Jass and Meen: Woody Allen Films & Bookshelves

I grew up watching a LOT of movies. So much so that it may have been slightly detrimental to my psychological development and adult life. My expectations of romance and visions of reality are somewhat distorded (I am a lady who is hard to please, apologies to my poor man who puts up with me and constantly falls short of unrealistic expectations!). I still watch my fair share of films and am constantly inspired by the worlds created on screen.

When I started writing on this site over a year ago, I posted some photos of movies that inspired me with their set designs and costumes. I expected to fill Jass & Meen with many of my favourite movies but as it turns out, it is quite difficult to get photos of decors from films. In addition, Design Sponge's Amy Merrick does such a fantastic job with her "Living In" column that I simply won't even try to match her work. If you don't already follow Design Sponge religiously like I do, I highly recommend checking out "Living In", if only that.

One director that I am particularly fond of is Woody Allen. Though the man seems to pop out a new film every year, I am pretty sure that I have seen every Woody Allen movie ever made at least once and therefore consider myself a fan of his work. The witty dialogue, the intellectual lifestyle at its best, the beauty of every shot like a photograph, the importance given to the setting like an homage to the city it is filmed in, those are the qualities that I admire the most and seek in every Allen film. The combination of beautiful people, stylish cities and intellectual, grown-up conversations of art, literature and everyday life fascinate me. My penchant for melodrama and attraction to any existential crisis might also have something to do with my fondness of his movies. He presents the life of adults behaving and misbehaving in the city in a way that makes me think it just doesn't get better than that: I want to live in a Woody Allen movie!! I want to run around the streets of Barcelona taking photographs with my artist boyfriend, go to art gallery openings or late dinner parties and finish the evening with a stroll in the park, overlooking the 59th street bridge in Manhattan! (Oops, there it goes again, this distorded vision of reality of mine!)

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger

Whatever Works

Vicki Christina Barcelona

Manhattan

Annie Hall

Manhattan Murder Mystery

Whatever Works

I shamefully stole a few images from Amy Merrick's version of Annie Hall, just to give you an idea of what her posts look like.

If you have ever seen Annie Hall, you know that those objects are pretty accurate!

I realize that some films are more famous for decors than those of Woody Allen. The infamous kitchen in "Something's Gotta Give" comes to mind, as does the bedroom in 'Amelie', one that I so wanted to copy in my first apartment but I failed miserably. The focus of his films may not always be on the interior design factor but nonetheless, I find myself drawn to the spaces he creates and picturing myself walking around the apartments, living my life as I do, except...in a Woody Allen movie! An important aspect that has caught my eye in almost every one of his film is that the homes of his main characters are always, always filled with many paintings and lots of books!

Whether organized by colour, alphabetically or even by genre, I love displaying books. The idea of guests reaching over for a book on the shelf and flipping through the pages is so appealing to me and I am always pleased when it happens, like an entire bookshelf filled with coffee table books. It is also lovely to revisit your favourite books or photo albums from time to time and you are more likely to do so if they are within reach than tucked away in a dusty basement. The books that you choose to store for all to see are very much a reflexion of who you are, what your tastes are like as well as a summary of your recent interests and hobbies. Depending on your personality, they might even show a glimpse of your past adventures and future discoveries at the same time.

Our bookshelf is filled with cookbooks, interior design books, woodworking guides (um...not mine), wine encyclopedias, and travel books and I love them all, even (no!, especially!) the woodworking ones. Sadly, we only have room for a couple of bookshelves in our little home at the moment. When I have a home office, though, all of my books will be put on shelves, proudly displayed. Perhaps I shall have a grand staircase filled with my many decorating books leading up to a huge second-floor office where millions of fabric and paint samples will be meticulously organized.