Our Favourite ‘Gilmore Girls’ Decorating Moments
Tour some of your favourite Stars Hollow spaces as we revisit three generations of Gilmores, just in time for Christmas
I smell snow! Which means that after waiting almost a decade, we have returned to Stars Hollow, where kooky locals await. The new Netflix mini-series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life centres around three generations of Gilmore girls – Lorelai Gilmore, who ran away from home in the ’80s as a single teenage mom; her daughter, Rory Gilmore, who now is all grown up; and Lorelai’s mother, Emily Gilmore, who is now a widow. A huge cast of quirky characters is back for the series revival, and many of the fans’ favourite locales haven’t changed a bit. Here are some of the design moments we enjoyed the most.
Lorelai’s kitchen is the spot where many a mother-daughter heart-to-heart has taken place. This go-round, Rory finds that its yellow-and-white checkerboard linoleum floor is the perfect surface for late-night stress-relief tap-dancing. Like the rest of Lorelai’s house, the kitchen is full of quirky and charming clutter. She has very specific tastes.
The eldest Gilmore girl, Lorelai’s mother, Emily, misjudged the scale of this portrait of her late husband, Richard, when she commissioned it from the artist. Edward Herrmann, the actor who played Lorelai’s father, Richard Gilmore, passed away in 2014, but his spirit and very large image are present in this new season, in part due to this portrait. It can be seen clearly from two rooms away in the dining room scenes so that Richard still has a seat at the table.
Emily Gilmore’s stone-walled patio is a perfect place for cocktails, awkward post-funeral storytelling and snarky Daughters of the American Revolution meetings. But it’s really not right for any man besides Richard to mix a drink on the patio bar cart, even though it’s just an auxiliary bar cart. Here, Emily’s new man friend, Jack Smith, has dared to do it.
The new mini-series also visits the New York City townhouse of Rory’s ferociously ambitious overachieving friend, Paris Geller. Paris’ stair troubles are especially funny. Her five flights have cost her much frustration and the loss of a nanny. Also, bonus points that a woman named Paris has a big Eiffel Tower painting in her parlour.
“I can’t take these stairs… This place is a vertical Armageddon,” Paris shrieks. “Five stories. And Doyle wouldn’t put in an elevator because it would ruin the architectural integrity of the building.”
“I can’t take these stairs… This place is a vertical Armageddon,” Paris shrieks. “Five stories. And Doyle wouldn’t put in an elevator because it would ruin the architectural integrity of the building.”
Years ago, Lorelai and her best friend, accident-prone chef Sookie St. James, opened the Dragonfly Inn in Stars Hollow. No one can replace Sookie, who returns to the new series only briefly from her never-ending sabbatical (she’s portrayed by Melissa McCarthy, who has a very busy schedule). But every chef who tries to step in raves about how perfectly Sookie has set it up.
Famous real-life chefs including Roy Choi and Rachael Ray try to fill Sookie’s shoes, but Lorelai is quick to fire them all. Choi makes the fatal error of putting away the coffee machine, and not even Ray’s great sammies could save her from Lorelai’s axe.
Famous real-life chefs including Roy Choi and Rachael Ray try to fill Sookie’s shoes, but Lorelai is quick to fire them all. Choi makes the fatal error of putting away the coffee machine, and not even Ray’s great sammies could save her from Lorelai’s axe.
The biggest lesson from the show: don’t put Marie Kondo’s philosophies into practice when you’re grieving. In my favourite scene, grieving widow Emily decides to toss everything that doesn’t spark joy and gets rid of all her clothes. Before she realises it, she winds up wearing Lorelai’s old jeans with a Billy Squier patch on the butt and a Candie’s T-shirt.
Info: The original Gilmore Girls series aired from 2000 to 2007. The revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, was released November 25, 2016, and is divided into four 90-minute episodes that are really more like movies: ‘Winter’, ‘Spring’, ‘Summer’ and ‘Fall’. The original series and the revival are available for streaming on Netflix.
YOUR TURN
What was your favourite Gilmore Girls reboot moment? Please share with us in the Comments.
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Info: The original Gilmore Girls series aired from 2000 to 2007. The revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, was released November 25, 2016, and is divided into four 90-minute episodes that are really more like movies: ‘Winter’, ‘Spring’, ‘Summer’ and ‘Fall’. The original series and the revival are available for streaming on Netflix.
YOUR TURN
What was your favourite Gilmore Girls reboot moment? Please share with us in the Comments.
MORE
Read more fun Houzz stories