“Exactly, Bella: No Bed.”
Still from the movie (Courtesy of Summit Entertainment)
Contrary to popular belief, furniture design *is* of pop culture. And much like pop culture, a good design has the power to either change our lives, disappear into obscurity, or become a cult classic. It has repeatedly shown itself to be a persistent presence in a plethora of visual media: think corny sitcoms, films about the French Revolution, or space-age-inspired music videos. Albeit being used as background noise for the most part, some design pieces have definitely entered the pop culture hall of fame.
On the topic of mise-en-scène, one movie immediately comes to mind: Twilight (2008). The Cullen family’s glass house feels like it was specifically made for delusional design enjoyers. For the first piece in this column, we’ll be discussing Edward Cullen’s iconic bedroom in the certified internet favorite, directed by the one and only Catherine Hardwicke – the mastermind behind other critically acclaimed films like “Thirteen”, which secured her a 2003 Director’s Award.
En route to becoming besties, Edward invites Bella over to the Cullen household to meet his family. Bella takes a look around the 2nd floor, further scrutinizing Edward's room: an all white, boxed-shaped modernist space surrounded by trees. Along with vinyls, books were scattered everywhere haphazardly–it seems to be the persistent thing at his expense–everything else was neatly shelved away. She then finally takes notice of that one missing thing: “No bed?” she asks.
Still from the movie (Courtesy of Summit Entertainment)
Exactly, Bella: no bed, just a 1930 ‘Barcelona’ Daybed by designer Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe – a cult classic in the world of interior design, much like Twilight itself. The making of the ‘‘Barcelona’ Daybed involves a process where it’s mostly handcrafted, originally designed for Spanish nobility to sit on while watching the opening exhibition for the German Pavilion at the World Expo in 1929.
Still from the movie (Courtesy of Summit Entertainment)
In this way, the specific design was at odds with many Modernist designs of the time, most of which were frequently aimed at the “ordinary man.” I feel like this particular purchase says a lot about his character; he was not an ordinary man by any means, and the chair strikingly resembles opulence designed for ‘people’ of his kind. In addition to that, I feel like, after the “turning” process he was just, on a life-long mission to hone and curate and discover himself and his expensive taste, that is until he met Bella. That one piece alone is indicative of Edward’s character: striking, minimalist, a less is more kinda guy–even with his words and actions–and ascertained by the books, vinyl, CDs, and journals scattered around the place, it’s obvious Edward would rather preoccupy himself with anything but resting, minus the fact that vampires, in fact, do not and can not sleep anyway. The daybed’s symbolism follows a “God is in the details” type of philosophy, definitely fitting for Edward’s obscure persona behind the walls he has built for himself.
Nina C. is a 21-year-old law school dropout slash fashion blogger who writes under the pseudonym, nextlevelsolegit. She enjoys architecture, interior design, and Miuccia Prada.