In a recent Architectural Digest article, Hollywood writer-director-producer Nancy Meyers showcased her Provencal-style LA home and the interior design community gasped. Just as an aroma can conjure up a long-forgotten memory, Nancy’s beautiful Shaker kitchen transported us straight back to the joy of the early 2000s rom-coms when the world seemed to be a simpler and cosier place to be.

Of course, we should have expected nothing less than cosy comfort. Meyers is a home decorating expert and each set she designs for her movies becomes a work of art in itself. The powerhouse behind The Holiday, Something’s Gotta Give and It’s Complicated, a Nancy Meyers home tells its own story. Marriage, heartbreak, growth – it’s all there, with each prop layering evidence of a life well-lived.

People all over the world covet Nancy Meyers bedrooms, make Nancy Meyers living room mood boards and share Nancy Meyers décor online. Our love affair with Nancy Meyers movie sets is even more intense than her stories. But who is Nancy Meyers and what makes a Nancy Meyers interior?

Read on to find out how Masterclass Kitchens can help you replicate her homely designs in your very own kitchen…

Who is Nancy Meyers?

Nancy Meyers’ sweet and charming Hollywood movies helped to form our relationship culture in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As a hugely successful writer-director-producer, she not only wrote but also directed The Parent Trap, Something’s Gotta Give and The Holiday.

Her stories often followed second-chance lovers through heart-warming high jinks with plenty of quirky best friends and light-hearted dating woes thrown in for good measure. It wasn’t just her plots and storylines that were full of warmth, either. Every character’s home epitomised the Nancy Meyers style – what we might call affluent ‘coastal grandmother’ homes oozing coffee-table-book-style wealth.

What makes a Nancy Meyers kitchen?

Ask any Nancy Meyers fan to define Nancy’s kitchen decorating style and many will answer, ‘aspirational’. Most of her movie characters are wealthy, living in gated communities, penthouses, beach houses or sprawling country piles. The spaces within, while bright and airy, are always cosy.

Meyers herself has a stunning in-frame Shaker kitchen with a grand kitchen island. Everything is classically designed and timeless, just like her fictional kitchens.

Think Belfast sinks, copper pots hanging from wall shelves, crusty loaves displayed on wooden chopping boards and slip-covered armchairs that invite you to sit down with a good book. Every single detail has both function and beauty.

How to decorate like Nancy Meyers

Now we know the staples of a Nancy Meyers design, it’s time to ask the real question – how do you decorate like Nancy Meyers? Well, the key is to take a ground-up approach that spans four main stages:

• Basic principles
• The backdrop
• The furniture
• The accessories

Basic principles

Start by thinking in terms of characters and plots. How do you want to present your personality? How do you want the narrative of your life to proceed? Meyers creates social spaces that work well for wholesome hobbies such as cooking and crafting.

It doesn’t matter if you have a modest-sized space. Just make it communal. Aim to create an absorbing area that’s warm and welcoming – one you want to hunker down in. For expert help, Masterclass Kitchens offer a handy guide for those who subscribe to its free newsletters.

The backdrop

Imagine you’re having a fresh start. You’ve walked into an empty room with only heartache and a small box of possessions, just like a rom-com heroine. To get the full Meyers happily ever after, you’ll want to start with a bright room filled with natural light pouring in from windows and glazed doors.

Large kitchen windows are a must while, on the colour front, a two-pronged approach is best. Many of Meyers’ walls sport ornate wood panelling in pastel colours such as cream, blue or green. Add floral or stripey wallpaper to break things up a little.

The furniture

Choosing the perfect furniture for this look depends on whether you want freestanding or fitted. Meyers’ fitted pieces tend to be pastel coloured in a classic design such as Shaker kitchens with marble kitchen worktops.

A pale kitchen island plays a huge part in Meyers’ kitchens and most also contain a white bookcase for cookbooks and a white mantle adorned with candles. A butler’s sink also enhances the look while a couple of bar stools at the island add to the social aesthetic. Don’t worry if you lack the space, as Masterclass Kitchens offer small kitchen islands as well as freestanding kitchen islands – and can slot their open shelving into any nook.

All-white rooms should ideally be balanced with portable dark wood furniture, to prevent the space from feeling cold and stark. Think chairs and console tables, which can add warmth and depth. You may also want to include somewhere to display accessories such as floating shelves or wall-mounted plate racks.

Together, pale surfaces and dark wood makes for a tasteful ensemble. Add texture too, for extra warmth. Meyers’ favourites include beige linen slip-covered sofas with patterned cushions and natural rugs, both of which inspire us to curl up and watch an uplifting movie.

The accessories

Look at any kitchen featured in a Nancy Meyers movie and you’ll see one thing that all surfaces and walls share – accessories. Meyers’s kitchen surfaces reflect her characters perfectly. They’re tasteful yet complex and multi-layered – adorned with all sorts of décor such as Mason jars, rattan trays, vases of flowers, copper kitchenware, photo albums, decorative plates, crystal lamps, terracotta-potted herbs, cake stands, Champagne buckets, ornate picture frames and coffee table books.

If you’re looking for your own luxury coffee table book, why not order one of Masterclass Kitchens’ beautiful brochures? Boasting embossed designs and decadent gold foil, they look fantastic on the coffee table or kitchen island and are full of inspiring ideas for your own home.

On the accessories front, Masterclass Kitchens offer a wide variety of storage solutions perfect for attractive displays – their breakfast dressers, for instance, with shelves and mug hooks. These coffee bar units are hugely popular, transforming kitchen clutter into a calming space.

Want to go full-on Meyers? Scatter evidence of your life across their surfaces. You can always close the dresser doors to conceal it all from view.

Now you know the nuances that make up a Nancy-Meyers-inspired kitchen, it’s the perfect time to start planning your own story. Masterclass Kitchens’ partner retailers have years of experience and are here to help. Find your nearest showroom and book a consultation or become a Masterclass Insider for free and exclusive design guides and tips.