Film fables to Coffee Tables: Furniture on the Big Screen

As the curtains come down on another summer of blockbusters with plenty of both hits and misses making their way across the big-screen, we’ve decided it’s time to look beyond the star-studded casts and questionable reboots to celebrate a whole different class of talent. The unsung heroes of the film industry, the humble saviours of style, the beautiful set pieces responsible for a positively cult-like following of furniture geeks and movie nerds – the iconic interiors behind some of our favourite works of cinema!

From Iron Thrones to space-age swivel chairs, the furnishings and interiors seen in both mainstream and more obscure movies have often been overlooked as being, excuse the pun, simply part of the furniture. Today however we’re taking sides with our metaphorical army of art designers and set decorators who would condemn such a shameless oversight! Style choices in film are just as important to the end product as even the most show-stopping performance and that’s why Mac+Wood have decided to share with you our favourite pieces of furniture from a collection of our favourite and not-so-favourite films.

The Barcelona Chair in Tron: Legacy (2010)

Though it was designed in 1992, the Barcelona Chair interestingly features in Tron: Legacy (2010) as a striking part of the ultra-futuristic decor exhibited in a digital-age, computer-generated world. If that doesn’t say timeless classic then we don’t know what does! Designed by Mies van der Rohe and also appearing in Bond: Spectre (2015), this chair is a perfect example of modernism design furniture and an enduring contribution to the world’s domestic landscape.

Dining Booths in Jack Rabbit Slim’s Diner

Not strictly a piece of furniture – one, in the sense that it was built by the set designers of the cult classic Pulp Fiction (1994) and – two, we’ve never seen anything remotely resembling this in someone’s home before – but we couldn’t resist – look at that booth! Fashioned from vintage convertible cars as a nod to Elvis Presley’s Speedway (1968) and Howard Hawk’s Red Line 7000 (1965), the booths perfectly capture the 50’s feel of Quentin Tarantino’s fictional diner, the raucous Jack Rabbit Slims. Pastel upholstery and chrome fittings galore, this set-piece/aspirational purchase will have you doing the twist in no time.

 

Sequoia Table by BRABBU

So we didn’t get a chance to see the film adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel 50 Shades of Grey (2015) but judging by the various sceptical reviews it seems like the hottest thing we missed out on was this Sequoia Centre coffee table. With a walnut root veneer to represent the passage of years of the towering Sequoia tree and complete with brass bark, this centrepiece absolutely steals the show. A mid-century furniture design inspired by the forces of nature.

 

Morpheus’s Red Leather Wingback

Looking up again towards the lofty heights of sci-fi iconicity, we find ourselves faced with a piece of 18^th Century furniture royalty, sat on by someone of even greater royalty in the sci-fi world, none other than The Matrix’s (1999) Morpheus. With characteristically deep buttoned upholstery, rolled arms and a nail head trim, the Wingback is a noble classic, gracing the floors of gentlemen’s clubs and luxury homes alike, the epitome of British style, elegance and class.

 

The Wave Coffee Table by Mousarris

To round off our selection, we found this captivating limited edition piece by Greek designer Stelios Mousarris. Inspired by a memorable scene in the visually stunning sci-fi thriller Inception (2010) where a city is folded in on itself in a dream, this table was created with 3D-printing technology and is a remarkable render of the sequence in the film. Mesmerising and perfectly balanced despite its odd shape, the Wave Coffee Table just as much fan memorabilia as it is a place to stack your architecture books. Best of all, its made of a mixture of wood and steel – two of the most gorgeous building materials that we at Mac+Wood hold dear as our ranges are crafted from the very same.

The Droid Interactive Coffee Table by ALTAR Furniture

The purchase of all aspirational purchases, this coffee table comes from the minds of film and music inspired designers András Lacfi and Ernő Balogh, who own the quirky interiors/arts business; Altar. Its a triumphant celebration of all things Star Wars, not to mention the proverbial Holy Grail of our very own long-time fan and Mac+Wood Founder, Marcel Cowan. Combining interactivity, function and nostalgia, The Droid Interactive Coffee Table rolls on its own two wheels and features a mini slide-projector (picturing R2 in the Death Stars’ sewage), a flashlight, sounds, lighting programs, and a fully functional animated droid on the playfield.

So there you have it, our collection of weird and wonderful furniture featuring in and inspired by our selection of weird and wonderful films. It’s something we’re always on the search for – the eye-catching, the elegant and the bold. It’s what makes us Mac+Wood. For a thoughtfully and devotedly curated and source of trivia and on furniture in more of your favourite films, visit https://www.filmandfurniture.com/.

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