Terri Sapienza

‘Classic elements used with a modern aesthetic’ is how designer Jon Hutman describes his sets for the new comedy ‘It’s Complicated,’ starring Meryl Streep and Steve Martin. Hutman, says the sets were designed to achieve ‘a casual comfort that’s very approachable and appealing.’ (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

‘Something’s Gotta Give’ Set Designer Cooks Up New Kitchen

The 2003 movie “Something’s Gotta Give,” starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson, created a lot of buzz. But it wasn’t just because of the acting. Moviegoers and design enthusiasts were enthralled with the interior sets created for the Hamptons beach house. Homeowners nationwide were clamoring for the kitchen in their own homes.

The writer and director of “Something’s Gotta Give,” Nancy Meyers, is back with a new film. “It’s Complicated” stars Meryl Streep as Jane, a bakery owner and mother of three who has an affair with her married ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) at the same time she becomes involved with the architect of her house renovation (Steve Martin).

Jon Hutman is the production designer responsible for the California-style interiors. We spoke with him by phone from Italy, where he was working on a new movie. The following are excerpts from the conversation.

This is your fourth collaboration with Nancy Meyers. You also created the set for ‘Something’s Gotta Give.’ Were you surprised by the popularity of that house?

Yes. People loved that house. But I’m the last person to claim that I invent this stuff. I look at every magazine and book that I can get my hands on. I feel like I scouted every house in the Hamptons, and we put together the best of what we saw.

I believe that the reason people love that kitchen was the movie. I think if you were to just publish that kitchen in a magazine, people would like it, but what really made it strike a chord was the movie. Nancy writes movies that are very much from her heart. “It’s Complicated” is very much in that same personal vein that “Something’s Gotta Give” was: It’s about a really successful woman in her mid-50s that is going through something that people go through in life.

How would you describe the difference between the houses in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ and ‘It’s Complicated’?

Remember, the house in “Something’s Gotta Give” is a second house. Erica Barry (Diane Keaton’s character) is divorced, she’s had a string of successful plays, the house was a gift to herself. Jane (Meryl Streep’s character) is in the process of giving herself that gift. Her current house, which she bought when she got divorced and raised a child in, is Chapter Two in her life. The house that’s coming is Chapter Three. Jane’s situation and her house are a little more human. It’s comfortable, it’s stylish, but she’s in the process of doing something that’s more about her independence as a woman.

I noticed lots of natural, earthy elements in the ‘It’s Complicated’ house. What kind of look were you going for?

It’s the idea of classic elements used with a modern aesthetic. There’s slipcovered furniture with natural linen, beautiful old wood on the doors, dining table and floors. There’s a casual comfort that’s very approachable and appealing.

The ‘It’s Complicated’ kitchen isn’t a trophy kitchen. It looks more like a real cook’s kitchen, with everything out in the open and accessible.

That’s what we’re going for. Part of what Jane is building in the renovation is the combination family room-kitchen thing, and it’s what she’s tried to create within the framework of her existing house. It’s totally attractive and comfortable but in a lived-in way. And it’s meant to be makeshift, but in a way that someone that has a strong sense of aesthetics would make it. Her bakery is where she was able to realize her vision in a clearer, purer way.

Any reason we don’t get to see the renovated kitchen in the movie?

It’s very easy for people to get sidetracked in the house. But the story in this movie is not about Jane’s new kitchen; it’s about Jane having an affair with her ex-husband and also becoming involved with the architect. The happily-ever-after is about getting the guy, not the kitchen. It’s almost better to let people dream about what the kitchen is going to be like. By the end of the movie you should care more about who Jane ends up with than you do about the kitchen. 



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