How to Decorate Like Wes Anderson

As auteurs go, Wes Anderson is known for a whimsical use of color and world-unto-itself mastery of mise en scène. The inspired color palettes of his set designs frequently blend delicate pastels (Tenenbaum pink, anyone?) with unexpected pops of vibrant primary hues. Edited, soulful, and immaculately cool, it’s the sort of fodder to inspire a Tumblr craze or two—and has via the blogs Movies in Color and Wes Anderson Palettes.

We paired these eye-candy menageries with real-life rooms that channel the director’s signature tonal aesthetic, and, well, we’ll just have to be secretly in love with them and leave it at that.

The Royal Tenenbaums prominently features every blush shade under the sun, sparking drama with palettes of dusty rose, vampy red, and creamy beige. Get the look with powdery-pink vintage accessories. Margot would approve.

Highlighting army green with exuberant, youthful splashes of sky blue and delicate rose channels the romance and optimism of Moonrise Kingdom. We love the khaki-on-khaki look with a burst of sunny yellow.

There’s no more fashionable entrance than Margot Tenenbaum’s signature full-length mink by way of the Green Line bus. (As always, she was late.) Cornflower blue pairs effortlessly with complementary marigold and a splash of witty red accessories.

Anderson’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a dreamscape for any neutral color palette aficionado. A melange of blond-on-blond hues pairs chicly with dark hunter greens and bursts of primary colors. Get the look with organic materiality and raw, sophisticated details in heirloom woods and rich bronze. 

The Life Aquatic makes a strong case for the undeniable appeal of mustard yellow, bright orange, and dusty neutrals. Get the bright look with bold-colored furnishings and a statement-making accent wall. 

Invoke the Eastern colorways of The Darjeeling Limited by juxtaposing bohemian turquoise with eclectic, soulful dark hues. Mix in cool teal and saffron yellow for a well-traveled and spirited look. 

The confectioner’s pink–and-blue palette of Mendel’s in The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of our favorite couplings. Grounding pastels with quiet, natural tones and sharp, masculine angles keeps the dynamic from becoming too precious. We love the combination of romantic antiques with contemporary silhouettes for a chic and timeless aesthetic. 

Take a page out of the Team Zissou uniform playbook and mix shades of azure with bright tomato-red accessories. Primary colors pop against subtle blond and natural wood, for a look that is intelligent and full of energy. 

Bring the great outdoors inside via lush greens, dense browns, and textural woods. The Khaki Scout uniform serves as the perfect muse for adding a touch of gold to any all-natural palette. 

Sweet lime green, tranquil aqua, and royal blue lend an adventurous yet serene aesthetic. Get lost in the tonal sophistication of sublime sea greens and sky blues.