May 3rd, 2012 No Comments

auntie mame! auntie mame!

My friends and I are diehard Auntie Mame serial watchers. We absolutely love the 1958 film version of Warner Bros.’s “Auntie Mame” starring Rosalind Russell. It is eye candy for the decorating obsessed and is filled with many amusing lines that we repeat over and over. I think if you know New York City at all, you might find it funnier than if you’re not familiar with New York (“well I almost had to get out my foreign visa and set sail for Brooklyn!”) But the sets are truly inspirational, so take a peek if you have never seen the movie. Oscar winning Set Decorator, George James Hopkins, was nominated for an Oscar along with Malcolm C. Bert for Auntie Mame. Mr. Hopkins worked on 75 titles in his career including his Oscar winning sets for Hello Dolly!, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, My Fair Lady and A streetcar Named Desire. In the movie, Mame’s apartment style and decor change throughout the story, but my favorite I think is the lavender and blue decor and that’s why I’m including it in this week’s color palette. When you watch the movie notice that everything changes from the apartment entrance foyer, to the staircase, to the fireplace mantle and flooring- not just the paint, furniture and pillows.