Why Not Model Your Kitchen Redesign After Call Me by Your Name?

We’ve all been logging a lot of hours on Netflix lately—these days, watching films feels like more of an escape than ever before. Whether we’re tuning into a classic ’90s feel-good flick or a recent Oscar winner, we find ourselves dreaming about inhabiting the worlds presented onscreen. Specifically: the kitchens.

Is there anything better than a movie kitchen? Nine times out of 10, they’re more spacious than the ones we have at home. They have gleaming marble countertops or racks and racks of vintage wine or trays of just-baked pies. And someone else is always doing the dishes. While it might feel like this level of perfection is wholly unattainable, we’ve found that if you make a few smart investments, you can bring the feeling of your favorite movie kitchen home with you. Not sure where to start? We’ve rounded up four of our favorites, along with products to match, below. 

It’s Complicated

Writer-director Nancy Meyers is almost as famous for her set kitchens as she is for her films themselves. While you can’t go wrong with any of Meyers’s visions, 2009’s It’s Complicated might just take the cake, literally. Centered around a baker juggling various love affairs, much of the movie takes place in a country-chic kitchen destined for delightfully raucous family gatherings. As functional as it is warm and inviting, it’s hard not to lust after the beautifully lit space with restaurant-quality appliances, friendly greenery, and a marble countertop perfect for displaying a pitcher of refreshing tea and plates of flaky baked goods. For a utilitarian, suburban space with just the right amount of elegant flair, we recommend pastel textiles, hits of rustic wood and wicker, and bold pendant lamps. Set the stage for the endless pain au chocolats you’ll be inspired to create in your sunny oasis. 

Call Me by Your Name

When Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer are onscreen together, it’s hard to focus on much else. So it’s a testament to set design when the mere mention of the acclaimed 2017 film brings to mind mouthwatering visions of lush green Italian countryside, juicy prosciutto-wrapped melon, perfectly perched eggcups, and…that kitchen. You know the one: copper pans glistening from slats of wood, a simple white tile backsplash, jars of sticky-sweet jam on the countertops, and the allure of apricot trees beckoning from just offscreen. We’re talking about the very essence of European summers captured in a single room: a perfect mess of collected clutter. If you’re hoping to better picture Oliver and Elio among your cutlery, consider crisp gingham curtains, rustic cutting boards crafted in Italy, grandma-approved enamelware, and sea-glass jugs for picnics or tabletop floral displays.

Addicted to Love

Here at Domino, we all agree on one thing: The ’90s belonged to Meg Ryan. Her rom-com résumé is stacked with classics, but the one that tops our decor-dream list? Addicted to Love. The backdrop of this couple-swapping saga is an unbelievable Manhattan loft with classic New York features like exposed pipes and vintage wall moldings. The kitchen feels makeshift in the best way: Table lamps mingle with spice jars, wheeled stools act as seating for a desk-like island, and ample open shelving is filled with culinary treasures. Designed by Roman and Williams—it was one of the firm’s first projects!—the expansive apartment feels like a renter’s dream. But you can bring the vibe home with an oak pub table ideal for casual entertaining, milky glass pendant lamps with notes of brass, and a propped chalkboard perfect for doodling. 

Pain & Glory 

Set in the small village of Paterna in Valencia, Spain, Pain & Glory is a 2019 drama as gut-wrenching as it is visually stunning. The whitewashed cave dwelling–turned–kitchen of the protagonist’s childhood made us fall in love with Spanish architecture. To bring the feeling of the film into your own kitchen, try hand-painted Spanish designs for your backsplash and terrazzo basins for storing dishes. And if your dream is to almost taste the paella and croquetas through your kitchen decor, splurge for a perfectly patinated wood and rattan chair by Charlotte Perriand, ceramic pitchers painted with traditional Spanish design, and a woven rattan jug for serving refreshing cocktails on a warm summer evening. 

It’s hammer time: Follow @reno_notebook for easy rental updates, clever DIYs, and tips to nail your next project.