Get the look: The Darjeeling Limited

By Patricia Goijens Sunday, May 3, 2015 3 Deco, Eyes & Ears 0

love how everything and anything can spark inspiration for your interior. For me, being a pop culture addict, inspiration often strikes when I’m watching movies and TV. Even when I was barely a teenager, I painted my room lavender to resemble Monica’s living room in Friends, which instantly caused my dad to worry that I might have been a little too caught up in the show. Going by my binge viewing patterns till this day, maybe he was right to do so.

My lavender walls (and matching blue starfish stamped details) won’t be making a comeback anytime soon, but so many other movies have influenced me in developing my style. Take The Darjeeling Limited for example, the first (but definitely not the last) Wes Anderson movie I ever saw. It inspired me to hop on a plane to India back in 2009, and that experience most definitely had some serious impact in its turn. The colors and scents of India are anything but bland.

Wes Anderson movies are always a visually pleasing experience, and The Darjeeling Limited is no exception. With its golden hues and colorful accents, the movie makes for a perfect source of inspiration. A great reason for some eye candy straight from this movie masterpiece and some tips on how to recreate the movie’s atmosphere right in your home.

Here are a few tips for stealing the look:

1. Mix and match. Don’t be afraid to experiment with print on print on print and combine items that are seemingly not meant to be combined. Wes Anderson told Apartamento magazine that it was his intention to take looks on the train from different time periods and combine them into one harmonious look.

2. Go for handmade or artisanal looking items, a lot of the of the props used were handmade, like the entire dining room set. Quirky details are a must. Or to say it with the words of Wes himself: “The details, that’s what the world is made of.”

3. Nostalgia! When he was creating the look of the train, production designer Mark Friedberg was inspired by the 20th Century Limited, a train that linked New York to Chicago in the first half of the 1900s.

4. Add some Oriental and eclectic accents. A pattern on your rug or wallpaper and some detailed items go a long way.

5. In terms of the color palette, have a look at this breakdown I’ve made:

The most used colors in the movie were a warm yellow and bright blue. In order to not make it look too “IKEA”, break it up with warmer materials like cognac leather and some brass and infuse the accent colors that are used in the movie.