I love making these “Around the House” posts. It’s a fun way to put together mood boards that are completely out of my and Greg’s “style comfort zone” while getting a chance to talk about some of our favorite films and TV shows. For this edition, we’re going with a classic…

Being Humphrey Bogart’s first romantic lead role, Warner Brothers wasn’t expecting Casablanca to be a big hit at the box office. Nevertheless, it was nominated for eight Academy Awards that year, won three and is now considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. Rather than going “around the house”, we’re gaining design inspiration from the iconic café, Rick’s – which is basically like Humphrey Bogart’s character’s house anyway, so we’re still in the same boat. The lofty night club was actually a sound stage at Warner Brothers. The set designer was George James Hopkins, who also worked on a lot of my other favorite films like Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady and Dial M for Murder.

The shape of the neon sign nicely ties in with the Moroccan details throughout the rest of the café. I love the coziness of the courtyard as well as the detailing on the large entry doors.

Oh, Sam. He’s the piano player for the café, sings a killer rendition of “As Time Goes By” and is responsible for the popular line, “Play it, Sam”. Though, in reality, he didn’t actually play the piano! When the movie was being filmed, a piano player sat off camera and during the scenes, Sam (played by Dooley Wilson) would mimic his hand placement on the keys. It’s said that up until the last minute before filming, the director was thinking about switching him out for a female character played by Ella Fitzgerald. Even though I’m an Ella fan, Casablanca wouldn’t have been the same without Sam. Back to design talk! I love the curved ceilings throughout the café. I also love the enormous amount of hanging lanterns. They are everywhere throughout the film – even in the military offices!

In the back of the café is Rick’s office. Not only does it have yet another cool lantern, but some really interesting furniture pieces as well. Like the lanterns, the ornate decorative screens (like the one to the left of this shot) are in what seems like every scene in the movie. I also noticed that there seem to be a lot of metal candlesticks – especially in Rick’s office.

Here’s another great example of the decorative screens. The bead-trimmed table lights on each table throughout the café are very 1940′s and bring a lot of ambiance to the atmosphere. If you ever plan on having a Casablanca-themed party, they are a must have!

And here we have even more hanging lanterns – though this time they are hanging from brackets on the wall. Check out the cool shadow they make! I also really like all of the geometric elements, like the design in the doors and the tiled floor. The height of the doors and the large-scale tiles make the set seem so much larger than what it probably is – which is a trick you could easily use in home design as well.

I couldn’t do a post about Casablanca without including a shot from the famous airport scene! I recently read that Ingrid Bergman was at least two inches taller than Humphrey Bogart, so the director had him stand on boxes or sit on cushions during their scenes together. Oh, another fun side note… In 2004, a former American diplomat in Morocco opened an actual Rick’s Café in Casablanca, Morocco. The inside is a bit lighter than in the movie, but it still has lanterns, ornate furnishings, curved ceilings and an in-house piano player that plays “As Time Goes By” several times a night.

1. Hanging Lantern Candle Holder ($16.99) | 2. Carved Ebonized Mirror ($200) | 3. Caper Elliott Wingback Chair ($329.99) | 4. Laila Moroccan Nesting Tables ($307.99) | 5. Fez Platter ($49), Update: No longer available, oops! Here’s an alternative. | 6. Tribal Carved Coffee Table ($299) | 7. Kantha Diagonal Stripe Pillow Cover ($24.99) | 8. Found Turkish Rug ($2,499)

Now it’s your turn, are you digging the Casablana set design? What’s your all time favorite film?

Oh, and I have to say it at least once… “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.” ; )

My first memory of Audrey Heburn was when I was about 12 years old. My family was on vacation at Disney World and we were at MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but it will always be MGM to me!). In one of the gift shops, there was a huge, larger than life portrait of her on the wall in her iconic black dress, wide-brimmed hat, and oversized sunglasses. A year or two later, I watched Sabrina for the very first time and I was immediately hooked. I was an official Audrey Hepburn fan. Today, we’re going around the house of one of the most memorable Audrey films, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The movie takes place in the heart of New York City and Audrey’s character (Holly Golightly) lives in an apartment in a four-story brownstone.

Even though she’s been living in her apartment for about a year, Holly’s decor – or lack thereof – was very sparse and looks as though she just moved in.

The shelves were pretty much empty and a majority of the furniture that she did was is made up of suitcases, wooden crates and boxes. Little did the set designers know that would be “in” fifty years later. Oh, and you can’t forget the bath tub sofa!

Like the main living area, Holly’s bedroom was pretty simple and bare. My favorite part of the bedroom is her vanity. It looks so interesting and full of sparkly things. I’d love to know where all of those perfume bottles are now!

If you look real closely, you’ll notice that the vanity was actually made up of old pieces of wood…

One of my favorite features (actually, I don’t think you’d call it a feature…?) is how Holly converted her mailbox by the front door into a mini “prep station” complete with a mirror, lipstick and perfume. In college I always had the urge to stash a tube of lipgloss in my campus mailbox. 

I couldn’t write a Breakfast At Tiffany’s post without including a screen shot of my absolute favorite scene when Holly and Paul Fred go to Tiffany’s to get the ring engraved… “This, I take it, was not purchased at Tiffany’s?” … “No, actually it was purchased concurrent with, uh, well, actually, came inside of… well, a box of Cracker Jack.”

Later in the film, Holly sets her sights on the wealthy future President of Brazil, José Luis de Vilallonga. Trying to gear up for domestication, Holly takes up knitting, cooking and fills her apartment with “real” furniture… and a bull’s head.

Here’s yet another screen shot we can’t be without. Ever since we got Bentley, I cry at this scene because I can’t imagine letting him off into the street alone like Holly did Cat. But they, including Cat, live happily ever after.

Now for my favorite part of Around the House posts! Here’s my take on Breakfast at Tiffany’s:

1. Kristaller Chandelier ($39) | 2. Bath Tub Sofa ($2,982.70) | 3. Breakfast from Dean & Deluca | 4. Legion Pallet Table ($401) | 5. Vintage Telephone ($15+) | 6. Fuchsia Fiesta Floor Pillow ($89.95) and Amethyst Batavia Ikat ($39.90) | 7. Zebra Rug ($500) | 8. Vintage Typewriter ($55+)

The brownstone in Breakfast At Tiffany’s, located on East 71st street in the Big Apple, recently sold for around a cool $6,000,000. All of the exterior shots as well as some interior shots were filmed here.

I wonder if the new owner has a cat… ; )

 Movie poster found here (btw, it’s 27×40 and only $29.99!). Audrey & bathtub sofa photo found here. Images from the actual Breakfast At Tiffany’s house found here and here.

We’ve mentioned a few times our love for classic TV shows and the fact that Greg and I both really enjoy I Love Lucy. A show we love just as much is The Dick Van Dyke Show. Rob, Laura, Richie, Buddy, Sally, Mel, Jerry, and Millie… they all feel like a part of our family. Yes, that sounds super corny, I know. But it’s true. I’ve seen every single episode, multiple times, except for the very last one. I just can’t bring myself to watch it. Even though the show aired 50-some years ago, I refuse to think of it as “over”.

Rob and Laura’s New Rochelle home is hands down one of my favorite TV houses. It’s what I’d call “Traditional Mid-Century”. There’s no doubt about the Mid-Century aspect, but if you look closer, you’ll see a hint of Traditional here and there – like the coffee table in the living room for instance.

I love the openness of the whole house. The bedrooms, den, and kitchen open up into the living room and the dining area is just a few steps from the sofa. I also love the wall of bricks. In the episode Give Me Your Walls, a painter comes to the house to paint the living room and Laura quickly says “Don’t touch the bricks!”.

Right off the living room is the master bedroom. Like most, if not all, TV bedrooms of the 50′s and 60′s, Rob and Laura’s had two twin beds rather than one queen/king. The beds were separated by a bedside table In the later seasons, the set designer switched out the table lamp for a spiffy pendent light as seen below (a good idea for freeing up beside table space!).

On the other side of the bedroom is a window seat (When I was little, I called them “pop out windows” and begged my parents to buy a house with one). I love the tall Mid-Century dresser in the corner. On the wall opposite the beds is a dressing table/vanity – something I’ve always wanted in our bedroom!

Back through the living room is the kitchen. I love this open kitchen! Yeah, to today’s standard it’d be considered “dated”, but it has a really great layout and not to mention a great big island. Behind the wall the refrigerator is on is a small walkthrough to the living room.

Rob and Laura had open shelving before it was cool! On the other side of the shelves is a sliding door out to the patio and a door that leads to the garage. To the right of Laura is a small broom closet (yay for storage!).

Want to add some Dick Van Dick Show Mid-Century flair to your space? Here’s how to get the look:

1. Leaf Bowl ($98.00) | 2. KleinReid Gourd Table Lamp ($379) | 3. The Petrie Sofa ($1,599) | 4. Whitman Round Coffee Table ($105) | 5. Mid-Century Coffee Pot Carafe ($14) | 6. Walnut Sunburst Clock ($149) | 7. Opaque Glass Frame ($24) | 8. Quinn Chair ($799) | 9. Quinn Ottoman ($399)

The episode photos above were captured from the following episodes: The Talented Neighborhood, You’re Under Arrest, I Am My Brother’s Keeper and That’s My Boy (my all-time favorite episode!). You can watch all 159 episodes on Hulu.