Peek Into Ellen Pompeo’s Italian-Inspired Home

Kate Thorn
Dec 13, 2014

Inspired by the shores of the Mediterranean and the colors of the Middle East, Ellen Pompeo decided to decorate her 1920s Spanish-style home with classic design aesthetics that were comfortable for casual entertaining, lots of good food and enjoying the California sun. She wanted something classic, but also fresh for her husband, music producer Chris Ivery, and their two daughters, five-year-old Stella Luna and baby Sienna May. Someone call McDreamy STAT, because we’re suffering from a mean case of house envy. Scroll on for a glimpse at Ellen’s home design and tips on how you can get her style.

Kitchen

This kitchen was designed for Ellen to cook her favorite Italian-style food and easily entertain guests. The floor is covered in reclaimed, antique French terracotta tile, while the cabinets and Viking cooker are all stainless steel.

We love the openness of the kitchen and how her wall-mounted pot rack lets her show off those pretty copper pots without cluttering up the ceiling. You can buy a similar rack from Wayfair ($60).

Dining Room

Wall paneling is alive and well in Ellen’s dining room. Paired with a shiny lantern and gorgeous views, the design elements come together seamlessly to create a warm and cozy room that doesn’t look at all like a ski lodge.

For a dining room that has a hint of Middle Eastern flair, try an iron chandelier that looks like it came from Morrocco. This one from Burke Decor ($870) includes a few faux candles. A dining table with curvy legs and a glossy top from Restoration Hardware ($1400) hints at the East, but also brings in a bit of rustic charm.

Family Room

Designed for sheer comfort, Ellen’s living room boasts deep, low sectionals, while a screen blocks out the light from the garden. Bright blue lamps and pillows offer the perfect accent color to the otherwise neutral palate.

We are all about those accent colors, and velvet chairs seem like the perfect way to add some glam to your seating. West Elm ($499) has some gorgeous velvet chairs in a variety of colors. Contrast textured seating with high gloss accents like these lamps from Anthropologie ($298) and patterned throw pillows from West Elm ($49).

Master Bedroom

Dark navy blue and gold make for a dreamy bedroom. The addition of leopard print pays homage to the Middle Eastern theme that carries through the rest of the house.

Sometimes it’s hard to combine masculine and feminine aesthetics in the master bedroom, but pulling together a lot of metallics and dark colors is sure to keep everyone happy. Square lamps like these from Restoration Hardware ($245) are a solid anchor for the side tables, while fuzzy pillows from Anthropologie ($148) add a feminine touch. If you need a little extra storage next to your bed, add a little gold side table like this one from Zinc Door ($448).

Living Room

Glossy and glamorous, the living room is full of textures like leather, velvet and metals for a perfectly layered look that is both stunning and inviting.

It’s all about adding texture if you want to get the look of this luxe living room. A spiky pendant from Anthropologie ($1700) and a glossy black cocktail table from Walmart ($500) bring the drama. Distressed leather chairs from Restoration Hardware ($1915) add sophistication and a metallic planter from Anthropologie ($24) is the perfect addition to the coffee table vignette.

The Kid’s Room

We love everything about this colorful bedroom, from the bright purple furniture to that fabulous lighting fixture.

Get the look with a fluffy white rug from West Elm ($190), a cool hanging chair from Wicker Paradise ($979) and lots of colorful patterned pillows and bedding, like this adorable set from Land of Nod (from $36).

What do you think of Ellen Pompeo’s Mediterranean-inspired home? Will you be working some metallic into your decor? Talk to us in the comments below!

(h/t Architectural Digest)

Emma Mackey, Jenna Ortega, & Glen Powell's New Movie Is A Win For Barbies Everywhere

Emma Mackey and Glen Powell are proving Barbie summer and Twisters summer really can last forever. The two actors are starring alongside Jenna Ortega in J.J. Abrams' new film and I'm absolutely losing my mind. All three actors are truly comedy geniuses with super dramatic acting chops to boot, and I just know their scenes together are going to be cinematic gold. We don't have too much information about the movie just yet but I've scoured the internet for every little detail you need to know — keep checking back here for updates!

Keep reading for everything we know about J.J. Abrams' new movie starring Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, and Emma Mackey.

The untitled Warner Bros. movie will start filming in early-2025, which means we could see it in 2026. The movie was rumored to have a time travel plotline but that's not actually the case, according to The Hollywood Reporter. We also know that J.J. Abrams is serving as both writer and director (slay), which he's done on Mission: Impossible III, Super 8, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (double slay).

In addition to this new movie, Glen Powell's also eyeing a reunion with Tom Cruise for Top Gun 3, while Jenna Ortega's Wednesday season 2will hit Netflix in 2025. Warner Bros. is also giving us Margot Robbie's Wuthering Heights, which is another win for Barbies everywhere.

In addition to Barbie, you can watch Emma Mackey in Sex Education, Emily, and Death on the Nile. Glen Powell proves his rom-com capabilities with Set It Up on Netflix, while Jenna Ortega totally wowed us in Beetlejuice 2.

Are you excited for this brand new, ever so secretive movie? Check out 11 New Movies Coming In December To Add To Your Calendar ASAP for more titles you can watch starting next week!

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10 Tips For Fake Drinking When You’re Secretly Pregnant

When you're often the life of the party and happen to be partnered up and in your 30s, you'll instantly turn heads when you say no to booze. I can personally attest to the difficulty of this. As someone who loves happy hour and has a particular affinity for lemon drop shotsin totally inappropriate settings, there was no way I could get away with *not* drinking without inviting questioning looks.

Before I give you the guide to fake drinking when you're secretly pregnant, let me take this moment to make a PSA. If you see that a female friend of yours isn't drinking and she usually does, try not to ask her if she's expecting in front of everyone. She might be secretly pregnant, taking fertility drugs that can't be combined with alcohol, just trying to lower her dosage of alcohol with the hope that it helps her get pregnant. There's also the chance she might just be…not drinking. Be as it may, no one wants to be bombarded with pregnancy questions.

Of course, not everyone is going to take my PSA seriously, so I've got some tips and tricks for all you pre-reveal preggos. These same tips apply to gals who are not drinking because they are trying to conceive. I was personally in this non-drinking camp for about five months before getting pregnant.

And how's this for proof? I organized and attended a bachelorette party for two of my very best friends with about eight of my other besties present — and no one had ANY idea I was pregnant. So, trust me — I'm a bona fide pro at fake drinking.


Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Keep reading for the best tips to happily sip drinks in a way that won't make your besties raise an eyebrow

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Opt for canned beer

This was one of my earliest discoveries in the world of fake drinking. No one can see your drink when it's in a can. You might read that and think, yeah so? Well, take that can with you to the other can, and dump it out in the sink. Fill it up with water and no one will be the wiser. In fact, they'll think — wow, she's really blasting through those Coors Lights. Pro tip: Be sure to wipe any water drips off the can before you leave the bathroom, and rinse the sink so there's no errant beer foam floating around.

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

If you have to order a real drink, choose a clear cocktail. This is the classic move. You creep over to the bar when no one else is around, and order a club soda with lime. Think of it as a mocktail. Be sure to ask the bartender to serve it to you in a cocktail glass — a giant water glass or plastic cup is a dead giveaway.

If it's impossible to get alone time at the bar, order a vodka soda (or gin and tonic). Then take it to the bathroom, dump out the liquid (use a straw to keep the ice and any garnishes in the cup), then fill it with water instead. Complain about the soda or tonic being flat if anyone questions your drink's lack of tiny bubbles.

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Make friends with bartenders. At first, bartenders give you a bit of side-eye when you ask for a club soda in a cocktail glass. They won't ask you what the deal is, but you can let them assume what they like — especially when you order that second or third club soda in a cocktailglass.

If you're feeling cavalier, and you and the bartender have really hit your stride, you can even say, “I'll take anything non-alcoholic that looks like a cocktail." I actually made SUCH good friends with a bartender at a wedding where I was fake drinking that every time I came over to the bar, he immediately winked at me and gave me “my regular." My friends guffawed at the fact that I was already friends with the bartender. Pro.

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Allude to a possible tannin allergy. Wine is the toughest thing to fake, so don't even try. Tell your friends about how, out of nowhere, you've started to get headaches immediately after drinking a glass of wine. When they're like, “Is it just when you drink red?" reply with a frustrated sigh, “No, both red and white make me feel crappy — maybe it's a tannin thing?" Then get your faux canned beer or clear mocktail, and call it a day.

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Ginger ale is a GREAT substitute for Champagne. Ginger ale looks like Champagne, it smells kind of like Champagne, and if your friends are tipsy enough and take a sip, they'll actually believe that it IS Champagne. Don't overdo this one though — too much sugary soda is not a good thing for you and your secret babe!

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Pretend to be getting over a cold (so no one asks for a sip). After all, it's sick season! [Insert fake coughs here]

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Always be the one to order or serve a round of shots. Shots are one of the toughest things to fake. Like, really difficult. And you might be thinking, who still takes shots anyway? Well, the answer is: I do. Or rather, I did. It would have been impossible to be at my two besties' bachelorette party without at least one round of shots. So what's a preggo to do? Serve 'em up, of course.

Because shots are best served as a surprise to inspire a second wind in any given party, you can creep into the kitchen to set things up. Pour all but one, and fill that one with a substitute. Ideally, it looks like what you're serving, and if that's not possible, make 3-5 of them vodka shots including yours, which is actually… water! If ordering shots at a bar, you're probably already friends with the bartender, so just ask him to make yours a fake one and to put a napkin or coaster under it on the tray that comes out.

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Keep a drink in your hand at all times. This is an obvious one, but it's worth mentioning. If you don't have a drink on hand, someone will either hand you one or give you a hard time for not drinking. DO NOT give them that opportunity ;)

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Never leave your drink unattended. Hopefully, you already have this rule in your wheelhouse from your college days. In this case, the key here is avoiding two things: friendly refills and someone accidentally picking up your drink and finding out it's phony.

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co

Avoid being the first one to hit the hay. If you've already been squirreling around on the beverage front, the next clear sign that you might be secretly pregnant is when you're the first one to go to bed. So don't do that. Don't go to bed. Ever! Okay, at some point you'll need to go to bed because you need a TON of sleep in your first trimester, but avoid being the first party pooper at all costs.

And don't use getting up early “for a run" or “to do some work" as an excuse for going to bed — friends that know you will see right through that.

And there you have it, all you need to know about being a fake party animal when you're in the very early stages of expecting. Cheers! (But fake cheers, obvs.)

What are your best fake drinking tips? Share them with us @BritandCo!

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'Moana 2' Composers Barlow And Bear On Imposter Syndrome & Their Fave Disney Movies

TikTok sensations Barlow & Bear are no stranger to the spotlight. Besides the fact their Unofficial Bridgerton Musical won a Grammy (and basically broke the internet), popstar Abigail Barlow has millions of streams of her own, while Emily Bear performed in places like the White House and Carnegie Hall before turning 10.

So, it’s safe to say these two know what they’re doing. But one thing they never saw coming? Composing a Disney movie — or becoming the first female duo to do so. But that’s exactly what happened when they booked Moana 2.

Keep reading for our exclusive interview with Abigail Barlow & Emily Bear.

  • Barlow and Bear composed Moana 2, in theaters November 27.
  • They're the first female duo to compose a Disney movie and they hope the experience shows young girls "that their voices matter."
  • The duo also spilled on how Lin Manuel Miranda, who composed the original, "empowered" them.

How Barlow And Bear's Bond Influences Their Art

“We have such a sacred sisterhood!” Abigail tells me over email. “We met and found musical soulmates in one another. It’s more than just special. It’s a once in a lifetime connection that laid an incredibly strong foundation for creation.”

“Most of my life I’ve been the only girl in the room writing with much older people,” Emily adds. “Honestly because Abigail and I are like sisters, it creates such a safe place to be vulnerable together and create without restraint. When writing for Moana 2, we leaned on that emotional connection to explore the complexities of the story and how much we see ourselves in Moana!”

And the empowering message of the film, which follows Moana’s journey through Oceania, actually influenced their art. “Every day that I worked on Moana, I was empowered to continuously choose who I wanted to be,” Abigail says. “A leader, a listener, and a learner. In being tasked to write for this movie, I was being asked to go past my comfort zones. I think by being completely open hearted to this experience, it allowed me clarity when crafting the lyric and melody with Emily.”

“Moana 2 is a story about finding strength through vulnerability, and that message became a huge theme in the music,” Emily says. “All our characters’ journeys reminded us to embrace our imperfections and trust the process of growth — no matter how painful it may seem in the moment. Moana is THAT girl. No one defines her but herself and writing for such an inspiring heroine FOR SURE inspired us right back.”

Why Abigail Barlow And Emily Bear Loved Working On 'Moana 2'

Walt Disney Studios

But considering the fact these two women are huge Disney fans (Abigail tells me her favorite Disney movies are The Little Mermaid and Frozen, while Emily loves Hercules and Mulan), one of the most inspiring details about their involvement is the fact that Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear’s Moana 2 score marks the first time a female duo has composed a Disney movie — and it’s a moment they don’t take for granted.

“I hope this shows [young girls] that their voices matter,” Emily says. “Growing up, I barely saw people who looked like me in roles like this, so being here now feels surreal. I want girls and women to know that their stories are powerful and deserve to be told. I really hope that Abigail and I can continue to open doors for more female creatives in film and music.”

And Abigail agrees. “I hope our story encourages young girls and women to forge their own path, and to never let anyone tell them they can’t do something.”

But this unbelievable experience didn’t come without its challenges. “Imposter syndrome is so real and a part of life for every single creative, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying,” Emily says.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the ride, trust the fall, and be so grateful for the opportunity to be a role model for any little girl who might have a song in her heart,” Abigail says. “It’s an absolute honor and privilege to show her that anything — even magic — is possible.”

And according to Emily, the challenge of imposter syndrome actually propels her forward. “I do feel like that little voice of self-doubt pushes me to do the best work I possibly can do…I zoom out and focus on the bigger picture: the little girls watching this movie and realizing they, too, can dream as big as they want.”

How Lin Manuel-Miranda Empowered Barlow And Bear

One friendly face that provided a soft place to land was actually the original movie’s composer, Lin Manuel-Miranda! To no one’s surprise, theIn The Heights and Hamilton writer had some wonderful advice for Barlow and Bear.

“He was such a wonderful resource especially at the inception of the project when we were just setting sail,” Emily jokes. “He urged us to lean into our heroes for inspiration!”

“He gave me a stack of books I needed to buy,” Abigail adds. “Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim, LYRICS by Oscar Hammerstein, Lyrics on Several Occasions by Ira Gershwin to name a few. He empowered me to study the craft of musical theatre storytelling in a way I never had before.”

And thanks to Barlow and Bear, a whole new generation of young women will dream about musical theatre storytelling now too!

Check out Moana 2 in theaters November 27, 2024. Check out the latest news on the Live-Action Moana too!

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