Seth Michael Donsky

Movies allow us to peer into other peoples’ lives and, even better, their homes. And not just any dwelling but premiere living spaces as imagined and executed by top set designers and creative directors. True, Auntie Mame’s Danish Modern living room (pictured), replete with hydraulic lifting couches, is a bit over the top. But it, and other classic movies, offers us exquisite snapshots of timeless design principles of color, texture and composition as well as a history of how those principles have evolved over the decades. So in honor of the Oscars, here are some classic movie interiors from the 1930s through the 1970s that offer contemporary design inspiration.

Art Direction: Hobe Erwin and Fred Hope

The art deco interiors of this pre-code MGM comedy gave America a glimpse into how the wealthy dealt with the loss of money and power at the height of the Great Depression. Here Jean Harlow luxuriates in her wedding cake of a bedroom. The lush shag carpet, plumed bedposts and ruched drapes demonstrate great use of texture and scale. The unifying power of white ties it all together for total glamour.

Set Decoration: Darrell Silvera

Charles Foster Kane, a character loosely based on William Randolph Hearst, lived lavishly and had the castle to prove it. The film is filled with larger-than-life interiors but here, in even one of the more “informal” spaces, the fabric work is anything but relaxed. Curtains envelope the entire room!