As many British rom-com lovers will be well aware by now, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy has hit theaters. And although we may mourn the fact that Bridget has moved out of her iconic Borough Market apartment, we can't deny she always deserved better — and better, she got.
So, how do you capture a personality as fabulously frazzled as Bridget's in a home? With a bright yellow kitchen, whimsical patterned wallpapers, and an assortment of vintage furniture. "It's wonderful chaos," set director Penny Crawford and production designer Kave Quinn describe to me as we talk about their work on the latest (and last) installment of the Bridget Jones story. "It's a place of life, color, and vibrancy to raise her children."
Whether you've made it to the cinema already, or you've watched the trailer on repeat in anxious anticipation, I have no doubt this cottage-core-meets-vintage-chic-style home is about to create a wave of interior design trends, so I sat down with the creative minds behind it all, to discover what went into building our beloved Bridget's perfectly imperfect home.
Diving straight in, set decorator Penny Crawford tells me that, "The biggest goal was to have the bones of the home be an obvious blend of Marc's more traditional and serious side and Bridget's fun and playful side. This led to a mix of traditional and eclectic styles, with moments of contemporary trends and designs in the set."
If vintage furniture, bold colors, wallpapers, and patterns weren't already a hot trend right now, they surely would be after this movie. Marc's traditionalism clashes perfectly with Bridget's whimsy, creating a home that feels lived-in and storied.
And there are subtle stories woven into its design, too. Take the green Foret wallpaper by Nina Campbell that we get a glimpse of in Bridget's bedroom, for example. You may or may not remember the striped walls in Bridget's parent's house in the first movie (you may have been distracted by Christmas jumpers, though) — well, that was also a Nina Campbell wallpaper. "Even though Bridget would hate to admit it, there is a little bit of her mother in her style," shares Kave Quinn, the movie's production designer.
And while there is plenty of design inspiration to steal from Bridget's bedroom, the real showstopper has to be the kitchen. That bright, yellow, sunny, happy kitchen.
"Pink, green, and yellow were the primary colors in the set's palette," explains Kave. "Not only do they complement Bridget well, but they speak to the youthful and creative side of her personality." Besides, who doesn't love a yellow kitchen idea?
And there was a lot of back and forth over the specific shade of yellow that was used. "We went through a lot of paint color testing to bring Bridget and the house to life," Kave continues. "Though we knew we wanted yellow as our kitchen paint color, it ended up being a much brighter yellow than it comes across due to the film's filter."
But then there is the rest of the space. The mismatched dining chairs, the green tiles on the backsplash, and retro pendant lights all make for a cozy kitchen that feels truly lived in. However, the effortless look did not necessarily come about so effortlessly.
"We spent hours scouting salvage yards, eBay, and second-hand furniture stores to find authentic items to use throughout the home," says Penny. The wooden flooring is made of sourced panels, and the kitchen countertop is real marble."You just can't get away with cutting corners on those details," adds Kave. In fact, the dining table is actually Kave's. They brought it to set to try out and ended up loving it so much that it stayed in the film — paint marks and all.
The lesson here is that, much like the building of the set, perfecting that real lived-in aesthetic in your home takes invested time and care.
Both Kave and Penny agree that Bridget's bedroom and adjoining bathroom may just take the cake as their favorite rooms in the home, and the stained glass pocket door alone has completely won me over.
"It is antique glass that we had built into the door and sealed with leading, so there is nothing fake about it," Kave tells me. The pocket door provides the obvious practical function of separating the two rooms, but its sliding function brings movement and flow to the space. "Not only was the pocket door addition great for filming, but the hidden stained glass detail felt like a beautiful way to yet again showcase Bridget's fun and creative side."
It's all in the details. And oh! Is that a sage green mushroom lamp I spot on her mid-century modern dresser. I never thought I'd be pinning Bridget Jones' home as inspiration for my own, but here we are.
Shop Bridget Jones's Interiors
"There are layers and layers of the years, once Marc's gone, where you see Bridget's fun outlook on life that comes out as a warm, creative environment for her and her kids," Kave sums up of the space.
Bridget may be mad about the boy, but here at Livingetc, we're mad about her house.
