I am not a set decorator nor a production designer – I am simply a movie and television aficionado who happens to be obsessed with locations. But that doesn’t stop people from peppering me with questions regarding décor from their favorite productions – where to get a bedspread featured in a particular film or the name of a paint color visible on a certain show. One location certainly stands out as receiving far more interest than the rest, though. I can’t open my email in recent years without someone asking, “Who makes the wallpaper in Jen’s dining room?” or “What hue is Jen’s kitchen?” The Jen interested parties are referring to is Laguna Beach realtor Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) from the Netflix series “Dead to Me.”
Created by Liz Feldman, the dark comedy centers around Harding, following the death of her husband, as she navigates being freshly single alongside a new best friend, Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini), whom she meets in a grief group and, as audiences quickly learn, is the person responsible for her spouse’s death via a hit-and-run. The series, and its main house, became instant favorites with viewers, as evidenced by my inbox – not to mention that of set decorator Brandi Kalish. According to Architectural Digest, ever since “Dead to Me’s” May 2019 debut, she has been “inundated with emails from people who want to copy the décor on the show, particularly in the home of the main character.” I feel ya, Brandi! Three years later and queries about Jen’s design choices are still my most fielded.
Fans should be delighted to know that Jen and her beloved home will finally be returning to the small screen for “Dead to Me’s” highly anticipated third season on November 17, following several lengthy delays (due to both Covid and Applegate’s recent heartbreaking multiple sclerosis diagnosis). Sadly though, this season will be the last. As Feldman told Us Weekly, “I always had the sense that I wanted this show to be a relatively short-running one. Halfway through shooting season two, an idea came to me that felt very true to the show — and I realized that it could be a really great way to end it . . . Sometimes I think I’m making a mistake, letting go of this incredible alchemy we have with Christina and Linda, but it just feels right to me that this is how we should close out the story.” If the trailer is any indication, the series culmination is sure to be teeming with the dark drama and irreverent hilarity that audiences have come to love.
The trailer also provides a glimpse at a few new locations that will be cameoing, including Glendale’s Chariot Inn at 1118 E. Colorado St., which plays the Windbreaker Motel where Detective Ana Perez (Diana-Maria Riva) and Officer Nick Prager (Brandon Scott) discover a body. The oft-filmed Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens at 3500 W. Adams Blvd. in Jefferson Park also pops up as the location of Steve Wood’s (James Marsden) funeral. And the parking lot at White Point Beach in San Pedro is where Jen and Judy share a humourous encounter with their neighbor Jeff (Marc Evan Jackson).
Jen’s house, though, is sure to remain a fan favorite!
-
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake for Dirt In truth, the stately residence cannot be found in Laguna Beach but on a sleepy street in the San Fernando Valley, about 70 miles north of Orange County. Exuding curb appeal, the shingled charmer stands abutting Deervale-Stone Canyon Park, looking much as it does onscreen, at 3847 Deervale Dr. in Sherman Oaks. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
The dwelling was originally built in 1960 for senior Lockheed Aircraft Corp. engineer Albert J. Lechner and his wife, Josephine, at a cost of $26,000 (about $260,000 today). The couple continued to own the place for the next three decades, ultimately selling it in November 1995 for $445,000.
As historic Google Street View imagery reveals, the property was initially constructed as a traditional one-story ranch that, per old building records and newspaper reports, consisted of three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths in about 1,500 square feet. In 2010, the abode was significantly renovated and expanded into the sprawling two-level five-bedroom, five-bath, 4,909-square-foot New England-style stunner it is today.
That September, the remodeled pad, boasting a new “coastal living with a Napa flair” aesthetic, hit the market for $2.695 million and was offloaded the following January at a slightly-reduced $2.5 million. As described in the listing, interior features include a living room with a double-sided fireplace, a formal dining room with a butler’s pantry, a media room with access to the backyard, and a chef’s kitchen complete with Carrara marble and Caesarstone counters, stainless Viking appliances and a breakfast nook. High ceilings, built-ins and French doors are dotted throughout.
The exquisitely manicured 0.31-acre lot, perched atop a grassy bluff offering stunning views of the surrounding valley and canyon below, is an entertainer’s delight with a covered logia, outdoor fireplace, pool, spa and large lawn. Don’t go looking for Jen’s in-law unit anywhere on the premises, though. Much like the Cohen family’s pool house on “The O.C.,” the structure was just an empty façade installed by the “Dead to Me” production team in the northern portion of the backyard.
-
Image Credit: Netflix -
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake for Dirt Regularly featured in establishing shots as well as outdoor scenes, Jen’s house is the series’ central location. Little of the property’s exterior is altered for the show, aside from the navy paint that typically coats the front door, which is swapped out for a bright canary yellow. (And no, I don’t know the exact color.)
-
Image Credit: Netflix The interior of the Harding residence is, sadly, just an elaborate set created by Kalish and the show’s season one production designer, Richard Toyon, first at Raleigh Studios Hollywood for the show’s first season and then at Riverfront Stages in Glassell Park for seasons two and three. The kitchen is, by far, the most utilized and beloved portion of the set. Per Refinery29, the space’s heavily-organized and brightly-styled look is meant to “serve as an important juxtaposition to some of the more bleak storylines,” as well as underscore Jen’s “kind of neurotic” and “uptight” personality. Kalish states, “They spend a lot of time in the kitchen and everything is just perfect. It’s just so, but in an eerie way.”
For those hoping to re-create the look, Architectural Digest has thankfully broken down the resources used, detailing that the room is “decked out in Wolf, Smeg, and Sub Zero appliances, with Lamps Plus light fixtures and island stools and an H.D. Buttercup table and custom-made banquette in the breakfast nook area.”
-
Image Credit: Netflix As Kalish explained to Refinery29, she and Richard looked to real Orange County properties for inspiration when designing the set. She recounts, “When I first got the script, Toyon and I went down to Laguna Beach and went to open houses and spent a lot of time down in that area soaking in what people’s houses look like. We even went on Zillow and Redfin and did a lot of research on beach houses.” But interestingly, most inspiration appears to have come from the Sherman Oaks residence itself. As evidenced in this video tour of the property, Jen’s place is pretty much a carbon copy of its real-life counterpart, at least when it comes to cabinetry, built-ins and overall design, save for a few minor changes like wall color. While the Harding abode is awash in blues, greens and yellows, the actual home’s interior is made up of a far blander mix of whites and taupes.
-
Image Credit: Netflix Jen’s backyard, as seen onscreen, is a mix of the Sherman Oaks pad’s real backyard, which has appeared in several episodes, as well as a soundstage-built facsimile that is also regularly featured.
It all adds up to a truly aspirational property that has certainly managed to set viewers’ hearts aflutter!