Lincoln's interiors were so exquisitely tactile with a sense of being used, to the point of tattered and frayed edging, nicks and worn patina in the furnishings, that I felt I was actually there. They gave me a quite visceral sense of time and place that enriched the intensity of each incident on the story itself.

Can I cast a write-in vote for "The Break Up"...?

Oops, "in" the story, not "on" the story in my comment above.

I haven't seen any of these movies... I always wait until I get them on DVD at the rental store as pre-viewed for about $5.00...
I re-read that what I wrote...
Yikes... am I cheap or what? LOL

Don't forget, just about any Woody Allen movie.

As a production designer, it thrills me that viewers recognize the importance that color, furnishings, decor, sets, and textures contribute to the feeling of a film. Well done, AT readers!!!!!

How could "Something's Gotta Give" not make your list? Every night I dream that I live in Diane Keaton's spacious, calming Hampton's beach house. I am not the only one obsessed http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/05/04/the-beach-house-in-somethings-gotta-give/ I know my life would be better if I only could live in that house....the ridiculously spacious kitchen, the walls of windows, the adorable eyebrow window on the shingle style facade, etc. When that film shows up on cable, I HAVE to watch it.
The director Nancy Meyers has been accused of making "real estate porn." In the film "It's Complicated" Meryl Streep even hires an architect to expand her kitchen! Makes me hot!
This list makes me happy to know that I am not alone in my craziness. In the dark, at the multiplex, I have been known to whisper to my husband "Look at the woodwork!"

I know this is about this year, but I wanted to say that I've always loved the apartments of Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle and especially in You've Got Mail. She's had a couple of movies lately where she's had a home (In the Land of Women comes to mind) where she had an amazing kitchen.

Agree about Woody Allen sets, mimma.

I voted for Dark Shadows but almost went with Lincoln. I have not seen Armour.

Why didn't you include the barricade from Les Mis? Just kidding.

Here is the list of the Actual Oscar Nominees for this year for
Production Design
Anna Karenina Sarah Greenwood (Production Design); Katie Spencer (Set Decoration) View Trailer / More Information
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Dan Hennah (Production Design); Ra Vincent and Simon Bright (Set Decoration) View Trailer / More Information
Les Misérables Eve Stewart (Production Design); Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration) View Trailer / More Information
Life of Pi David Gropman (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration) View Trailer / More Information
Lincoln Rick Carter (Production Design); Jim Erickson (Set Decoration) View Trailer /

MOONRISE KINGDOM gets my vote-
the "Noye's Fludde" scene alone deserves an award!
FYI-some of Adam Stockhausen's sketches were published in the NYTimes-
http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/below-the-line-designing-moonrise-kingdom/
Looking forward in 2013 to Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby"!

Too hard to pick! (though I did) Is it the set we'd want to live in? The one that most evoked the time/place? The one that best communicated something essential about the movie's themes? I'd choose a different film for each question.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who pays as much attention to the setting as the story.

Just re-saw the 2nd half of You've Got Mail and reminded me how much I love NYC. The details in Meg Ryan's apt were exquisite.

I have to second "Something's Gotta Give". It's not my personal style, but my god. It's gorgeous.

I was enjoying all of the performances in "Lincoln" so much that I had to remind myself to take note of the costumes and sets. Mind blowing.

Set decoration has saved many a crappy movie for me. If a movie is really stupid (say, "Must Love Dogs") I just let my eyes and mind wander and rather than pay attention to the lame dialogue, I check out the design of the film. "Ooh, nice couch!" Or "Where can I get that necklace, I wonder?" Then I don't feel like its a complete waste of my time/money.

mommommom & cmyers5: movies from THIS year.

Just saw the Queen of Versailles the other night... so do mean staggering in a good way or a bad way? The interiors for all the money were uncared for, unkept or unfinished. It really was one of the most depressing films I have ever seen and I have seen almost all of Ingmar Bergman's films!

I guess it's just me, but I think Something's Gotta Give is overrated when it comes to the interiors as they relate to the overall effect on the movie. It's just a beautifully decorated house, like are seen in magazines all the time. Or maybe the point is that it was the best thing about the movie?

Sam and Molly's loft in Ghost. As a teenager I had never seen anything like it. Today... I'd still live there.

Just saw The Hobbit and I have to say that Bilbo's house was impressively done and a part of the story. His pantry is great, his dishes are flung about the place (and all a bit different), he laments ruined doilies, and he's upset when Gandalf marks up his freshly painted front door. He also has a thing for fresh lilacs.

I was glad to see Queen of Versailles on this list. A friend suggested it to me and I watched it on Netflix streaming. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie, because I usual don't enjoy ogling celebrities or rich people. I had an astounding sense of relief that I was not in the financial distress that the family undergoes to maintain their standard of living. Seeing people who's priorities are so out of line really made me appreciate everything I have.

Lincoln for me it looks quintessentially English.

My favorite movie interior is from an old movie, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I could die in that house

Of this list, Lincoln probably. But the apartment in The Hunger Games was certainly striking. Even as a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I never really thought about how much I liked Bilbo's hobbit hole until The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It's crammed with stuff without feeling messy. It's rich without being opulent. It has history to it and lots of useful things. In our recent move, I found myself thinking of Bilbo's hole and how I could make our living room more like it.

Lisa...My favorite romantic movie of all time! The house, the captain, the kitchen! I love them all!

Lincoln, though I am a tad bit biased as my friend supplied some of the set furnishings (Vilis Antiques, outside of DC - www.vilnisantiques.net). It is fun strolling through his store and seeing pieces used in the movie.

I adore that movie. Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison. OMG. I would love to see the interiors (not the film) in color!

Wes Anderson is so precise with his set design, he'll always get my vote!

Oh, The Break Up! I actually put a huge bulletin board in my entryway after seeing one in that movie. I love that apartment, and after all, it's practically a character in the movie.

I give priority to spaces not to aesthetic or style.Hunger Games.

'deception' with bette davis.

Yes to Somethings Gotta Give AND the Break Up. Stellar stellar homes.

The movies that really caught my eye for designs were Soylent Green (the rich Apartment) and Kevin Flynn's grid home in Tron Legacy.

I remember being so drawn to the empty expanse of the playroom in Moonrise Kingdom. Sometimes wide open space is more intriguing than a room filled with stuff.

ha not surprising the MCM fans here would go for Moonrise

I haven't seen any of the listed movies (yeah, shame on me although I am thinking of going to see Argo tonight) but how could your forget The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel?

And another plug for Nancy Meyers. Any of her movie interiors make me drool (I absolutely adored Meryl's house in It's Complicated).

And speaking of Meg Ryan - I would give a year of my life for her house in Proof of Life. Which was supposedly from some mysterious South American country but the movie was shot in Quito (where I promptly had to go on vacation after I saw the movie. Sadly, I did not see the house [I didn 't try to find it]). Now that was a house to die for!

As far these option go, I vote for Armor. But I am also a sucker for the house in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, the apartmnt in Single White Female and all scenery inside and out in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Haven't made it to the movies in ages... I've been too busy re-watching these masterpieces: "Fanny and Alexander" and "Scarface". They've influenced my home, fashion and art for years. They win every time!!

Bgirl17, you read my mind. The Talented Mr. Ripley! I swoon over many of the interior sets with Gwyneth Paltrow in the cast. Well, maybe not Se7en. Yikes! But, specifically, A Perfect Murder, Hush, and Great Expectations....The Royal Tenenbaums. My vote is Lincoln, but Moonrise was a close second.

I loved the set of Quartet, really, I just covet a king size french cane bed. I'm having a deep love affair with cane. I also loved the sets of Hyde Park on Hudson. I've got a thing for old French and English antiques....

Yes! I felt the exact same thing when I finished Queen of Versailles. Couldn't believe I made it through to the end (not really my genre), surprised that I enjoyed it, but most of all I felt this huge wave of relief.

My vote would be for the Hunger Games, as it seemed so imaginative, uncluttered and original.

Dark shadows for opulence. But I would live in Bag End today. This moment.

I'm so happy that Moonrise Kingdom is doing so well. Those sets were absolute genius.

As for Something's Gotta Give, I consider it tied with Tree of Life for "Most Distracting Decor in a Film." Who could follow either story with all of that incredible furniture and decor onscreen?

I have seen most of the movies. The Lincoln interiors help to make the whole movie come alive..the fabrics, the dimness, the chill you feel like your are living in that tattered White House.

The zoo and home scenes in Life of Pi. And ofcourse the boat. If you can make a small lifeboat an integral part of a movie, where most of the action takes place, you deserve a lot of credit.

Not The Hobbit? Since I don't dig the listed movies, I really connect with the Shire.

Didn't see half of these movies, but based on these photographs, I'd say Hunger Games. Futuristic is so much more complex of a concept for me that any Modern-Contemporary or Gilded Victorian-Rococo space.

Oh pooo! I meant to vote for Moonrise Kingdom and accidentally chose Wanderlust. This was super fun btw.

This one isn't current, but I suggest "Dan In Real Life" for wonderful interiors. It was shot on location in an huge old house on the east coast. Not slick, just very real and original. Clawfoot tubs, woodwork, pegboard wall in kitchen, etc. I believe the director rented this house from a real family, so it feels different than a hollywood set. More like walking into an AT interior!

I can't believe no one in the comments has mentioned Anna Karenina! (Perhaps because no one saw it?) It is visually stunning!
The movie itself was just OK, but totally worth it just for the production design.

The only movie listed I've seen is Hunger Games. But based on the photos, I'd love a place that was a cross between Dark Shadows and Amour.

As far as movies not listed, it's not quite a room but the cutaway mockup of the Belafonte in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has nearly everything I've ever wanted in a home.

"Amour" shows the apartment I've always dreamed of! My current apartment looks a little like that, but is tiny so I can't fit all the bookshelves and such in it.

@Gwendolyn_ATX, I did see Anna Karenina,and admired the dresses and the actors very much. However, most of the scenes seemed to be in that rope-filled behind the stage kind of setting, not pretty or interesting at all.

W.E. by Madonna should be on this list. The sets were lovely, in perfect taste.

A month or so ago some of the props, set pieces, and painted backdrops used in Anna Karenina went up for sale on One Kings Lane. Quite interesting - the backdrops were reasonably priced (I thought) but they were huge. Not sure I could even get one in the door. It seemed to me the entire collection sold within a couple of hours.

With regard Somethings Gotta Give, Ithere was an article in Elle Decor last year in which Nancy Meyers talked about why she thinks people became obsessed (the term used in the article) with that house. http://www.elledecor.com/celebrity-style/homes/an-exclusive-qa-with-nancy-meyers-a

Not worth a vote as a movie, but the closet Mr Big gave Carrie Bradshaw caused the entire theatre full of women to moan and all the men to look puzzled

I thought Lincoln did a phenomenal job of providing a real sense of living in that time. And the way the cinematographer was able to make scenes appear lit by candles and gaslights while actually getting enough light to show the action... just incredibly well done.

Anna Karenina didn't work for me as a movie, although the visual design was fantastic.

Tim Burton / Dark Shadows stuff is so gimmicky. Same goes for Moonrise Kingdom. It had the look of graphic design rather than a realized setting, so that twee kind of stuff felt like it restricted the characters -- everything was so tightly framed. Way too self-conscious I think. Hitchcock and Amour were beautifully done.

Hunger Games looked good but sort of over the top in a way we'll be laughing at in a few years.

ARGO - yuck. I was totally undwhelmed by it. It was just an OK movie in a year with several great ones. Why does it keep winning awards?

I would vote for the Break up.

The Littles house, in Stewart Little.

http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/08/23/stuart-little-a-small-house-with-a-big-personality/

For more photos and details on the making 2013 Academy Award Nominated features, including Argo and Lincoln (as well as Anna Karenina and The Life of Pi), check out the sets on SET DECOR online:

http://www.setdecorators.org/incEngine/?art=directors_chair

http://www.setdecorators.org/incEngine/?art=film_decor_features&SHOW=1052161316

My all time movie decor is the Big Chill

Yes, Meryl Streep's house in It's Complicated was amazing. The kitchen, family room, the bathroom. Everything was perfect.

'40s modern; some of the scenes in The Fountainhead with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. And it's architecture related. Brian Keith early '60s CA house in Parent Trap. Even if not much interior was shown, the Van Damm sp? house in North by Northwest. The new movies listed are good; those I've seen, but none of the interiors are anything I'd want.

I have house envy every time I watch The Incredibles with my kids....does that count?

Maggie Gyllenhaal's apartment in Stranger Than Fiction, Chicago & NC interiors in Message in a Bottle & The Wedding Date. I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one who will watch a movie just for the set design.

I would also like to chime in for The Breakup...and Amelie (her flat was enchanting).

@Snowdog,
thanks for the clicky to the ED's article. Geez, I watched a rerun of What Women Want only recently and I didn't realize it was a Nancy Meyers movie - but it makes perfect sense - I wanted Helen Hunt's bathroom (with the pictures and the candles).

Ben Affleck is the best part of the Argo set.

Savages definitely should have made the list. Now that was some awesome hippie, beach decor. Love. Love. Love. And the house in Mexico was to die for, too.

The Shining

Moonrise Kingdom! The sets are practically another character in the story.

I agree with Something's Gotta Give, but also It's Complicated. So gorgeous!

@runswithscissors: Yes! Love the Little's house!!! Fantastic color/details. And that amazing basement.

I have not been to the movies in years because I AM Cheap. The last time I wennt was in NYC and it cost us $90.00 for two adults and two children under 10 years (grandchildren, lol) Worth every penny..watching THEM watch the movie. Here at home we live in a very nice apartment with a 60" LCD and Amazon Prime!!! New movies are 4-6dollars for a 48 hor rental; otherwise $2.99 or free!!The cheaper the movies the longer we can watch it.!

I haven't seen most of this year's movies yet, but was impressesed with the The Hunger Games set design.

I will watch and re-watch movies just for the interior design and beautiful scenery. So many of my favorites are listed in the above comments. I will add Practical Magic and a Single Man. The Victorian house (for the exterior scenes) in Practical Magic was built in a park on one of the San Juan islands in WA state. It's Complicated and Something's Got to Give are watched purely for the interiors--OK Keanu Reeves is not bad on the eyes either....

Meryl Streep's kitchen in It's Complicated is nothing short of inspiring. Every time I watch i feel like if my kitchen looked like that, I could make yummy lavender ice cream too ;) And don't even get me started on the gardens--I know that's not interiors but it was so lush!

Well, since everyone else is throwing in their favorites not on this list. I agree with everyone who said the Hobbit Hole, but my all-time favorite was "Gigi," I LOVE Art Nouveau spaces and all the fun details in bright, happy technicolor!

The house from Somethings Gotta Give I have to agree with and I haven't even seen the movie but the shots from the home. Dear Lord.

And I'd move into any TV show that features a huge open concept brick wall loft that their characters would never be able to afford in real life.

I'm such a lover of a great set design! It drives my husband crazy because if we're watching a Netflix or DVD, I make him stop, rewind, replay so I can better scope out a good design. I like the movie Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, but I had to own it just so I could become intimate with all the details of both the chic L.A. home of Diaz' character and Winslet's cozy English cottage. I can't tell you how many times I've watched it for design inspiration. My current pick goes to Amour. Loved the peaks through the windows at the lovely French balconies. Someone else mentioned anything by Woody Allen, too. I wholeheartedly agree!

I have two favourite film interiors, both French.

My very, very, very favourite interior is the Hausmannian apartment featured in Trois Hommes et Un Couffin (the original French version of Three Men and a Baby).

The other film was Truffault's La femme d'à côté (heh, a young and handsome Gerard Depardieu, to boot).

Some of my all time favorite are The Break Up, Somethings Gotta Give, It's Complicated and The Holiday. I would do anything to own a cozy English cottage such as Kate Winslet's in The Holiday! I often times put the movie in just so I can fantasize about myself living in that cozy and inviting home! Serenity now!

I voted for the Hunger Games movie decor interior coz it's the only movie I have seen already among the choices. The interior decor that impressed me really was in the movie Iron Man 2. That was a clear example of uber-modern pad design.

"What's Your Number?" Terrible movie, but I watched it twice for the apartment! Right up my alley.

Love the curtains in the photo from Moonrise Kingdom.
I also want to point out the "decor" in the ramshackle houses in "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

I just watched Take This Waltz and I LOVE the interior of that house! It's so quirky and yet lived in and bright and well thought out. I think the movie might technically be 2011 though. :)

Moonrise Kingdom! or any Wes Anderson film really. All of them are full of character and colour.