You may have spied that hot new thriller Black Bag – about married spooks Kathryn and George, played by Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender – is everywhere right now.
The movie, which centres on the couple as they face the ultimate test – loyalty to marriage or country – is more than a killer script, however.
Indeed, the elegant Georgian townhouse the couple lives in is what’s getting us hot under the collar, from the glamorous dining room to the sexy bedroom and the minimalist kitchen.
It's a set-up
But – rug-pull moment – the whole thing is a set. Yes, rather than use a real London home, director Steven Soderbergh – the man behind the likes of Ocean’s Eleven and Magic Mike – and production designer Philip Messina, who has worked on everything from The Hunger Games to, more recently, Heretic, decided to build the entire townhouse at Pinewood Studios just outside London.
“The idea behind the house was to illustrate the duality inherent in the life of a spy couple,” says Philip.
“From the street, I wanted a certain amount of anonymity – certainly, not to telegraph any of the interior life at all – and I wanted a Georgian townhouse in the heart of London (don’t well all?).”
Philip took his inspiration from a perfect home on a perfect street he discovered in Islington.
“The properties there are all beautifully-kept and almost identical to each other on both sides,” he says.
“Inside, I wanted to show that the stately Georgian townhouse had secrets it was hiding, so while the sitting room nearest the street was pretty traditional, the fun starts as you move further back into the house.
“The main thing being that you can never tell what’s hiding behind a stoic façade. After all, how well do you ever really know your neighbours?”
Expensive tastes
Inspired by the design of Philip’s house, Cate Blanchett improvised the line, “It’s amazing what you can afford when you don’t have children”, as she welcomes guests at the door for what’s sure to become a famous dinner party scene.
“Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick and I were tasked by Steven Soderbergh to capture the glamour of a Hollywood film from a bygone era, so we really went for it.
“I reasoned that there may have been family money in George and Kathryn’s past but also played with a potential audience reaction to such posh home: ‘how can they afford that?’ Apparently, they live a bit beyond their means…”
Taking Cate’s descriptor of the décor as ‘sensual’ and running with it, the interiors smack of a childless couple whose jobs are so busy they never go away, instead splashing the cash on their personal, secretive sanctuary.
Delicious details
“It was apparent that we needed a set-build rather than a real home given two dinner party scenes over more than 30 pages,” Philip explains.
“The dining room is the heart of the set, which is why I started there and designed out in all directions.
“It was all about depth – looking back to the sitting room from one end and to the kitchen at the other.”
Indeed, the room serves up a visual treat, from the statement chandelier to the bespoke oak dining table from Made in the Cellar to the handpainted mural and the acai tree in a glass box – yes, really.
“I wanted to use this idea for quite some time and this was the perfect occasion,” Philip says.
“Steven loves to use the depth and light of reflections and since I didn’t want to have any windows – given the goings-on of this couple at night – the tree served several purposes, not least the juxtaposition of the cold glass box housing a living thing of beauty.”
Minimalist masterpiece
Keeping us on our toes, the kitchen is an unexpected touch in a traditional Georgian townhouse with clean lines befitting of George’s character and large glass panels that afford views of the private back garden.
Philip explains: “Michael was really curious about how I was designing the kitchen as in the script that’s primarily his domain. He admired Gaggeneau appliances, so I integrated those.
“Anna [Lynch-Robinson], the set decorator, arranged product placement – otherwise it’s doubtful we could have afforded it!”
He adds: “She also contacted a local cabinetry company to build the kitchen – something I’d never done before – meaning the actors had free-rein to open any drawer they wanted. But that also meant Anna had to fill them…”
Pillow talk
And so to bed! Parquet flooring, classic panelling and ornate cornicing set a rather traditional scene for the secretive couple mixed with a contemporary iron-framed bed layered with velvet and accompanied by dimly-lit bedside tables.
“I told Anna I wanted to do an accent wall behind the bed and she came back with these really gorgeous metallic wallpapers,” says Philip.
“We designed our own pattern and mitigated the glossiness of the gold just enough so it pops off the wall. We complemented it with a deep blue-green wall colour and dusky-pink bed coverings.”
The handpainted metallic paper in question, which offsets the jewel tones perfectly, is a bespoke version of the Copper Dawn Lake Metallic Gold Paper by British designer Avalana Simpson of her eponymous design company.
Elsewhere in the house, it wasn’t all designer, Philip and Anna sourcing from the likes of Pooky, H&M Home, West Elm and Zara Home, amongst other high-street brands, as well as antique shops such as Hatchwell, Brownrigg, Dimity, James Worrall and Nick Jones. Soho Home, of course, features. Spy anything you like?
