The Top 20 Bedrooms In Movie History
A bedroom can say a lot about someone. Bedrooms are the place most feel comfortable, a place where one can feel completely themselves. The private area of the home is a room for rest and solitude. It’s the one room of the home that can be off limits to anyone else. The bedroom often plays an important role in the movies. Not just a place where a character can let their “hair down” but also a place that serves as an extension of the character’s personality. Movie bedrooms throughout history say a lot about the era, the age of the character, and the person’s psyche. From Frenchy’s 1950’s teen room in “Grease” to Tony Stark’s “stark” masculine room in “Iron Man”, movie bedrooms can be iconic.
Here are the top 20 bedrooms in movie history.
Clueless, Cher’s room
Cher Horowitz’s (Alicia Silverstone) bedroom was the envy of many teenage girls when the film came out in 1995. The teen’s bedroom in her family’s sprawling Beverly Hills Mansion is impressive to say the least. It’s a teenage girl’s dream room. The high end pink furniture accented with zebra print chairs leads to a marble bath surrounded with gilded mirrors. That wasn’t the highlight of the room. The highlight was the closet. Cher, the spoiled rich girl, had rotating racks of designer clothes and a PC link to a program that coordinated her clothing and accessories. The closet and its contents were amazing.
Pretty In Pink, Andie’s room
Andie Walsh is a teenager living with her widowed father. Andie doesn’t come from the “right side of the tracks” which causes her anguish in her romantic relationship but never affects her integrity. Her bedroom getaway in her small family home is reflective of Andie’s personality and age. As the title says: it’s “pretty in pink”. Andie’s bedroom is filled with the color pink. Even her phone (landline during the 1980’s) is pink, lacy and fun. Andie listens to New Order in her room, talks on the phone and enjoys prints of her favorite twentieth century artists.
10 Things I Hate About You, Kat’s room
The bedroom set of Katarina Stratford (Julia Stiles) epitomizes Kat’s personality in 1999’s “10 Things I Hate About You”. Kat is a senior in high school, a feminist and opposed to conformity. Her room reflects her love of individuality and indie rock feminism. Unfortunately for Kat, her father insists she date before her younger sister, Bianca, can date. Bianca is popular and pretty and very interested in dating. The movie takes its theme from William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”. Kat is not interested in dating, even if it means her sister can date, so she is set reluctantly set up to date. As in most cases, Kat’s bedroom is an extension of her independent and sometimes abrasive personality.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The classic American comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was directed by John Hughes and starred Matthew Broderick. The 1986 movie follows high school senior and slacker (Broderick) as he takes a day off of school and narrates his story as the day goes on. The opening scene shows Ferris’ bedroom which is the typical bedroom of a high school boy in the mid 1980’s. Ferris’ bedroom certainly reflects the personality of the suburban high school generation Xer. The sloppy room is filled with “New Wave” band posters, a Shakespeare poster, a British flag, trophies, an electronic keyboard, a stereo system, board games, animal figurines and scattered clothing from the day.
Gone With the Wind, Scarlett’s room
The 1939 epic Civil War film based on Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel features one of the most iconic bedroom sets of all time. Scarlett O’Hara’s bedroom at her family home of Tara outside Atlanta is a perfect replica to a southern American plantation home and epitomizes the life that Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) leads. The debutante and passionate woman embodies romance and strength. Her period bedroom is adorned in plantation style. The rich heavy drapery, four poster bed and gilded vanity are the embodiment of Scarlett O’Hara. Her family’s plantation provided her strength and meaning in a war torn world. It also helped let in a glimmer of real love as well as the infatuation of her childhood.
Dinner at Eight, Kitty’s room
This classic 1933 pre-code comedy is unique. It remains an iconic piece of film history. The film features a lonely yet conceited wife, Kitty Packard (Jean Harlow) who will stop at nothing to climb the ranks of society. In “Dinner at Eight” we see Kitty’s bedroom which is grand to say the least. A large bed with a magnificent headboard is filled with heart shaped satin pillows as Kitty lounges, talks on the phone and is served by a less than thrilled maid.
16 Candles, Sam’s room
Samantha Baker’s (Molly Ringwald) mid 1980’s teen room brings back memories. On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Samantha is cynically looking forward to the day ahead. She talks to her best friend on her private line on the phone (no cell phones) as she picks out her clothes and laments her undeveloped body. The room is typical of a sixteen year old girl. With leftovers from the tween and early teen years like pink bedding, white wicker and ballet posters, the room also has a “Squeeze” poster. It’s the perfect mix of pre-teen innocence and teenage angst. Poor Samantha would head off to school and realize that her family doesn’t even remember it’s her birthday. It also happens to be the day before her older sister’s wedding. And then when Sam’s grandparents sleep in her room while visiting the family for the wedding and they answer Sam’s phone late at night and it’s Jake calling her, classic.
Grease, Frenchie’s room
Rydell High’s favorite beauty school drop out has one of the most perfect period décor in film. Frenchie’s (Didi Conn) 1950’s high school senior bedroom is the perfect juxtaposition of the years of innocent teen to young adult. Frenchie’s bedroom is the famous host of the “Pink Ladies” post pep rally sleepover. Filled with ruffles, girl gang colors and, of course, a record player, the room is fitting for a girl cave in the 1950’s. The room exudes girliness, sock hops and convertibles. It is the perfect scene for the Pink Ladies to talk about boys, give makeovers, give home ear piercings gone wrong, and make fun of each other. Who can forget Rizzo (Stockard Channing) and the girls singing “Look at me I’m Sandra Dee” while making fun of their goody too shoes friend Sandy (Olivia Newton John).
Amelie, Amelie’s room
Audrey Tautou played the title role of the 2001 French romantic comedy “Amelie”. The film follows Amelie, a shy waitress working in a Montmartre café. Her life is isolated yet she decides to change the lives of those around her for the better. Amelie is a romantic and has a beautiful heart. Her Parisian bedroom reflects her beautiful nature. Amelie’s small apartment bedroom in the Montmartre district of Paris is simple and whimsical just like her lovable personality. Bedecked in simple furniture ensconced in soft shades of red and gold, the bedroom reflects the steadfast yet whimsical, loving and romantic character of a simple French waitress trying to help others.
Ghost World, Enid’s room
2001’s black comedy “Ghost World” is based on a comic book so it stands to reason that social outcast Enid Coleslaw’s (Thora Birch) bedroom would be graphic and interesting. The eclectic bedroom of the quirky and angst ridden teenage girl fits Enid’s personality. Filled with 1950’s kitsch and vintage pieces, the room is accented by plastic furniture and animal prints. Enid is an artist and her room reflects her talent. She also is facing her future and doing whatever she can to make her life after high school meaningful.
Heathers, Veronica and Heather’s rooms
The 1989 dark comedy “Heathers” explored the world of privilege, popularity and “mean girls”. Although both came from wealthy families, Heather and Veronica’s bedrooms were very different. In the movie Veronica grapples with the idea that to be popular she must do whatever the “Heathers” say. Veronica’s room reflects her teenage angst. With dark furniture including a wood desk where she sits and writes in her journal, wearing a monocle, the room is dark, shadowy and edgy. Heather Chandler’s room is the opposite. It’s bright, cheerful and filled with art deco furniture along with a satin headboard and glass table and accented with the Heathers’ signature bows. The two bedrooms emphasize the difference in the girls’ personalities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MhgPs4aQ8c
The Virgin Suicides, Cecilia’s room
The 1999 Sophia Coppola film “The Virgin Suicides” tells the story of five teenage sisters living in suburban Detroit. When the youngest sister, Cecilia, attempts suicide, the girls parents, conservative Catholics, confine the girls to their home leaving them isolated. The adolescent boys in the neighborhood are infatuated with the sisters’ lives. The Lisbon girls’ isolated rooms in their suburban split level home are dreamlike. The movie takes place in the 1970’s and filled with florals and prints and nature inspired art. Cecilia’s room is intriguing. It’s a mixture of make up, hand drawn art work and unicorns. Hidden in a closet are boxes of tampons. Amidst the room are religious symbols, religious icons and lit candles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFqD0yeyGTs
Bring It On, Tory’s room
In the 2000 movie “Bring It On” Torrence Shipman (Kristen Dunst) is a cheerleader leading her squad to victory in her senior year. The teen comedy was the first of six in the series of the popular coming of age comedy franchise. In the first “Bring It On”, Tory’s bedroom is featured and can truly be described as the epitome of Tory’s character. As with most teenage movie characters, this cheerleader’s room features a lot of pink. It also features a lot of music. On top of all of that, Tory’s room in “Bring It On” features a lot of “Wizard of Oz” animals at the back of her bed.
The Princess Diaries 2, Mia’s room
In 2004 Gary Marshall directed the sequel to the comedy “The Princess Diaries” starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis, who was a high school student living in New York City when she found out she was the heir to a European throne. In the sequel to “The Princess Diaries”, Mia is now 21 years old and must be betrothed to be appointed the next Queen. Her grandmother shows the new luxurious apartment that she will live in and it does not disappoint. The bedroom is magnificently decorated with the finest of furnishings impressing the naïve 21 year old Mia. The bedroom reflects the princess inside anyone, especially the childhood dreams of Mia who never expected her life to take the turn it did. The plush furniture is accented by beautiful floral and gilded artwork. The bedroom opens to a closet that a twenty-one year old girl can only imagine. Bedecked in rich wood, soft plush chairs and stools, the closet is straight out of a boutique clothing store. It even features remote control drawers opening levels of drawers filled with designer sunglasses.
Iron Man
Tony Stark’s, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), is certainly an extension of the millionaire technological genius’ persona. His bedroom in his penthouse apartment is sparks, “stark”, masculine and clean lined. It’s just what the environment one would expect for Tony Stark, the creator of the Iron Man suit, to sleep. Of course, the space is technologically advanced. It’s filled with gadgets like a complex alarm system. The view through the panoramic glass windows is amazingly beautiful while maintaining its innate masculinity, power and money.
Home Alone, Kevin’s parent’s room
Nothing in movie bedrooms said quite the warm and comfort than when Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) woke up in his parent’s bed the morning after he was mistakenly left behind on a family trip. In John Hughe’s 1990 classic comedy “Home Alone”, young Kevin things he is in Heaven when he is accidentally left behind on the morning before Christmas when his entire extended family heads to Paris. Yet nothing matches the emotion of Kevin waking up the morning after his first night “home alone”. He wakes up in his parent’s bed in their nice suburban Chicago Home. Surrounded by pillows and warm blankets in his parent’s four poster bed looking out the window at the soft falling snow, Kevin suddenly realizes how alone he is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8B_tUcS_iQ
Sex and the City: The Movie, Carrie’s closet
Anyone who has watched the HBO series “Sex and the City” knows how important Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) closet was to her. The walk through closet located between her New York City apartment bedroom and bathroom was well stocked with designer clothes. When Carrie and Big (Chris Noth) finally ended up together forever in “Sex and the City: The Movie”, Big lived up to his romantic name. He crated a wonderful walk in closet for his bride to be in their amazing pre-war Upper East Side Manhattan penthouse. The closet featured plenty of room, light lined shelves and plush white upholstered benches. The first item to go in the closet was Carrie’s new jewel bedecked satin navy Louboutin heels. No one can forget how Carrie forgave Big when she returned to the apartment to retrieve her shoes after he’d left her at the altar. Big even proposed to Carrie with the shoes instead of a ring. It may not be a movie bedroom, but for Carrie that closet is an important extension from the bedroom.
Marie Antoinette
In 2006 Sophia Coppola directed Kristen Dunst as the ill-fated Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. The eighteenth century French monarchy exploited their wealth as there country suffered in poverty. Ultimately, this led to the French Revolution and the beheading of the King and Queen. Coppola drew on the gluttony of the day for “Marie Antoinette”. The young queen’s bedroom scenes are some of the most telling of the privileged and extravagant life that Marie Antoinette led. In this clip, young Marie Antoinette is awakened in her gilded luxurious room by an army of women assigned to undress and dress her in layers of clothing and perfumed oils. Later in the movie, Marie Antoinette embraces the opulent lifestyle and is surrounded by cakes and decadent food.
Cruel Intentions, Kathryn’s room
In 1999’s “Cruel Intentions”, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Geller) is a Manhattan Prep School student who creates and executes devious plots with her stepfather from her Upper West Side New York City mansion’s bedroom. The bedroom design and décor is an extension of the evil and wealthy Katheryn. The jewel toned, luxuriously appointed bedroom with gilded décor, chandeliers and candelabras is the perfect den for the cruel Kathryn Merteuil to plot games with innocent classmates just because she can. There are also several nods to the movie that inspired “Cruel Intentions”, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”.
Black Swan, Nina’s room
Natalie Portman played Nina Sayers in 2010’s “Black Swan”. The psychological horror film tells the story of a young ballerina with the New York ballet company. As the company prepares to open its season, they must audition for a new ballerina to play the duel role of the swans in Tchaikovsky’s “Black Swan”. While Nina performs perfectly for the role of the White Swan (symbolizing innocence), she is unable to adapt to the role of the Black Swan (sensuality). Nina begins to hallucinate. Her bedroom is the only room with color in her mother’s New York City apartment and it is very telling of Nina’s personality disorder and obsession. The room is a young girls’ dream with colors of pink, green and white. The wallpaper is ensconced with butterflies. The room is accented in ballet dreams like Nina’s musical box. The room represents the juxtaposition that Nina is going through between her innate role as the “white swan” and the role she so desperately wants, the “black swan”.