People around the world can’t stop talking about the Leonardo DiCaprio movie that was recently presented in New York theatres, and the interior design world is showing off their takes of  The Great Gatsby.

Release of the movie, which opened May 10, was high, thanks in part to a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, the story’s narrator. It also was shot in 3-D, features costumes by Miuccia Prada, and has a soundtrack created with hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. “Jazz was such a revolution in that era,” says the Australian-born filmmaker – Baz Luhrmann – “so I looked to a blend of jazz and hip-hop to help the audience understand through their own receptors what it might have been like to live during that time.”

Gatsby Mansion’s digitally enhanced exterior, modeled after Long Island’s North Shore estates – photo www.architecturaldigest.com

If the filmmaker has taken liberties in terms of musical convention, we cannot say the same thing about the interior design process of the mansion. He and his wife – designer Catherine Martin – strove for greater period authenticity – a dazzling version – in the lavish sets. Forty-two individual sets were created in and around Sydney. Fourteen weeks it took the team just to build, paint and decorate Gatsby’s mansion: grand ballroom, library, master bedroom, entrance hall and terrace as well as the garden.

Gatsby Balcony – Design by Catherine Martin, photo www.hollywoodreporter.com

The designs for the residence were inspired by the iconic early 20^th century houses of Long Island’s North Shore such as Beacon Towers for Gatsby’s home and Old Westbury Gardens for the Buchanans’ estate.

“Looking at images of Beacon Towers, there’s something that gives it the feel of the Disneyland castle, and Baz referenced that: the idea that Gatsby was building a fantasy,” Martin says.

For the exterior shots of Gatsby’s estate, the Gothic Revival building of the former St. Patrick’s Seminary in Sydney was used, with faux ivy applied to the first two floors and a temporary fountain constructed in the courtyard.

But the hottest creation is Gatsby’s Ballroom, the perfect place of his legendary parties. In relation with the turn-of-the-century mansions, the interior features a gold-filigreed ceiling with ornate crystal chandeliers, a marquetry floor (with Gatsby’s monogram inlaid at the center), towering columns between the windows, and a serpentine staircase.

Gatsby’s opulent Ballroom – photo www.architecturaldigest.com

“We talked about somebody coming in with a lot of money and what changes he would make to certain rooms,” Martin says.

Though Gatsby’s bedroom has traditional arched windows, the decor is totally glamorous, down to the tiniest details: richly polished hardwoods, a harlequin-pattern wall covering of silk crisscrossed with ribbons of wood, and a gray and gold Art Deco–style rug designed by Martin.

Gatsby’s sleek bedroom – photo www.architecturaldigest.com

In perfectly contrast to the opulent splendor of the Gatsby’s mansion stands Nick’s residence imagined as a homey cottage. Outside: a porch with an rustic “Adirondack” swing overlooks flower beds and a small lawn; inside: “Stickley” furniture, oak beams and moss-green tiles that call for an Arts and Crafts vibe.

Nick Carraway’s charming cottage –
“It was all about finding what we thought were quintessential Long Island motifs,” explains Martin. And materials that reflect Nick’s innocent nature.
photo www.architecturaldigest.com

photo www.architecturaldigest.com

Furthermore there is the Georgian redbrick castle where Daisy – Nick’s cousin and Gatsby’s obsession – lives with her unfaithful husband, Tom. Based in part on Old Westbury Gardens architecture on Long Island, New York, the manor (whose exterior was built on a sound-stage, with enhancements added digitally) immediately bring authority status. The luxurious Hollywood Regency and Deco-inflected furnishings in the sitting room, the contemporary art, and the formal gardens are all intended, Martin says, “to contrast Daisy with the new-money fantasist that is Gatsby.”

The grounds of Daisy and Tom Buchanan’s redbrick manor, partly inspired by
Old Westbury Gardens on Long Island – photo www.architecturaldigest.com

The Buchanans’ sitting room features a vibrant mix of styles, from European Deco to Hollywood Regency, evoking a
fashionable luxury – photo www.architecturaldigest.com

So, immerse yourself in the spectacular world of the 1920s – an affluent America throughout the decade defined by the Art Deco style: geometric shapes, streamlining and clean lines – and inspire your space by true Gatsby style, with elements of opulence and polished furniture, silky fabrics and luxurious crystal lighting, just because the interior designers go for the Great Gatsby look this spring!

by Marta Nedelcu

Marta Nedelcu is an art historian, researcher and manager at Supreme Gallery in Bucharest. Supreme Gallery offers a collection of Art-Deco and Mid-Century furniture.

More at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Supreme-Gallery/166953380118187?ref=tn_tnmn

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