“The Holiday:” A Tale of Two Houses

I’m a sucker for romantic comedies, especially around Christmas. The Holiday wasn’t the best rom-com I’ve ever seen–I mean, Kate Winslet and Jack Black? It was hard for me to buy that. But the sets they used for Cameron and Kate’s houses in L.A. and England more than made up for any issues I had with the plot or casting.

I thought it would be fun to compare some things from the movie and vote on which rooms we’d prefer.  Here’s the house that Kate’s character, Iris, owned in the English countryside:

And here’s the house that Cameron’s character, Amanda, owned in L.A.:

Iris’s house wasn’t real, I’m afraid. But the exterior of Amanda’s is. The California home was built by architect Wallace Neff.

Here’s the entry hall to Iris’s English cottage and her living room:

When Amanda arrives, the mantel has been decorated for Christmas:

Here’s Amanda’s California living room and fireplace, also decorated (barely) for Christmas. We get the feeling Amanda doesn’t spend a lot of time working on her house. It all appears to have been professionally designed for her, and she’s almost like a visitor there, whereas Iris’s home looks personal and personally decorated.

The English kitchen (I love the fireplace with the shelves above it!): And the California kitchen (they couldn’t be any more different, could they?). Amanda’s screams “I have a personal chef!”

Iris’s home has a small library, which has to be one of my favorite rooms in her house: The California house has a media room with CDs and DVDs instead of books:

Iris’s cozy cottage bedroom: Amanda’s spacious master bedroom: You’d better not be too tall if you’re going to take a bath in Iris’s tub: There’s a lot more space in Amanda’s bathroom:

Whose love story would you rather have? Kate’s with Jack Black:

Or Cameron’s with Jude Law?

If you loved Jude Law’s Mill House in the movie, you can see it here. In that post I also show you production photos of Iris’s cottage being built, and snow being added to the village streets for wintry effect.

Photos were found all over the Internet, including Cote de Texas, Silver Screen Surroundings, and Pink Daisy Cupcake. Go to Cote de Texas to see many more interior photos and learn more about the designers behind them. Visit Silver Screen Surroundings to learn how to get these looks in your own home.

Visit my TV/Movie Houses page to see the others I’ve featured, from Something’s Gotta Give to Father of the Bride.

Tagged as: " Cameron Diaz, "The Holiday, cottage, England, entertainment, In the Movies, Jack Black, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Los Angeles, movie sets, Wallace Neff