Delve into the captivating story and film sets of Maestro where the complex lifelong bond between American composer and musician Leonard Bernstein and his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre, unfolds. Bradley Cooper, who directed and co-wrote the film, takes on the role of Leonard, while the brilliant Carey Mulligan shines as Felicia. Set against the backdrop of the years 1943 to the mid-1980s, we explore the locations, film sets, and interior design of Maestro with Production Designer Kevin Thompson.

Join us on a journey through the various homes and interiors of the film, as Thompson’s exceptional work together with Set Decorator Rena Deangelo brings these spaces to life. The Bernstein children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina, generously offered their homes, including their long-standing Connecticut residence and The Dakota apartment, for the film’s creation. Thompson, Cooper, and costume designer Mark Bridges embarked on field trips to Bernstein’s abodes, contributing significantly to the authenticity and preparation of the film sets.

In an exclusive video interview, Film and Furniture’s Paula Benson and Kevin Thompson unravel the intricacies of key film sets, emphasising their role in pivotal moments.

Watch the video and read our in-depth feature below to learn the secrets behind the interior design of Maestro.

 

• The Carnegie Hall apartment (1943): Witness Leonard Bernstein’s formative years at 25, living in New York City, and utilising an apartment above Carnegie Hall as his studio in 1943. This is when he gets his first big break to conduct the New York Philharmonic after his “boss” falls ill. We explore the piano, the lamps, the garret style windows, and the wooden stairs leading to a mezzanine sleeping area which all transport us to the young man’s beginnings. We discuss how Thompson investigated furniture, decor, colours, patterns and textures to work specifically in this black and white section of the film. 

At this time, Bernstein is in an intermittent romantic and sexual relationship with clarinetist David Oppenheim. However, his homosexuality is diverted soon afterward, when he meets Felicia , then an aspiring actress, at a party at Claudio Arrau’s House. 

 

• Claudio Arrau’s House (1946) where we experience the pivotal moment when Leonard and Felicia meet at a party at Claudio Arrau’s house in 1946, sparking a transformative journey leading to marriage and three children.

 

• The Osborne apartment (1955): By the mid 1950s Leonard and Felicia live an affluent life in the public eye, with Leonard having composed several successful operas and Broadway musicals, including Candide and West Side Story. They begin to host lavish parties although Leonard’s homosexual tendencies create deep tension in the marriage. We find the couple in the Osborne apartment seated on a grand 1950s sofa being interviewed for TV. We dive into the sophisticated decor and the design of this scene, including that sofa.

 

• Fairfield House – The Bernstein family’s Connecticut home (1970 and 1989): Step into the real Fairfield House, bought by the Bernstein’s in 1962, and left to the children, Jamie, Nina, and Alexander Bernstein when Leonard died in 1990. Unchanged since the late 1980s and offering insight into the Bernstein family’s life and decor choices, filming took place in the real home.

Felicia was the prime decorator for the Bernstein family, and although she worked with an interior decorator on their New York homes, she decorated the Fairfield home herself. Here we find Felicia’s original paintings still hanging on the walls, wicker furniture (a favourite of Felicia) and the original piano that Bernstein composed on. Thompson had to tweak the real home to work as a film set, friendly to camera, sound and actors whilst also being considerate to the children’s memory. 

 

• Adelphi Theatre (1946): The recreation of the Adelphi Theatre stage set features some favourite F&F decor: Thonet cafe chairs

 

• The Dakota apartment: Here we witness a heated argument between Leonard and Felicia in their Dakota apartment situated in the Upper West Side of New York, meticulously recreated on stage for filming, capturing the apartment’s look, feel, and emotional resonance. We discuss details such as the mouldings, the wood panelling and doors, the magnificent curved windows dressed with eye catching curtains, the harpsichord, the same piano Bernstein kept in his living room and the hanging lamp in the study, dark blue/grey walls and shelving full of books, rugs, photos of the family and art objects.

 

• Watergate Hotel room (1971): We investigate the beautiful lemon yellow and baby blue colour palette of the Watergate Hotel room.

 

• Ely Cathedral, UK (1976): Experience Leonard conducting a legendary performance of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, filmed at Ely Cathedral, England, amidst a poignant reconciliation with Felicia.

 

• The Summer House, East Hampton (1978) involved an elaborate reconstruction for the remodelled cottage that was once Bernstein’s music studio. This is where he composes Mass in the film and here Thompson referenced the reconstructed version of the workroom, with its original contents donated by the family.

Discover which piece of decor Thompson would choose to take home from the film sets, in our video interview above.

Maestro is in cinemas now, and also streaming on Netflix.