Anatomy of a Scandal debuted this week on Netflix, with viewers enthralled by the political thriller’s twists and turns, but while it’s rushed to the top of the Netflix charts, fans have been distracted by the beautiful interiors of the homes in the show.
‘Anatomy of Scandal is good but that kitchen?! I’ve never wanted something so bad in my life,’ one fan wrote in praise of the ultra chic design with its chic green spice rack, tree wallpaper and array of copper utensils.
The decor has been cleverly chosen to match the storyline of the six-part series, which is seen through the eyes of Sophie Whitehouse, played by Sienna Miller, whose disgraced MP husband James (Rupert Friend) is accused of sexually assaulting a young political aide.
At the start the action focuses on the couple’s living room which is bathed in a golden glow and features high-end furnishings from London’s Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour, and cloudy wallpaper to indicate the coming storm, while the tree pattern in the kitchen is an analogy for Sophie being ‘lost in the woods’.
Despite much fanfare around the stunning Mayfair homes, they’ve all been built on sets in Surrey and were inspired by high society interior designers who might have worked for the likes of Samantha Cameron.
Anatomy of a Scandal debuted this week on Netflix, and viewers have gone wild for the interiors such as the living room, which is bathed in a golden glow and features high-end furnishings from London’s Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour, and a bespoke sofa by London-based designer George Smith
The couple’s living room uses a pale yellow colour to show the lightness and brightness of the ‘golden couple’, and is elegantly kitted out with coffee table books, warm lighting and fresh white flowers. However, the image of clouds on the wallpaper has been cleverly used to indicate a storm is coming
Production designer Melanie Allen began her research by reading magazines House and Garden and The World of Interiors and textbooks on Georgian architecture, according to Fredric magazine.
She told the publication she was influenced by the lives and homes of designer and Prince Charles’ goddaughter India Hicks and her husband David Flint Woods and Samantha Cameron.
‘We wanted a house that was Georgian to represent the traditional style of architecture as we wanted to tell the story that they come from generations of old wealth,’ she said.
‘And we knew they would have employed their own interior designer and have a sense of past family heirlooms and artwork. I looked thoroughly at the designers they might have employed and that informed me how the house was going to look.’
The property was also made on a on-set at Shepperton, Surrey as producers couldn’t find a home to get the aesthetic they desired.
Director SJ Clarkson told Metro: ‘We couldn’t find the exact house/footprint.
‘Equally, with all the Covid restrictions we faced, we decided a build would give us the scope and scale to stage the family/marriage scenes to give them the movement and energy as well as give us a controllable set to keep everyone safe.’
Some have been distracted by the beautiful interiors of the homes in the show, with one writing: ‘Anatomy of Scandal is good but that kitchen?! I’ve never wanted something so bad in my life’.
The distinctive tree wallpaper in the kitchen has been used to ‘tell the story of Sophie adrift in the woods’
Melanie also explained how set decoration was designed to push the narrative of the show.
The couple’s living room uses a pale yellow colour used to show the lightness and brightness of the ‘golden couple’.
But as the drama enfolds, the couple spend more time in James’ study – which is a dark burgundy.
BAFTA-winning set decorator Alice Felton shopped in London’s Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour for high-end furnishings to complete the sets.
The sofa, which won praise from many viewers, is bespoke and made by George Smith – a London based designer who provides furniture for the upper echelons of society.
Other furnishings came from auction lots in London, Julian Chichester while the exquisite wallcoverings were made by Cole & Son.
The Whitehouse’s kitchen was particularly praised by fans, with one writing ‘Very nice kitchen in Anatomy Of A Scandal’ while others praised the ‘gorgeous’ green spice rack and ‘ornate detail’ on the couple’s headboard. Sienna Miller is pictured in the kitchen
The kitchens in the show also feature stunning kitchen with blue and white china on display in rustic country style cabinets
‘We selected things that would have been chosen by an actual interior designer,’ Melanie added, citing Rita Konig, Beata Heuman and Rose Uniacke as the type of high-end professionals the couple might have hired.
She also explained how she worked with set designers to centre scenes around furnitue.
One example, she notes, was a tree-patterned wallpaper in the kitchen as it ‘tells the story of Sophie adrift in the woods’.
Melanie also said that the image of the clouds on the wallpaper behind the couple’s sofa shows that a ‘winds are coming’.
‘We worked with the architecture to tell the story very subtly. There is also a photo of the family behind her on the sofa with nothing behind him,’ she explained.
Fans also praised the ‘ornate detail’ on the couple’s headboard’. They are seen in bed in shot from the hit Netflix show
The home also features gorgeous wallpapers in deep green and red patterns with antiques, such as an ornate gold clock, sourced at auction houses
The Court Room at the Old Bailey were much of the show’s drama goes down – was also created on set at Shepperton Studios, while the exterior was at Freemasons Hall in London.
Others joked that they were distracted as Sophie and James argue about his affair, zoning out and seeing the beautiful furniture in the background instead.
The gorgeous interiors – which were all created as sets for the show – include exquisite art work, deep mahogany book cases and impressive wallpaper designs.
The Whitehouse’s kitchen was particularly praised by fans, with one writing ‘Very nice kitchen in Anatomy Of A Scandal’ while others praised the ‘gorgeous’ green spice rack and ‘ornate detail’ on the couple’s headboard.
‘Ok Anatomy of a Scandal, episode 1, really nice kitchen,’ wrote one.
‘Watching Anatomy of a Scandal and instead of thinking how fit Sienna Miller is I am sat thinking….’That’s a lovely kitchen!” added another.
Fans were quick to praise the show – with one writing ‘Watching Anatomy of a Scandal and instead of thinking how fit Sienna Miller is I am sat thinking….’That’s a lovely kitchen!” added another
‘The only appeal of Anatomy of a Scandal is making observations about the furniture and posh houses,’ commented a third.
Another fan observed: ‘I’m watching Anatomy of a scandal on Netflix. That timeless, classless world again where you look really closely at the décor of the houses.’
‘Their house in Anatomy of a Scandal is absolutely stunning,’ one fan noted.
‘Anatomy of a scandal is such exquisite film making such fantastic story telling and I need more of it on my screen bloody hell! Also the decor in their home and the grandparents home is every bit of me!,’ another elated.
Based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal follows Sophie Whitehouse and her husband James, a minister accused of sexually assaulting a young political aide named Olivia (Naomi Scott).
The project is produced by Big Little Lies’ David E. Kelley.
It’s thought the series will focus on a different political scandal each season in an anthology style, similar to BBC’s A Very English Scandal.
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