I've been doing a lot of quiet reflection lately and coincidentally, I found an old DVD of Sliding Doors in my room the other night while I was still staying at my parents' house. This movie is over 10 years old now and I remember seeing it in high school when it first came out and thinking to myself, "Wow, grown-up life kind of sucks. You can get sacked for the most trivial of things. Men will still cheat on you even if you're tall, thin, and gorgeous. And just when you think your broken life has revived itself, something else awful comes along and blindsides you when you're least expecting it." Hmmm...makes a girl want to crawl under the covers and stay there forever.
Actually this is one of the few pictures in which I actually rather liked Gwyneth Paltrow. The film presents the audience with two different parallel realities of her character's life, basing all subsequent events on whether or not she happens to catch a particular train on the way home from work one afternoon.
Most of the film is rather dull design-wise but I just fell in love with this gorgeous, quintessential English B&B. Well, it's not quite a B&B. It's more of a grand mansion converted into a hotel and it's supposed to be set in Dorset. The actual exterior is of Dorney Court, in Buckinghamshire. They even have an official website and you can rent it out for weddings or other such events!
The interior of their hotel room was, of course, conceived and constructed in a studio.
The entry is on the right (you can barely see the door). I like the diamond pattern wallpaper in the bathroom. 
Loving: the wallpaper and the curtains. 
Also, the gorgeous white columns and wainscotting:
That folding screen with the triple mirrors and chinoiserie base (behind the guy) is to-die-for!
The rest of the interiors are so-so but I figured, oh well, why not show them anyway? Below is Helen's (Paltrow) apartment, styled very befittingly to the aesthetics of a young working professional.
I like the alcove that they've made into a workspace area. 
I'm not sure how I feel about the cornflower blue wall color.
Helen's best friend's apartment is kind of the opposite of hers in that it's very very colorful. Big bold rich colors, such as the red colored walls. I also love the small window with the stained glass panes.
What is it with them and blue kitchens? Gwyneth is scary skinny in this scene. I am so jealous. Love the tall glass containers with the pointy stoppers next to the window. I feel like there should be a more proper term for those things, anyone know? Don't know what they're being used for though - looks like they're just decorative. I have some tall glass containers (but not as tall as those in the scene) which I use to store homemade oils & vinegars...
July 11, 2009
Sliding Doors (1998)
July 11, 2009
7 comments
7 comments:
When I first decided to cut my hair short some 10+ years ago (from a chin-length bob to... well... shorter) I raced to find any stills from Sliding Doors that I could -- I just love Gwyneth's short blond crop, though it has taken me years to accept I should't go without bangs.
A while ago it seemed like this movie was always on cable, Starz I think, over and over again, and I remembered how much I liked the movie, not just her haircut! Not many people saw it because it came out when she was less famous than her then-beau, Brad Pitt!
I've never been to London and this is one of those movies that sets my expectations for what I will see when I finally go there.
I really liked Gwyneth's short hair in this movie as well. I've always wished I could style my hair like that - you know, pixie-ish. I once mentioned this to my hair stylist and he grimaced in horror. I would look AWFUL with that style. :::sigh::: Some things are just not meant to be, I guess!
London is fabulous. Great city! Hope you get the chance to visit it someday!
Thanks for the nice picture about Glass sliding doors, i really enjoy reading your blog…so many great stuff.....
This is one of the films that I like Gwyneth in. A nice romantic film to watch to relax or make you feel better! :) xx
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I have always been entranced by the art work that appears throughout Helen's apartment. I've tried to look to source these or at least identify the artist. Do you know of any way that this can be sourced?
p.s. Love your website btw:)
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