Of all the interiors of tv houses that I have done so far, the interior of the Tanner home least resembles the exterior shots of the home shown on screen.
For example, look at the bay window by the front door. Notice how the whole staircase, landing and nook extend past that area? Well, in the opening credits, when we get to see the supposed exterior of the home, the house stops right after that bay window. So, I decided to have a little fun and show the exterior of the home as shown on tv and below that a simulation of what it would look like if the exterior matched what was actually going on inside.
And, now, this is what the exterior would look like if it matched what was going on inside the home.
Hmmm. It would actually protrude into the home next to it. Take a look at the image used on the show that represents the Tanner home's exterior. Notice that the home next to it would get in the way of the Tanner home, if it was really as wide as it needed to be. The stair case and nook would extend into the neighbor's house.
And don't even get me started on the attic. But, that's okay. We still love the home, whether the interior matches the exterior or not. It's a form of creative license, I guess.
And now for a couple views we were never able to see on the show. Want to see what the hallway looks like when entering the living room from the kitchen? Here's the view you would get as you walk from the kitchen to the living room through that hallway.
And how about seeing the 4th wall in the kitchen - the one we never get to see, because it doesn't actually exist. It's the missing wall that allows the cameras to enter the Tanner home. The room looks so different with the 4th wall there. In the Bewitched home, the viewing audience was allowed to see all 4 walls. In most tv homes, that is not the case. In the Tanner house, we are missing that 4th wall , so seeing it there can be a bit jarring. For one thing, we don't know what they would actually have on that wall. But, there most likely would be windows looking across to the home next to it - just a few yards away. Here I just mimicked the window that already exists in the living room nook and added two of them to the long 4th wall.
What a huge kitchen! But, I guess they did have a large family. No wonder there was room for Stephanie to crash a car through it in one of the episodes.
Now here is the bare living room, stripped of all of its furnishings, so you can have a little fun of your own imagining how you might remodel it.
Usually at this point in the blog, I post an image of the original set design and do call outs of the furnishings showing where you could find similar items today. However, most of those homes had furnishings that are still relevant. For example, the furniture in the living room of Rob and Laura Petrie's home [the Dick Van Dyke show], has made a comeback in a big way. Mid-century modern is showing up in many homes now. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that most people would not want to decorate their homes in the late 80's-early 90's furnishings that were in the Tanner home. So, what I am going to do instead is show you where you can purchase items that are similar to those that I put in the remodeled Tanner home - both the living room and the kitchen.
*By the way, I am receiving no compensation from anyone for mentioning these items. I simply went online and searched on my own for furnishings that were similar. However, for the wall art that is mentioned below, the artists are allowing me to use their work on the walls in the homes in exchange for crediting them.
Kitchen remodel design adapted from the home designed by actress Denise Vasi, director Anthony Mandler and architect, William Welch.
A shout out to the Art Directors of the series: Lynn Griffin [Supervising Art Director] and Mary Dodson and the set decorators: James Ira Colburn and Mary Ann Good. You were part of tv history - almost everyone knows the home from Full House.
To see other iconic TV homes, you can visit the home page at: https://www.mockingbirdlane.design