Find Home Inspo on the Telly

Embrace your binge watch.

Storytime:

My parents are the quintessential Baby Boomers. The generation that comes standard with pearls, prawn cocktail and problematic politics.

Take away the politics and add an admirable work ethic with a total inability to take a time-out, and you’ve got my mom and dad.

The time my parents went on a binge

I was shocked to my millennial core, when “Downton Abbey” hit the streaming services about four years ago, and my parents somehow found themselves lured into their first BBW (Big Binge Watch). I watched them going from the “Mmmm, ok let’s watch one more episode” -stage, to the inevitable “Next.Episode.Now!”-stage. For the first time in their lives, they even ate dinner in front of the television.

By Monday I called mom, and now her tune had changed. Apparently, they had both  fallen out of love with Downton Abbey and the whole thing was formulaic and stupid. (Turns out they had watched three seasons in as many days and now the show sucked). So, I had to break it to them… “Downton Abbey doesn’t suck, you just have a binge-watching hangover, and I think its time to go out and get some fresh air…” (No more screen time for mamma and pappa!)

TV shows can inspire us.

One of my favourite things about a great series is the way it can spill over into your real life.

So why not embrace it? Why not bring your favourite series home?

A quick office poll (Honestly – it was a WhatsApp group chat again) revealed the most coveted TV show sets and spaces:

Yellowstone

The main house, with or without your own favourite Dutton

In the uncertainty of this post pandemic, pre-climate crisis world, a fortress big enough for an army and built from timber that is basically just whole, finished tree trunks, seems like a sweet hiding spot.

The main house on The Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in Montana is just this fortress. A vast place, with double or triple volume ceilings and living spaces with stocked bar carts…this is a home for a dynasty.

Wooden furniture, woven rugs and blankets, rustic fireplaces and an eclectic mix of found décor (think stones, branches, feathers and wildflowers) and high-end old money luxuries like cut glass, rich leather and polished silver or marble create a unique but homey vibe. Yellowstone is about juxtapositions, money, politics, cutthroat hustling, cattle herding and cowboy boots.

Rich ranch vibes:

For soft furnishings and smaller décor pieces, find inspiration here

For all the rest:

Yellowstone has impacted the design world in the most dramatic way

Bring Rich Ranch home

The Crown 

Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands in particular. Dogs and Land Rovers optional

This is a highland castle fit for a king (or queen). Maybe it’s the fact that winter is approaching, but something that came up more than once on the Office Chat was Balmoral Castle in Scotland as portrayed in “The Crown”.

Where the Yellowstone ranch house is super-sized American audacity with double volume everything, Balmoral is smaller, with sturdy stone and mossy courtyards. The mudroom and kitchen in particular give that homestead energy, which is all the rage at the moment. Stone finishes, old brash fixtures, heavy wooden windowpanes and doors, classic flowers like roses, lavender and herbs like feverfew or heather…This all allows you to embrace a moneyed regal “Estate life”.

Even if you are staunchly against everything the Royals stand for – One thing is for sure – shortbread and single malt has never been a bad idea. And snuggling under a Tartan throw in front of a roaring fire is the cure all we need for this year.

Mudroom inspiration

Whether you live in a highland castle and have a troop of muddy labradors, or live in the suburbs with a troop of messy kids, a mudroom always adds value to a home.

The spruce

Small mudroom ideas

Don Draper’s New York apartment

Gotta love some mid-century magic!

If old rambling rich-person-homes don’t ring your bell, why not give your home a Mad Men Makeover? Don Draper might be a bit of a serial philanderer, but the man has style. The home he shares with his first wife, Betty, is a perfectly serviceable 50’s suburban home, but it is his “modern”, atomic age masterpiece of a New York apartment that really makes us tick.

Mid-century reimagined.

The trend of 50’s and 60’s inspired home décor is still going from strength to strength. Carpeted steps, sunken lounges and earthy vibrant tones of orange, umber and browns or tans simply remain a home staple. (Just look at this year’s Golden globe gowns to see that orange – and red and brown – is truly the new black.) By taking inspiration from this age, you can give your home a clean lined modern vibe without option for greyscale steel and glass.

Mid-century living rooms

Top Tip: For curated, locally available MCM pieces, visit Retrend.co.za

Haven’t found inspiration yet? Read on!

More wow worthy TV homes

Best and worst TV homes to ever grace our screens

Also read our article on how to mix-and-match furniture.