Chloe Fineman Blends Film Aesthetics with Interior Design
SNL star discusses how her bicoastal life shapes her creative spaces.
1Childhood immersion in design
Fineman's design passion began when her family hired decorator Steven Shubel for their California home, featuring French-inspired gold leaf and monochrome accents. Weekly antiquing trips with parents cultivated her aesthetic sensibility. She describes this upbringing as foundational to her current approach, where spaces become creative canvases rather than mere living areas.
2Film set as design metaphor
Fineman consciously designs her apartments to evoke cinematic spaces, citing HBO comedy sets as direct inspiration. Her Silver Lake apartment deliberately mirrored this aesthetic, blurring lines between living space and stage design. This approach stems from her belief that environments should spark imagination like memorable film locations.
3Bicoastal design duality
The SNL cast member navigates distinct design identities: New York's bold, daring aesthetic versus California's serene pace. She quotes Colman Domingo's observation that NYC living is 'living on a dare,' reflected in her urban spaces' theatricality. Conversely, her West Coast sensibility embraces slower, nature-infused elements.
4Creative family legacy
Raised by painters in an artistically permissive household, Fineman compares her family to Wes Anderson's Tenenbaums. Childhood activities like rose garden performances and art camps established her comfort with theatrical self-expression. This background informs her view of homes as curated stages for daily life.
5Functional nostalgia
Fineman's designs incorporate vintage finds from family antiquing trips, blending sentimental value with contemporary functionality. She avoids pure period recreation, instead using heirlooms as conversation pieces within modern layouts. This approach mirrors her comedy - rooted in tradition but irreverently updated.
6Design as identity work
On the Ideas of Order podcast, Fineman revealed how her spaces reflect evolving personas. NYC apartments showcase her SNL performer identity through bold statements, while California retreats express introspective aspects. This duality allows her to explore different creative modes through environmental design.
7Practical Magic influence
Fineman cites the 1998 film's Victorian house as iconic set design that shaped her aesthetic. She particularly admires how fantasy elements felt lived-in rather than staged. This informs her approach to theatrical domestic details - ensuring whimsical touches remain functional rather than purely decorative.
8Therapeutic space curation
For Fineman, designing isn't just visual - it's emotional regulation. She arranges objects like scarves and vintage pillows to create sensory comfort zones. This practice stems from childhood scarf-dancing rituals, now matured into a methodology for maintaining creative flow between SNL's high-pressure environment and personal downtime.