amy merrick by amym 54

living in: harold and maude

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This one goes out to all the lovers out there… and the rest of us, too. One of the funniest, sweetest and most quirky romances around, Harold and Maude defies convention. Rarely does a movie so preoccupied with death honestly show the true nature of love and life. And Ruth Gordon is amazing. Who doesn’t want to grow up to be such a free spirit?

[image above, clockwise from top left: daisy umbrella $32,gloria’s garden rug $348, yellow raincoat $18, burberry scarf $155, shovel $13, teapot $75, fruiteria lamp $298, acacia wood stool $220, buttercup hook $12]

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Maude’s oddball railroad car is a dream of a dream, complete with smell-o-rama machine and is a perfect foil for Harold’s hearse driving, arm hacking ways. Total opposites on the outside, Maude’s geriatric grooviness and Harold’s death obsession prove that love is in what you feel, not what you see. As they say, if you want to sing out, sing out. -amy m.

[image above, clockwise from top left: model 1966 cadillac hearse $110,banjo $709, shag pillow $98, side table $128, meat cleaver $39, tie $68, laboratory vases $14]

54 Comments

chelsea

fantastic! i love this film. my sis + i once hosted an “inappropriate love fest” party and watched harold and maude as well as the graduate:)

ginnybranch stelling

yessssss!!!!!!!!!! i was hoping you would do this one! this is one of my absolute favorites- hooray!!!!

Claire

My favorite movie of all time!! What a great post – you just made my day! Love the inclusion of the cleaver.

Chelsea

I love this series! And I love that this movie was included.

Are we allowed to suggest? I think Pedro Almodovar’s Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown) has the most stunning aesthetics! Not to mention it’s one of the quirkiest movies ever.

jane

Gah! I may be tearing up at the sight of this. One of the best films ever. Great choice!

kara

Yay! Yay! Yay!!!
I was hoping we could find the real hearse, I want one!

wink

I literally gasped when I saw what movie you had chosen. I love Harold and Maude.

Julio

A wonderful film choice. This film stays with me for 2 reasons…first, because it is simply a great movie. Second, and it may sound strange, but the mausoleum at the cemetery that the young couple visited is Holy Cross which is where my parents are buried. I always think of them when I see this movie.

tanni

I so love this movie! One year I showed it for my birthday and I have never heard the end of the harold and maude stories about how this movie is sick and wrong on so many levels. Glad to see someone else sees it for what it truly is, a story about life and love.

christine

Oh, i love this movie :D and the soundtrack.. and that you made it into an “living in”-post :D how great!

Chandi

The Living In series is such a treat. I love all the movies you’ve picked so far. There are so many great movies that work for this…loved Edward Scissor Hands and Little Women. Where’s Chocolat? :)

Betsy

Wow – this is the first time this feature has ever been done with a movie I really can’t stand – and it’s STILL total genius! You make me want to live in H&M – almost! What a fabulus job!

EmilyU

Wonderful pick for an excellent series! I’ve always wanted to “live in” H&M because I want to embody its beautiful philosophy. Thanks for the reminder….

Kelly

This is a movie observation, rather than design observation. But that seems to be the trend on this thread.

I HATED this movie. I tried to like it, but eventually turned it off in DISGUST.

rebecca

I suspect that fur-collared blazer is a one-off. But so fab.

I am really enjoying this series too. It prompted me to watch Days of Heaven (so beautiful) and the Audrey Hepburn one (sorry, brain fade). My suggestion to add to the list would be Diva. :)

cinderkeys

Great movie. Y’know, I never thought to wonder how Maude, who didn’t spend her days on anything like a day job, came to acquire all that cool stuff. Maybe she did time as an accountant before finally retiring to do the free-spirit thing. :)

elise

this post just elicited about 22 “ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod”s and a lot of gasping and squealing.

THANK YOU!
(i would also love it if you did a living in “Love Story.” the hats alone… sigh)

Sania

So awesome. These “living in” posts always make me want to run out and rent the movie. And that lamp is all kinds of gorgeous. :)

Just don’t do something like Clockwork Orange. No one needs to find the accessories in that film. Eh-hem.

jewell

my day is always better when I log on to see “living in”. I love the movies and I love decor, so there for “living in” is my inspiration soul mate.

hrhkat

A very very very good movie…

I first saw this when I was about 7, and I loved it..

such a modern movie for its time, its just great.

and that beautiful hearse…it makes me want to own one..and his coat is oh so fashionable right now.

Adriana

I dream of someone clever designing a line of boys’ clothing based on Harold and Maude. Anyone? Anyone?

lavender

smile, tear, smile, tear, at work, smile, tear. i think i’m going to go get my regular dose of harold & maude over the holiday weekend!

Amanda

I watched this movie for the first time recently and immediately thought it would make for a great Living In.

This is my favourite D*S feature! When it disappeared for two weeks I was so worried it wouldn’t come back. It combines two of my favourite things ever: movies and decorating.

I’d like to join the ranks of people clamoring for a Wes Anderson movie Living In. Kind of obvious, but the set design of his films is always magical.

Sarah

I love this movie. I am obsessed with this movie. This post is great!! And yep, I definitely wish we could all be a bit more like Maude…

Valerie

Thanks for including this classic! Hands down, one of my favorite movies growing up, especially because it was shot in and around my town. I still refer to the church, when I drive by, as the “H & M Church”.

This movie was a huge part of my life and my friends’ lives. It’s a quintessential Northen Cal movie.

You guys rock for including it in your fabulous series. Keep ‘em coming…

Stephanie

I love Love LOVE this film! An absolute classic, and completely underrated. Lovely post, I might just go watch Harold and Maude now!

andrea

this is wonderful! i love this whole series of living in. how about living in singing in the rain?! the colors and style in that film just kill me!

Ken

The photo you have of Harold & Maude on the scooter was filmed near my house (Dumbarton Bridge in Newark CA!) more years ago than I care to admit. My friends and I walked over to watch the filming.

Thanks for a good memory.

Deanna

A Ha! My all-time favorite movie. I even wrote a whole term-paper about it in grad school! Love it.

Kelly Cummings

Seriously one of my favorite movies ever. I watched for the first time a little over a year ago. I had that cat stevens song if you want to sing out on our wedding playlist.

Andrea

oh my god, thank you so much for posting this. So far I must’ve seen this film about 30 or 40 times. Thank you!!! <3

LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD

Love this series and have loved the movie since I saw it at the time of its release when I was just out of college. This is a bit off topic but none of the commenters seem to realize that Maude is a Holocaust survivor and that this is one of the best anti-war films ever. Yes, a quirky love story but really more about accepting others and ending war.

Denise

How fun. I’ve loved this movie for longer than I care to remember! This post makes me want to rent it and enjoy it all over again. Everyone should sport a whimsical umbrella to funerals in honor of Maude.

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