[Filling the Space is a flexible column where our writers could vent, deconstruct, and work their way around the emotions brought on by TV, films, books, music, and key moments in pop culture. This isn’t meant to be analytical, but instead, a means of bringing our voice into a space on the internet where there’s often too much going on—a way to step into the sphere.]
Fictional homes that leave a mark always make for some of the most memorable characters in movies and TV shows. Recently, I wrote about The Golden Girls’ kitchen. Our very own Jamie Whitebread wrote about the house from The Family Stone. There’s also the Practical Magic house, the Dragonfly Inn in Gilmore Girls, the Cullen house in Twilight, and, of course, the Home Alone house. But really, if I had a magic genie that could transport me to the dream home, it’s The Holiday cottage. You know the one.
Quaint, perfectly sized, and indescribably cozy, no fictional house makes me feel as warm and fuzzy. (No, I didn’t mean to rhyme. But we’re sticking with it.) It could be a thousand degrees in LA during the seasons where it’s supposed to be cold (like right now as I write this), and yet, watching Amanda freeze in the house always manages to evoke comfort.
There’s something especially magical about the first few shots we get of the cottage’s exterior that feel like they’re straight out of a storybook. The old stone exterior and interior, every detail inside the house, the sage blue door and window panes, the mismatched furniture, and the low wooden ceiling. The stairs. The fireplace. The bathtub. The kitchen. The living room. And even Iris’s white railing bed that just feels so nostalgic. The fact that there are books everywhere, and the couch looks comfortable. There’s really nothing like it.
When I think of cottages, The Holiday cottage is always the one that pops into my head. And even as I try to write this, I can’t exactly capture the feeling of warmth I always feel every time I watch it. On the worst days, it feels like if you curl up on a couch with a bunch of blankets while reading a book, then you can escape in a place that actually feels like magic. Maybe it’s me romanticizing the idea of it, but I’ve always been the type of person who appreciates the quiet more than the glitz and glamour. It’s why I’d never dream of mansions or large estates, because they feel overwhelming in a way that’s suffocating.
But rather, the comfort a small cottage feels overwhelming in a way that’s magical and lovely. Maybe it’s also the holidays and how it feels like stepping into a literal picture book that’s full of discoveries in every corner, like worn books you haven’t touched in years or a trinket from an old museum you visited settled between drawers. It’s memories and memories of items that feel important in some way, and I want to spend every minute of it inside, trying to find all the hidden gems.
Do you also dream about The Holiday cottage, or are you normal? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Universal Pictures.