Lights, camera, interior descorating

Sometimes we need a little inspiration to spruce up spaces and keep homes up to date.

Inspiration can come in many forms, not the least of which is on the Hollywood big screen.

Granted, movie directors and even television shows often have crazy budgets to create dream sets for their main characters. But we can glean a color trend or cozy, sophisticated style from set designers.

Here are some inspiring shows and films you may want to add to your summer Netflix list.

As interior designer and author Cathy Whitlock gears up to remodel her den, she plans to watch one DVD in preparation.

"I will probably go back to 'It's Complicated,' " she said of the 2009 romantic comedy, directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Meryl Streep, that's set in a dreamy, eclectic Santa Barbara, Calif., ranch house. "I loved the look: clean lines, slipcovers ... very comfortable yet elegant."

Then there are those warm Hermes-orange accessories.

But "I would use it sparingly," she says of the color.

Whitlock is no ordinary film buff. The author of "Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction" just wrapped up five years of research into the best movie interiors and set designs, starting with such film classics as "Gone With the Wind."

She's also founder of the blog Cinema Style, wwwcinemastyle.blogspot.com, where she chronicles design trends in movies and TV shows.

Now based in Nashville, Tenn., Whitlock started working in movie public relations and became an interior designer in the 1980s. When a Manhattan client told her she wanted her room to resemble the film "Someone to Watch Over Me," a lightbulb went off. Whitlock instantly thought of the cream tones and gilded accessories.

"I knew exactly what she meant," she said. "It was that 'Aha!' moment when I started connecting interior design and film."

Whitlock says set design is integral to a movie or television show because a believable backdrop is critical to getting the audience engrossed.

"Design is really important because it creates the mood of the entire film," she said.

If she could live in a movie set, Whitlock said she probably would unpack on the "The Thomas Crown Affair," the 1999 Pierce Brosnan film, or settle into Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow's two-story New York penthouse in "A Perfect Murder," which she describes as "Moroccan yet contemporary" with great views.

Whitlock is also a fan of Nancy Meyers' film interiors and Martin Scorsese's period pieces, painstakingly re-created and shot on location.

"They worked for 18 months making sure they had the right forks," she said of Scorsese's 'Age of Innocence.' "Design almost plays a third character."

She added that there's a pretty good chance that if a film is set in New York or California and one main character is fabulously wealthy, the interiors will be worth a look.

"If I've heard there's a great set, I'll go see it even if it (the film) is bad," she said.

Whitlock also is interested in perusing Woody Allen's current "Midnight in Paris" and is looking forward to "The Help," an upcoming film based on Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel, which is set in 1960s Mississippi mansions.

Whitlock is considering a book on television-set design and perhaps a second book on movie decor. Meanwhile, she's mourning the loss of "Brothers and Sisters," the ABC family drama starring Sally Field, aka Nora Walker, that was just canceled.

Field's kitchen and other sets on the show were divine, Whitlock said.

"I'm good friends with the designers," she said, adding that the house exterior was real but that the interiors were created in a studio.

Another of her TV inspirations is "The Good Wife," the CBS drama starring Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth.

"I did a couple of posts on that apartment," Whitlock said, adding that it struck a nerve with design fans. "People are still writing me wanting to know what the paint colors are."