Settling in to watch a captivating Nancy Meyers movie is more than just about the stories she tells. It's also about the cozy homes she brings to life on the big screen. Some have said the sets she creates are a main character and I completely agree.
When I think of Father of the Bride, I picture the character's lovely white colonial home. Of course, I am an interior design enthusiast, so that makes sense for me. However, I believe I am not alone.
In providing you with how to get the Nancy Meyers aesthetic, I poured over movie set photos, and gladly rewatched a few of her movies again, to find patterns across the interiors that make her style so timeless. What follows are several ways to achieve the Nancy Meyers style in your own home, but make it your own.
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What is the Nancy Meyers Style
Nancy Meyers, along with longtime collaborators Jon Hutman, her production designer, and set decorator, Beth Rubino, have come to be synonymous with timeless, classic interiors based on their set designs.
Each room feels inviting and comfortable, never minimalist or austere, with a collected over time lived-in feel. Cozy, layered interiors, where nothing is too precious, and old mixes with new with an ease that is to be commended.
Shop the photo: Large white vase | Small white vase | Medium white vase | Faux beige pink peonies | Tufted upholstered ottoman, similar but slightly smaller | Patterned rug (top) | Braided jute rug, off white, similar (bottom)
Whether The Holiday, Something's Gotta Give, Father of the Bride, or any of her many other delightful movies, as a viewer you can feel how much thought went into getting the feeling right in each and every home. You can sense an imagined history and see the patina on timeworn pieces.
That is how I approached decorating our home. Even though I did not realize my style was similar to the Nancy Meyers aesthetic at the time, I knew I wanted cozy, layered, and, most of all, comfortable.
Mixing Old and New
I love antiquing; looking for that one-of-a-kind special piece to complete a vignette, set atop a coffee table book, or hang on the wall in an otherwise bare hallway.
Shop the photo: Round marble lidded dish | Made for Living book | Diffuser
To me, the hunt is just as engaging as the find is exciting. I found the two pieces of art below at a local antique mall and just had to bring them home!
They add such charm to our hallway. I also love that guests get lost gazing at the fine details in the pictures.
Creating moments in your home is just the beginning.
Using my own home as an example, try the following ways to achieve the style, but make it your own.
Warm Paint Colors
It seems like every Nancy Meyers movie features warm paint colors. Creamy whites, tans and beige that are not too dark, and soft yellows.
When I think of Something's Gotta Give, I recall the lovely shade of warm white paint in the light-filled living room. Just a simple paint choice can make a room feel so inviting. I recently rewatched The Holiday and noticed the warm yellow-tan paint colors in Iris's cottage house, played by Kate Winslet, as well as a similar paint color in Graham's family house, played by Jude Law.
Our walls are a very warm beige color from the time we purchased the home. I had intended to paint them a warm creamy white, but we never did. And that's okay, as I have come to like the color. It's warm at all times of the day and night, so it works for us.
Shop the photo: Table lamp | Rattan boxes, set of 2 | Patterned rug (top) | Braided jute rug, off white, similar (bottom)
I think the closest paint color to a cool shade in any of her films would be Amanda Woods' house in The Holiday, played by Cameron Diaz. It was a slight greige, leaning more grey than beige yet still warm feeling.
Paint may not be as easy to change as other things on this list, though it does significantly impact the feeling of a room. Choosing a warm paint color is something to consider if you are trying to achieve a Nancy Meyers feel in your home.
Shop the photo: Table lamp | Large white vase, lid not shown | Faux hydrangea flowers | Woven genuine leather ottoman (similar) | Rattan chain links | AD at 100 book (bottom) | Blue velvet ribbon (similar) | Blue cable knit cashmere throw blanket (similar) or Blue cable knit cotton throw blanket (similar)
Multiple Seating Options
Living areas in Nancy Meyers movies usually have multiple places to sit and relax.
Living rooms feature a plush sofa or two, multiple chairs that are sometimes mismatched but complementary, and an ottoman or coffee table grounded by a natural material rug of sisal or jute. Often you may see a chair off to the side, placed against a wall for when it is needed. To that point, in the primary bedroom of Erica Barry's home, played by Diane Keaton, in Something's Gotta Give, looking toward her desk you can see five different chairs.
An occasional chair at a slight angle is one of my favorite ways to style a chair in a room. In our primary bedroom, I placed one of our ivory basketweave upholstered wingback chairs off to the side to create a cozy nook for reading or chatting away on the phone. The art is DIY Intaglio Wall Art I made myself that you can also create.
Shop the photo: Rug | Alpaca plaid throw blanket (similar) | Plaid grid bone inlay box (small and large) | End of bed bench (similar)
Slipcovers for a Casual Feel
Meanwhile, in our living room, we have a white slipcovered L-shaped sectional sofa and the other pair to the ivory basketweave wingback chair keeping pride of place in a corner.
I love a sectional in a living room like ours. It creates separation in an otherwise open-ish space, which makes it feel cozy. You can read my Pottery Barn Sofa Review for details and my thoughts after eight years of owning our sectional.
Slipcovered furniture features heavily in Nancy Meyers movies. Slipcovers evoke a coastal-casual comfortable feel that rooms in her movies perfectly emulate.
Most of the time furniture fabrics are neutral colors paired with throw pillows and blankets to bring in color and pattern. Groupings of furniture are common as well, where larger rooms may have one to three sitting areas to make conversing easier.
All of this adds to the collected over time feel that Meyers movies are known for. You can get the look by incorporating such ideas in your own living space.
Layered Lighting
Layered lighting is one of the defining characteristics of the Nancy Meyers aesthetic, in my opinion.
Rewatching her films you will notice table and floor lamps are tucked everywhere:
- bookshelves
- kitchen counters
- fireplace mantels
Pendants, chandeliers, and under cabinet lights illuminate kitchens, while sconces brighten hallways and otherwise dark corners of rooms.
Creating ambiance is key in any room. Did you ever notice that dinner parties are by candle light even while all the other lights are on in the house?
Soft, Warm Lights
All of the lighting in Meyers films is soft, warm light, not bright or cool white light.
I love having lights on in our home, making sure to have plenty of light sources in our living room. I am also of the opinion that you can never have too many light sources in a room.
Aside from four windows that cast natural light from three aspects, two floor lamps and two table lamps are the main lights we use in the space.
Our kitchen that is situated behind the living area has two island pendants as well as under cabinet lights. We leave the pendants on all evening long. Sometimes we will turn on the under cabinet lights in the evening as well.
Capturing the light at golden hour in our living room feels so cozy that I wrote about in a How to Make Your Home Cozy post.
Don't Underestimate Natural Light
You will also see abundant artificial natural light recreated from many windows, french doors, and transoms across rooms in Meyers films.
Do you recall the living space in Something's Gotta Give had three sets of French doors? So charming!
One of my favorite features of our home is the abundance of windows. Honestly, it was one of the reasons why I fell in love with it. Our living room has small windows that flank a fireplace above built-in shelves, combined with large picture windows on each side of the room that flood the space with natural light all day long.
While you may not be able to add windows or doors to your home, adding other light sources, such as lamps and sconces, may just be what your space is missing.
Window Treatments
Window treatments complete a room. No one knows this more than Meyers and her team.
In her films, curtains usually feature in main living areas as well as bedrooms, with shades in kitchens where the sink is below a window. Shades also appear in the It's Complicated living room, while motorized shades stole one scene in The Holiday as Kate Winslet's character, Iris, discovered.
Our home came with a mix of white California shutters on some of the windows, and blinds or shades on some others. To soften rooms, I layered these lightly textured white cotton curtains over windows that had shutters or blinds. They were a little long so I hemmed them myself. Learn how to hem curtains without sewing.
Shop the photo: Upholstered bed frame (Classic Linen Talc) | Curtains | Rug
Nancy Meyers layered window treatments in Erica Barry's office in Something's Gotta Give, using curtains over wood shades. Layering window treatments adds interest and texture to complete that cozy feel.
Natural Materials
Room by room, natural materials make their way into spaces Nancy Meyers dreams up. You will often find a sisal or jute rug under neutral cotton or linen sofas and occasional chairs.
Wool and cotton rugs also appear across rooms, especially in Something's Gotta Give. After all, who can forget the scene-stealing blue and white striped rug in the living room? It's a beach house, and beach houses exude a relaxed atmosphere, so coastal stripes are appropriate.
Similar to layered window treatments, I can't resist a layered rug moment.
Our living room features a lovely creamy-white braided jute rug under my all-time favorite gorgeous mixed-material muted patterned rug! I bought the same rug for two different rooms. You can read more details about the patterned rug in the Loloi Rug Review.
Hard surfaces featured in her sets use natural materials as well, including hardwood and stone flooring, and stone kitchen countertops. Well, these are movie sets, so they may be made to look like natural materials.
We have classic warm dark hardwood floors on our first floor. Everything from decor to furniture seems to play well with the stain.
Decorated Rooms
Even in what could be considered one of the most minimalist homes for a Meyers movie, every space in Amanda Woods' Los Angeles home in The Holiday is decorated. Nothing feels bare, decorative accessories cover surfaces, books are stacked on shelves, and art hangs on walls; nothing is austere in any space you see.
Among decorative accessories are a mix of old and new pieces. Family photos show up on a table or dresser. Homes feel like life happens there, especially kitchen scenes. Clutter in a working kitchen is real life, so her sets stay true to that.
Decorating and styling are two of my favorite things to do. I love creating moments around our home with things I find - new decor or second-hand.
One of my greatest second-hand finds was this plaster depiction of The Odyssey where they are delivering the Trojan Horse. With pride, I styled it on a shelf in our media room.
You do not have to spend a lot on decorative accessories.
Thrift and antique stores, local shops, and discount stores like HomeGoods and TJ Maxx offer plenty of ways to get great finds at reasonable prices. Online retailers are another place to peruse. Read Tips to Get Decor on a Budget for more ideas.
Architectural Details
One of the more challenging aspects of the Nancy Meyers aesthetic to incorporate, but highly impactful, are architectural details.
I realize you may not be able to install a gas fireplace in your home, create a transom over a doorway, or add wood beams to your ceilings, however architectural details such as these are ways to get the Nancy Meyers aesthetic that should be mentioned.
Today, you can add faux wood beams to ceilings; they are hollow yet look real. You can also simply add applied wall molding, like picture frame box molding or board and batten. We did this in our guest bedroom and it completely changed how the room feels.
Shop the photo: Upholstered bed frame (can't recall which fabric)
Built-Ins Add Character
If you have a larger budget, install built-ins. Think of the dark, moody built-ins that were in Graham's office in The Holiday. How much character did they add to the space? They were probably memorable to many viewers.
We had stunning white painted custom built-ins installed in our home office for more storage. I actually went over the entire Dream Home Office Design and Makeover project in a post.
Shop the photo: Large white vase, lid not shown | Faux hydrangea flowers, white and light green | Woven leather laptop case cover | Woven genuine leather ottoman (similar) | Rattan chain links | Rattan boxes, set of 2
Cozy Fireplaces
Many Nancy Meyers films also have fireplaces in at least one room, including in It's Complicated, The Holiday (all three houses, actually), Something's Gotta Give, and Father of the Bride.
Our home has three fireplaces, which was one of the major selling points for us when we bought it.
We have a cozy fireplace in our living room that has a neutral tumbled stone tile surround. Who doesn't love to decorate the mantel at Christmas?
Find a way to highlight architectural features in your home, even an arched doorway or beadboard-clad mudroom. Create the look you want by adding some of the other details mentioned to get the Nancy Meyers aesthetic, but make it your own!
How do you get the Nancy Meyers style in your own home? I'm sure other readers would also love to know. Leave a comment below!
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