WOULD YOU LIKE #METOO SEDUCE YOU?

The next issue of WOTH will be all about women, so it would be nice if you could write a column revolving around that particular theme. Sort of modern feminism, but of course we’ll do it in a fun way.’ No matter what request you get from a powerful woman like Mary Hessing, you inevitably say ‘yes’ – no questions asked, except for: ‘A poignant product of the pen about iconic movie interiors with a #MeTooish twist, what time do you need it by?’ You wander the streets of Rotterdam, rubbing your salt and pepper beard until you suddenly, but wholly convinced of yourself, shout to a random passerby: ‘The Graduate!’ Because if there is one woman in cinema history who goes straight for the jugular both at home and in the sack, it’s the mother of all MILF’s, Mrs Robinson. The Baby Boomers among us will probably zone out for a moment when they think of 1967, the year in which they saw The Graduate on the big screen – most certainly red-faced and probably also wearing what the Dutch call a bioscoopbroek: pants with the pocket ends cut off for easy access. And who can blame them? Because the story of a mature Beverly Hills housewife (played by Anne Bancroft) who effortlessly manipulates the freshly graduated Dustin Hoffman into her boudoir caused quite the scandal. My fellow Gen Xers will recognize Mrs Robinson from the sample George Michael used in Too Funky: ‘Would you like me to seduce you? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?’ Millennials, finally, will probably think: ‘If I want to see a cougar on the arm of a younger dude, all I have to Wiki is Brigitte Macron!’ Well alright, you Doubting Thomas, as long as you’re online, you might as well look up George Nelson – the legendary Herman Miller product designer who was responsible for the interiors in The Graduate. The ultrachic black-and-white theme he came up with for Mrs Robinson’s living room is visible down to the tiniest details – and that includes the striped awning. In her backyard, we see a jungle of banana plants for Mrs Robinson to admire from under the zebra-skin plaid on her black padded leather sofa. Yes people, this is one mid-century modern interior for you to you drink in – preferably scotch or bourbon from the poodle-shaped decanters on the glossy bar. Mrs Robinson’s boudoir is definitely one for those with discerning tastes: wall-to-wall white shag pile carpeting, a lilac satin stool under a brass dressing table and a kinky mirrored headboard as its pièce de resistence – so ooh la la! Together, they serve as a stark reminder that the 1960s produced more than the Scandinavian tacky teak we all should be done with by now, Goddess Dammit! Still, even after 50 years, The Graduate is a feast for the eyes. And how bizarre that Dustin Hoffman is now being accused of sexual intimidation himself! Would you like #MeToo seduce you?

— PATRICK KOOIMAN is an interior stylist who writes about interior design, art, architecture, fashion and everything in between on his blog, interiorator.com