Interiors, Eau de Nil and the Big Screen

The other morning I curled up on the sofa with Spike and spent a happy few hours watching the classic film noir 'The Third Man'.  There is nothing dreamier on a cold winter's day than to escape into a misty world of intrigue and scrutinise the wonderful vintage interiors of this glamorous, dark and shadowy world.

Old films have always held a special fascination for me and I am planning to use some ideas from the many mid twentieth century films I have devoured over the years to decorate our new home.

A classic Hitchcock film set for the 1948 film 'Rope'

One particular film that I have seen several times and never get bored of is the wonderful tongue in cheek 'Hitchcockian' style film 'Charade'.  This Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant film, set in Paris, first captured my imagination as a child and ever since I have longed for 'eau de nil' interiors and chintzy wallpaper set in wooden panelling.  As I look around the townhouse we have recently purchased I know that I am finally getting nearer to that deeply cherished desire and the home of my dreams.

A charming room with stunning Art Nouveau lamp and of course
the stunning Audrey Hepburn

 

The wonderful Peter Sellers in one of his most celebrated roles as
Inspector Clouseau in the process, with the help of Cato,
of wrecking his beautiful Parisian apartment

Because the previous owners of our house hadn't updated the decor since the 1960's virtually every interior door has been wallpapered in the centre of the panels and the woodwork is painted in different colours rather than white.  I am determined during the renovation process not to neutralise the decor to such a degree that the house becomes bland and loses it's charming traditional French feel.   

Our first floor landing with Raoul doing his best impression of 'Pyewacket'
from the 1958 film Bell, Book and Candle

The corner of our living room ready for it's close up
aside from the upside down wallpaper

Although I will be changing the colours and the wallpaper (unfortunately most of it is too far gone and the wall paper in the living room, aside from being very dark and stained, has been hung upside down) I will attempt to retain the feeling of a Parisian hotel room or apartment from the early to mid twentieth century.

The wonderful thing about this house is that I am, for the first time, not worrying about what other people like or the resale potential so I am completely free to style it to suit us. I am very lucky that Spike trusts me and lets me make most of the aesthetic decisions and so far hasn't had cause to complain (although I may be pushing his tolerance levels this time!)

So while Spike tackles the serious business of making sure the fabric of the building is sound I have been painting tester paints on lining wallpaper and sticking them around the house to see how they look in each room. By painting a large area like that it means you get a good idea of the colour and you can also try it on all the walls of a room because it's surprising what different light can do.  I am particularly colour sensitive and if I feel it's not right I will not rest.   I painted the master bedroom of one house we owned at least five times before I had doctored the colour to my satisfaction but it was worth it because the room always pleased me and started the day on a positive note.

Could the cupboard in the background be painted the allusive 'eau de nil'
 I am looking for?

This last couple of weeks I have been on a search for the ultimate 'eau de nil' paint for our bedroom and having tried various shades of sludgy green I haven't found it yet.  I have also been looking at chintzy wallpaper samples online for inside the panelling I would like in our bedroom and the two little attic guest bedrooms.  

Although we are a long way off getting to the cosmetic side of the build I find that I am more motivated during the renovation process when I have a good clear vision of the finished result.  I can hardly wait to wake up in a bedroom worthy of a glamorous classic film but I think I will pass on the murder, espionage and attacking manservants!