From sitcoms to somber psychological dramas, film and television history is filled with characters that work as – or aspire to be – interior designers. The most recent designer to grace the silver screen is Brooke, an offbeat New Yorker who dabbles in interior decorating in Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig’s newest collaboration Mistress America. Starting with Brooke, we selected the ten best interior designer characters from film and television. Note to any design professionals who may be reading: we take no responsibility for the less-than-flattering portrayals.
Brooke in Mistress America (2015)
With a client list that includes the luxurious Bowery Hotel — oh wait, no, that would be a laser hair removal salon one block south of the hotel — Brooke, played by Frances Ha’s Greta Gerwig, introduces herself as a freelance interior designer to her shy future stepsister Tracy (Lola Kirke). Energetic but wayward, Brooke is also a Soul Cycle instructor, tutor and would-be restauranteur. Despite her many interests, Brooke’s immaculately decorated, illegal squatter apartment in Times Square indicates a keen eye for design despite the fact that it doesn’t have a bathroom.
Grace Adler in Will & Grace (1998-2006)
Another neurotic New Yorker, Debra Messing’s Emmy Award-winning turn as Grace Adler on the sitcom Will & Grace is possibly the most popular on-screen depiction of an interior designer. Although Grace is best known for her friendship with her roommate Will (Eric McCormack), Grace also runs Grace Adler Design with her witty and hard-drinking assistant Karen (Megan Mullally). As it turns out, the firm’s work will be immortalized for posterity beyond Netflix: Will & Grace was recently acquired by the Smithsonian Institution as a part of the museum’s prestigious LGBT collection.
Jan Morrow in Pillow Talk (1959)
The first of Doris Day and Rock Hudson’s classic romantic comedies, Pillow Talk focuses on Jan Morrow (Day), a successful interior designer whose life is turned upside-down by her playboy neighbor Brad (Hudson). Forced to share a telephone line – charming referred to as a “party line” — Brad and Jan do a familiar rom-com dance, simultaneously bickering and wooing one another. Aware of the punitive power of bad decor, Jan deploys her interior design skills as a means of revenge by redecorating Brad’s apartment in a gaudy and garish fashion.
Otho Fenlock in Beetlejuice (1988)
Not all cinematic interior designers have as directional an aesthetic sensibility as Otho Fenlock (Glenn Shadix) from Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. One measure tacky, one measure genius, Fenlock may be the most distinctive of the Hollywood designers. Characterized by an unabashed love of mauve — and an obligation to incorporate his client Delia Deetz’s (Catherine O’Hara) ghastly sculptures into the scheme — Otho’s transformation of the Deetz house even manages to offend the home’s deceased former residents.
Darien Taylor in Wall Street (1987)
In Oliver Stone’s ode to 1980s excess, Darien Taylor (Daryl Hannah) aspires to “do for furniture what Laura Ashley did for fabrics.” Arguably more interested in her role as trophy girlfriend than her interior design career, Darien nonetheless deploys her wildly expensive tastes when she decorates her boyfriend Bud’s (Charlie Sheen) lavish new penthouse. Reportedly, Hannah disliked Darien’s wanton materialism and had trouble connecting with the character. Unsurprisingly, the role netted Hannah a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress.
Duarto Feliz in The First Wives Club (1996)
Mostly known as a female buddy comedy about the lifelong friendships between Annie (Diane Keaton), Brenda (Bette Midler) and Elise (Goldie Hawn), The First Wives Club also features a male interior designer named Duarto Feliz (Bronson Pinchot). Described by Annie as “one of the ten worst interior decorators in New York,” Duarto is backhandedly foisted upon the striving, tacky Shelly (Sarah Jessica Parker) as a means of gaining access to Brenda’s ex-husband’s penthouse. His first words upon entry? “That chair is agony.”
Eve in Interiors (1978)
Woody Allen’s drama Interiors features a seemingly successful couple: corporate lawyer Arthur (E. G. Marshall) and his interior designer wife Eve (Geraldine Page). Despite her circumstances, Eve struggles with severe depression, which is reflected in the film by the stark, somber interiors in which the family inhabit. A departure from Allen’s comedies, Geraldine Page was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as the suicidal Eve.
Suzanne Sugarbaker in Designing Women (1986-1993)
Although Delta Burke’s Suzanne Sugarbaker is not the only interior designer in the sitcom Designing Women, her flashy style and Southern charm make her one of the most memorable. Suzanne’s untethered extroversion is central to the success of Sugarbaker Designs, an Atlanta-based design studio founded by Suzanne and her sister Julia (Dixie Carter). Though it aired its final season in 1993, Designing Women remains a camp favorite (see: the hilarious 30 Rock episode in which Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon pulls an all-nighter watching a marathon of the sitcom).
Elliot Tiber in Taking Woodstock (2009)
In Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, protagionist Elliot Tiber is an aspiring interior designer living in New York’s Greenwich Village. Played by quirky comedian Demetri Martin, Tiber puts his design dreams on hold to return to his Catskills hometown and aid his parents with the dilapidated motel they manage. Thankfully, however, a little concert called Woodstock comes to town, and Elliot’s life is transformed after he offers the motel to the organizers of the legendary festival. Based on a true story, the real Elliot Tiber documented his story in a memoir of the same name.
Jasmine in Blue Jasmine (2013)
Cate Blanchett won an Academy Award for her role as Jasmine in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. Jasmine, a rich woman whose life falls apart after her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) is disgraced for his Bernie Madoff-like business dealings. Given her limited work experience, Jasmine attempts to profit on her impeccable taste by becoming an interior designer. Admittedly, Jasmine’s swank Manhattan and Hamptons homes are great calling cards for her talent; but the pathological narcissist fails to complete the requisite online coursework. Jasmine’s failed design dreams add to her pathos, and reflect her connection with Tennessee Williams’ seminal hysteric Blanche from A Streetcar Named Desire.
