There are a few things everyone has been talking about since watching Netflix's new murder mystery, The Perfect Couple – the incredible cast, the un-skippable dance routine intro and, of course, the interiors.
For a series about a wealthy, elitist family preparing for a wedding at their home in Nantucket, the production team had the task of finding the perfect location for the drama to unfold, as well as creating microcosmic worlds for the different characters in various rooms around the house.
Those who have already seen the series, starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Eve Hewson, Meghann Fahy, Dakota Johnson, Ishaan Khatter and Billy Howle, will know how immaculate the world-building and attention to detail was throughout, from Tag and Greer's offices to the Winbury family kitchen.
As such, many viewers found themselves pausing the action (there's a twist every few minutes) to admire the wallpaper, work out where Greer's desk is from and find out what colour the shutters are painted. If any of it looks familiar that might be because there's a crossover with another series with the same rich-people-behaving-badly theme.. Here's a rundown of what we know...
What's the link between The Perfect Couple and Succession?
While crafting the sets for The Perfect Couple, the art department went on a buying trip to New York shortly after the hit HBO show Succession finished, and many of the set decoration items were being sold. The team bought a fair amount of items – books, crystal glasses, picture frames – that were also used across Succession. Super fans, keep your eyes peeled.
Where is The Perfect Couple filmed?
While The Perfect Couple is set in Nantucket, an island in Massachusetts, the show was actually filmed in Chatham, a seaside town at the southeastern tip of nearby Cape Cod. Elin Hilderbrand, who wrote the book the series is based on, said, 'Because the majority of The Perfect Couple was filmed on location in Chatham, the production will have an authentic Cape and island feel.'
Where is the real Winbury house?
Apparently, the Winbury's coastal mansion is a private property in the coastal Eastward Point neighbourhood, home to several single-family homes with private beaches on Pleasant Bay. The production designers transformed the storefronts of several shops in Northport Plaza in North Chatham to stand in for the Nantucket Police Department, the local dive bar and other locations in the series.
Before the show aired, Nicole Kidman spoke about how important setting was in creating the right atmosphere on the show. 'Elin is a genius at crafting a tangible/visceral sense of setting. It feels like you’re looking at photographs of Nantucket when you’re reading her books,' she explains. 'That specificity of place is so important to me. With Monterey in Big Little Lies and Hong Kong in Expats, we were also so careful to capture the texture of the locations. And Susanne and the whole team wanted/needed to honour Elin’s sense of place.
'For most of our shoot on The Perfect Couple, we were at a house in Chatham, and being on
the sandy shore with the ocean in front of us gave us a look and feel that is irreplaceable on a stage.
The characters are quite truly an extension of their own geography, as we are in real life. And I think that connection really translates on screen.'
The thought process behind the interiors...
The Winbury estate in Summerland is full of character-specific details. According to the production designers, the walls feature original modern art prints, which Tag collects. Greer and Tag’s offices show their contrasting personalities – Greer’s spaces are full of ethereal rose hues and soft colours, while Tag’s feature deep red wallpaper and wood tones.
Crafting the interiors on the show was a labour of love for the team, who even had each of Greer’s fictional book covers individually designed and framed. You can see a few hanging in her office in episode four.
Where can I watch The Perfect Couple?
If you still haven't watched the show yourself, you can find all six episodes available to stream on Netflix.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, covering TV, celebrity interviews, news and features.