More of this Feature • Introduction • Bachelor Pad • The Ritz

Related Resources TV & Movie Architecture • Architecture of Crime: The Sopranos • Bad Feng Shui: Architecture in Big Brother • The 1900 House: From the PBS series • Star Wars Architecture: Buildings in Episode I Psychology of Your Home • What is Feng Shui? • Dream Houses

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Reprinted with permission from the Sheffield School of Design at www.sheffeild.edu

Notting Hill may be dismissed as just another romantic Hollywood comedy featuring gorgeous guy and gorgeous gal meeting and bedding. What's striking about this film is the way the architecture and interior decor reflect the personalities and lifestyles of the characters. As the film opens, the camera follows actor Hugh Grant through his neighborhood of Notting Hill, a not-fancy but quite charming area of London. His house is the one with the bright blue door.

A brightly painted door sends a clear message: Come on, Open Me, We'll Have A Good Time. You might think there'd be plenty of attractive women knocking on Hugh Grant's door. Yet, oddly enough, the poor man can't get a date. Behind that promising blue door lies a quintessential bachelor pad crying out for renovation and restoration.

First, you'll notice a long front hall, which (if you believe in Feng Shui) is a bad idea because it keeps the chi from flowing. The hallway leads to a narrow kitchen with a black and white checkerboard floor and white brick walls. The room is charming, but crowded.