The Beach House in “Something’s Gotta Give”

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on MAY 4, 2009

Afriend took me to see Something’s Gotta Give when it first hit theaters. I knew it was a Diane Keaton-Jack Nicholson romantic comedy. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the Hamptons beach house Keaton’s character lives in. I went back to see it again a week later, just to get a better look at that house.

It wasn’t until I started blogging that I realized I wasn’t alone in my obsession with theSomething’s Gotta Give house. For all of my readers who asked me to post photos of it–this one’s for you.

The exterior is a real house somewhere in the Hamptons (Long Island), but the interiors were all created on a soundstage.

The Living Room:

Here’s the living room, looking toward the entry, as shown in the film (above), and a shot of the set for Architectural Digest (below):

The movie was written by Nancy Meyers, who has had her hand in other great “house movies” I’ve featured, like It’s Complicated, The Holiday, The Parent Trap, Father of the Bride,and Baby Boom (click here to see photos from those movies, too).

This shot of the living room was featured in Architectural Digest:

The Production Design was done by Jon Hutman (who also worked on The Holiday), and the Set Decoration was by Beth Rubino (It’s Complicated).

Erica and Harry (Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson) in the living room at night–meeting up for a “pajama party:”

Don’t even ask what paint colors were used (I have already been flooded with e-mails on the topic). Set Decorator Beth Rubino says they were custom-mixed colors that were designed to look good on screen. The lighting is different on a set than it is in a house, so even we used the same paint, she says, it wouldn’t look the same.

You can listen to an interesting interview with her on the topic at The Skirted Roundtable.

The living room during a storm:

The Dining Room:

The Kitchen:

We were building our house when this movie came out. Thanks to Something’s Gotta Give, I’ve got a kitchen with white cabinets, black countertops, and dark floors. I copied as much of it as I could! I later found out I wasn’t the only one inspired by it. Every home show I went to the following year seemed to have its own version of this look:

Harry’s Guest Room in Erica’s House:

While We’re at It–a Peek at Harry’s Townhouse in New York:

Erica’s Bedroom and Study:

As a writer who works from home myself, I swooned over Erica Barry’s home office. Those windows! Those built-in-bookshelves! This is one of my favorite spots in her house:

Diane Keaton was nominated for Best Actress for this role at the 2004 Oscars and won a Golden Globe.

After Harry leaves her, Erica can’t stop crying–but she does get a lot of writing done!

Exterior Views:

The pool as photographed for Architectural Digest (above), and a production shot that shows how the pool and fake exterior really looks on set (below):

Erica waves goodbye to Harry as he drives away:

Jon Hutman received an Oscar nomination for Production Design because of this now-iconic movie house.

Is this one of your favorite movie houses, too?

More photos and information at Architectural Digest, Cote de Texas, and Silver Screen Surroundings. You might also enjoy the tour of Diane Keaton’s home.

Check out my TV/Movie Houses page for links to all the others I’ve featured, from It’s Complicated to Father of the Bride.

You might also like:

A “Something’s Gotta Give” House in Sun Valley, Idaho

A “Something’s Gotta Give” Dining Room Makeover

“Baby Boom:” City House, Country House

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