Tania Sinel: “HOME AGAIN” PART TWO

As you know, this September there is a new Nancy Meyers movie coming out. This time, though, Nancy is the producer while her daughter, Hallie Meyers-Shyer is the first-time director/writer of “Home Again.” The romantic comedy stars Reese Witherspoon and Candace Bergen, as her mother.

As luck would have it, a few days after my original “Home Again” story came out, I found some new information about the movie.

A LOT of new information.

So, I am faced with a dilemma – do I write about “Home Again” a second time, so soon after the first story, or do I just ignore the new information I found?

Ignore???

Ignore information about a new Nancy Meyers movie?

Hmmm.

I’m not sure I could sleep at night knowing that my first story about “Home Again” was incomplete!!

So – here is the new information:

First, there was this….

Producer Nancy Meyers told us the reason behind the title “Home Again” which actually has to do with the movie house.

The reason the movie is called “Home Again” is that the lead character Reese Witherspoon/Alice grew up in that house – it’s her childhood home - and after her divorce, Reese/Alice moves back in with her mother, the former actress, played by Candace Bergen. Home…again.

Got it?

And, then there was this tidbit…

Nancy Meyers probably felt very comfortable filming at the “Home Again” house which is located in Brentwood, a neighborhood she had filmed in before. The “Home Again” house is located just a few streets over from this house:

Located on Rockingham, this is comedienne Phyllis Diller’s house which stood in for Arthur Abbott’s house in Nancy’s hit movie “The Holiday.”

Remember this “Meet Cute” scene in “The Holiday” – you can actually see Phyllis Diller’s house in the background. During filming for “The Holiday” the crew worked at this house for over three weeks – the interiors of the house were used as well as the exteriors.

And…as you probably remember from my first story, the Brentwood house where “Home Again” was filmed is famous for its former residents – Cindy Crawford and Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck.

As I wrote in the first story, the Brentwood house was built in the 1920s – it’s an original in the Brentwood neighborhood. Cindy and Rande added onto the house – building a new kitchen and outdoor fireplace, and they installed all new landscaping. While living there, both of Cindy’s children were actually born inside the house!

After they moved out, a then single Jennifer Garner moved in and in the following year, her new husband Ben Affleck joined her and later, her daughter Violet was born. The three Afflecks lived in the house for a few years and they then moved to a much larger home. Their Brentwood house was later bought and sold again and as luck would have it, those old real estate photos are still online, which I included in the first story.

I also showed the photographs from the Crawford years, thanks to her designer Michael S. Smith who put the house in one of his books and in Elle Décor magazine.

In the first story, I had no photos from when the Afflecks lived there – I couldn’t find any!

I didn’t think Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck ever did photoshoots.

BOY WAS I WRONG.

I actually HAD those photos!!! I just didn’t KNOW it!

The “Home Again” house – ready for filming.

When Nancy Meyers recently instagrammed a new photo from “Home Again” another blogger commented – “I know that room – it’s a Peter Dunham room.”

I never knew that Jennifer Garner’s interior designer was Peter Dunham, the uber talented decorator, shop owner, and fabric designer. I forgot that ‘Google is Your Friend.’ Years ago, on his web site, Dunham had posted photos from a project but he had never attributed those pictures as being for Jennifer Garner’s home in order to protect her privacy. AND, since that project was completed over 10 years ago, Peter has since removed them from his web site. Luckily, I had saved those photos years ago.

Thanks to that photo Nancy instagrammed, it all came together. Those old photos of Peter Dunham’s project are from the Home Again house when Jennifer & Ben lived there.

And there was this:

Jennifer did the cover story for Vogue Living magazine – about her Brentwood house’s garden. Christine London designed those gardens for Cindy Crawford and then again for the Afflecks and London has gorgeous photos of the Brentwood house’s landscaping on her web site.

Today, in this second story, I’ve put it ALL together, including the Peter Dunham and London photos.

If you are new here and didn’t read the first story about “Home Again,” be sure you do, HERE.

And if you did read the first story – I’m going to mark each new photo as “NEW” so that it will be easier for you to navigate Part Two.

The Tale of Three Magazine Covers:

Here, Cindy poses in her Brentwood house for Elle Décor.

And Cindy and Rande posed in their Brentwood living room for Hola.

NEW: A few years later, Jennifer Garner posed for Vogue Living in the same house.

THE FRONT COURTYARD:

CRAWFORD: Cindy posed in the courtyard among all the lavender plants that are no longer there, today.

NEW GARNER: Jennifer’s Vogue Living covershoot showed the same courtyard, again blooming and colorful. Doesn’t it look beautiful?

NEW GARNER: The front courtyard with the old wood bench.

REAL ESTATE PHOTOS: The bench is different now and the courtyard is not flowering as much, certainly not nearly as much as it was for Cindy and Jennifer!

HOME AGAIN: How the courtyard looked when Nancy and Hallie filmed “Home Again.” The production team moved the bench away.

Notice the Moroccan lantern high up in the tree. Landscaper Christine London originally placed those atmospheric lanterns for Cindy Crawford.

NEW: The original landscape plan from Cindy and Jennifer’s landscaper, Christine London. You can see the guest house at the very left of the plan. And under the trees on the front lawn, you can see the tiny spa that is hidden off at the master suite. Many of the olive trees were placed here by London.

Aerial view of the house – the trees are so grown out, it’s hard to see the property. The guest house where much of the movie “Home Again” is filmed is almost completely obscured by foliage.

NEW: From the landscaper Christine London’s web site – the courtyard and driveway. The gate at the very right leads to the front law, master suite, and guest house.

THE FRONT YARD:

NEW LANDSCAPER WEB SITE: Off the driveway, the gate that leads to the front lawn where the master bedroom and guest house are. The front yard is completely private behind its own fence. Additionally the entire property is surrounded by a white stucco wall.

NEW VOGUE LIVING: Jennifer posed in front of the same wood gate that leads to the front lawn.

NEW LANDSCAPE: The front lawn, the view from the master bedroom looking out to the guest house.

NEW LANDSCAPE: The charming guest house. So darling with two white cushioned chaises and a firepit.

NEW VOGUE LIVING: On the front lawn for Vogue Living magazine, Peter Dunham styled this sitting area using vintage rattan furniture and his own fabric. This was obviously just done for the photoshoot with Jennifer Garner and not something that was in her yard permanently. But it is awfully charming! Notice they let the grass grow longer to make it look more like an English garden.

REAL ESTATE PHOTO: A few years ago, long after Cindy and Jennifer had moved out, the house was sold again. You can see, though, the same outdoor furniture and firepit remained. I guess Cindy and Jennifer didn’t take the chaises with them.

HOME AGAIN: Butterfly chairs replace the white chaises and firepit at the guest house.

The guest house plays an important part in the movie and the fact that this Brentwood house had a guest house is probably why Nancy and Hallie chose it.

CRAWFORD: The view from the guest house to the master bedroom as seen in Elle Décor magazine.

HOME AGAIN: Yoga classes in front of the master bedroom terrace. On the landscaping plan, you can see there is a small spa that is hidden off to the side of this terrace.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN:

CRAWFORD: Cindy and Rande added on a kitchen and this outdoor fireplace when they lived here. This is how it was styled for Elle Décor magazine. So cute.

NEW LANDSCAPE: A beautiful photograph of the new (then) outdoor fireplace. Looks like sculpture.

NEW LANDSCAPE: Here are the Moroccan lanterns London installed throughout the yard which add such a romantic touch. It must be beautiful at dusk and at night when all the lanterns are lit! Here you can see there are three. You can also see, here, the electrical box and wire in the tree that lights the lanterns. Love these!

NEW VOGUE LIVING: Peter Dunham styled the kitchen garden for Vogue Living. My favorite fabric of his was used as a table cloth. Dunham sells these chairs.

REAL ESTATE: The kitchen garden as it looked when the house was sold a few years ago. The film production moved that kids jungle gym away during filming.

HOME AGAIN: The kitchen garden as it was decorated for the movie, with pillows and the table and umbrella.

HOME AGAIN: An outside dinner in “Home Again.”

HOME AGAIN: Another scene filmed out on the kitchen garden terrace.

THE SWIMMING POOL:

CRAWFORD: The swimming pool as it was styled for Elle Decor’s pictorial on Cindy and Rande.

NEW VOGUE LIVING: Later, Peter Dunham styled the pool for Jennifer’s photoshoot. Oh – I LOVE this!!! He used his fabric again, and it looks like he used vintage lounges. This really looks so pretty. Love the double chaise under the eucalyptus tree. That Vogue Living story was such a charming pictorial.

NEW LANDSCAPE: And here is the pool, unstyled using Jennifer Garner’s own furniture. The Kitchen Garden is at the right. The large window is the living room and the smaller window is the family room.

NEW LANDSCAPE: Another view of the pool from the landscaper’s web site. I love the outdoor furniture that Jennifer used, with the white covers. The pool looks so different when it isn’t styled.

HOME AGAIN: The pool was simply styled for the movie with umbrellas and white covered chaises, lanterns, and olive jars.

NEW VOGUE LIVING: The beautiful Jennifer Garner posed in front of the living room window for Vogue Living. Peter Dunham styled it and used his fabric. Behind her is the living room/guest room terrace. Back then, that terrace was hidden behind large shrubs. But today, it is exposed as you can see below.

REAL ESTATE: The living room and guest room share this terrace that overlooks the back yard. Similar furniture that is on the master bedroom/guest house terrace is used here.

REAL ESTATE: Another view of the back terrace.

FRONT ENTRY HALL:

CRAWFORD: The Michael S. Smith décor for the entry is the best of all the different foyer designs. I love the gorgeous polished floor along with the heavy wood table and the lantern that remains in the house to this day. Great front door.

NEW GARNER: I wish this Peter Dunham photos was larger! Still – this is the Dunham entry hall as he designed it for Jennifer. I like it but I don’t care for the mirror – although it looks so familiar.

HOME AGAIN: For the movie, the production team used baskets on the wall and of course the same lantern.

INSPIRATION? I wonder if this bedroom by Sarah Bartholomew was the inspiration for the basket décor? Sarah is a good friend of Mark Sikes – and that connection might have ensured that Nancy and Hallie saw this photo and used it as their inspiration for the movie house’s entry hall? We’ll never know, but it sure seems like it might be!

THE LIVING ROOM:

Crawford: The living room by Michael Smith. Not my favorite even though the sofas are Bennison. I’m not sure why I don’t care for it – but when you see the Peter Dunham version, I think you will feel the same as me. Peter’s is fabulous.

NEW GARNER: And here is the living room decorated by Peter Dunham for Jennifer and Ben. I had shown this on my blog years ago – it is obviously a room I loved. Wow. Look at the difference between the Smith décor and the Dunham décor. I love the striped rug. I love the sofas with the tiny print, the armchairs – and the surprise, the chintz Slipper chair. I almost wonder if this room was an inspiration for the “Something’s Gotta Give” living room with its blue and white stripped rug? The curtains in white linen with a red stripe, remain in the house today and are in fact in the movie “Home Again.” Peter painted the beams a light gray. And finally, in the corner, is a grand piano.

Love this room!!!!

Whose version do you like the most? Michael Smith or Peter Dunham?

NEW GARNER: A close up of the sofa and antique leather chair.

REAL ESTATE: The last owners – my least favorite décor.

HOME AGAIN: The living room in the movie – all white and hot pink with touches of blue. I’m excited to see the room styled properly as opposed to all messy for this scene. I love the hot pink accents that show up throughout the movie.

THE FAMILY ROOM:

Crawford: The family room by Michael S. Smith. The family room is reached through the opening on the right of the living room. I love this room – there is a rustic stone floor and a large window that overlooks the back yard.

And now we are so lucky to see how Peter Dunham decorated the same room for Jennifer and Ben:

NEW GARNER: Peter Dunham used his fabric for the two windows – and these curtains remain in the house today and are used in the movie. Peter used an upholstered ottoman and a red chair, mixed with seagrass. Just perfect.

The family room by Michael Smith compared to Peter Dunham:

Smith’s version is more dressy. Dunham is more English and more casual. Hard to judge. But I have to say Michael.

REAL ESTATE: The current owners used a sectional and the same Dunham curtains.

HOME AGAIN: For the first story, this was the only photo we had of the family room. There was a hint of the curtains, but this was all. Until Nancy Meyers instagrammed this photo:

NEW HOME AGAIN: Love this!!! From the movie, there is a blue and white striped chair and ottoman, slipcovered sofa, woven leather chair (love!,) baskets, a brown striped rug (!) and the old Dunham curtains. The blue and white stripes are a definite Mark Sikes influence. So cute! Love this.

Can’t wait to see the movie!!!

THE DINING ROOM:

Crawford: The dining room, by Michael S. Smith – which I love with its French chairs and Bennison (!) curtains! LOVE!

There are no Jennifer Garner/Peter Dunham photos of the dining room.

REAL ESTATE: dining room and the breakfast room through the door to the right.

“HOME AGAIN” – The view from the courtyard to the kitchen into the dining room, which is through the double wood doors. The chandelier and sconces are left from the Michael Smith décor.

“HOME AGAIN” – Looking through the courtyard window into the dining room and further into the breakfast room.

THE KITCHEN:

Crawford: The new kitchen Cindy and Rande put in.

There are no pictures from the Jennifer Garner/Peter Dunham years.

REAL ESTATE: How the kitchen looks now – with the lighter blue and white tiles.

HOME AGAIN: For the movie, the backsplash was changed to darker, more vibrant tiles.

THE BREAKFAST ROOM:

There are no photos from Crawford/Smith years.

NEW GARNER: Here, the small breakfast room was decorated by Peter Dunham with an antique English table and a banquette. He layered an antique rug over seagrass.

HOME AGAIN: For the movie, there is a banquette and rattan chairs and a marble top Saarinen table.

THE MASTER BEDROOM:

Crawford: The master bedroom by Michael Smith. Gorgeous, gorgeous!! Love the screen – which we discovered was placed there to hide a door!

Michael Smith loves to use textiles and screens, both of which are in this bedroom. They each add a unique richness to the space. Without the suzani, screen, and rug – this room wouldn’t be as fabulous.

NEW GARNER: For the Affleck décor, Peter Dunham used pale blues and ivories. He used a beautiful spindle, light blue canopy bed and a pretty blue and white rug. But, that door!!! Smith was so right to hide it. Not sure where it leads to – but even a pretty sliding barn door would be better.

I love the way Dunham decorated the room, but I do miss the Michael Smith décor. He’s a tough act to follow, although Peter Dunham is fabulous in his own right.

Notice the light fixture appears to be gone.

Winner? Smith or Dunham?

REAL ESTATE: And here is how the room looks today. Nothing to write home about. The French doors lead out to the front yard and the guest house – which you can just barely see at the foot of the yard.

“HOME AGAIN” – The master bedroom – with a pink stripped headboard and painted wood furniture.

NEW “HOME AGAIN” Nancy Instagrammed this new photo of the vignette in the master bedroom. There’s that hot pink with blue accents again!!!

Pink will look so pretty against both Reese and Candace’s skin and blond hair. It’s a good choice.

GUEST ROOM:

Crawford: The guest room by Michael S. Smith. This guest room overlooks the living room terrace and the back yard. Here, Smith used a canopy bed, antique rug, and suzani.

CRAWFORD: The other side of the guest room with an antique mirror. As usual, Smith’s rooms look very luxe, yet casual.

NEW GARNER: Not the same exact bedroom. We only have this very small photo – seagrass with a layered antique rug, and another light blue wood canopy bed. Beautiful lantern – not sure if that was left over from the Michael Smith décor. Wish the photo was larger!!!