at