This Dwell Home Gets a Breakout Role in Netflix’s "Leave the World Behind"
From Dwell feature to feature film, this light-filled Long Island residence takes center stage in a new Netflix thriller.
From Dwell feature to feature film, this light-filled Long Island residence takes center stage in a new Netflix thriller.
The opening scene of Netflix’s new thriller "Leave the World Behind" finds Amanda Sanford (Julia Roberts) lamenting to her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) about their unrelenting life in New York City. Taking matters into her own hands, the overworked mom of two impulsively books an impromptu getaway for their busy family. "I went online this morning and I rented us a beautiful house out by the beach," she announces to her unwitting husband. "‘Leave the world behind’—that’s what it said on the rental listing at least." Trading their Brooklyn brownstone for an idyllic retreat away from it all, the family steps inside the luxe Long Island estate, and the story unfolds.
Designed by The Up Studio, this newly constructed home on the North Shore of Long Island is the setting for Netflix’s "Leave the World Behind." Based on the bestselling novel by Rumaan Alam, the film stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon.
Photo by Dwell Creative Services
The dramatic stair with a two-story backdrop of Marvin Signature Ultimate Casement Narrow Frame windows is a focal point of the home—and the film. "The custom steel stair we designed in the foyer is the first thing guests see when they enter," says Jeffrey Ramirez, partner at The Up Studio. Those guests, of course, include Ethan Hawke and Julia Roberts’ characters, who are immediately impressed when they set foot inside the home.
Photo by Dwell Creative Services
"Leave the World Behind," based on the 2020 novel of the same name, is a timely thriller written and directed by Sam Esmail ("Mr. Robot," "Homecoming") and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions. The film follows a New York couple (Roberts, Hawke) whose family vacation on Long Island is interrupted when a catastrophic event brings uninvited house guests (Mahershala Ali, Myha’la) to their front doorstep—forcing the two families to weather a mysterious disaster in unexpectedly close quarters.
The home’s kitchen—an important gathering space for any family, fictional or not—is featured prominently in the film. As Ramirez explains, the home’s interior architecture was preserved in the making of the film, but there were instances where slight modifications were made to fixtures, finishes, and furnishings for visual effect.
Photo by Dwell Creative Services
See the full story on Dwell.com: This Dwell Home Gets a Breakout Role in Netflix’s "Leave the World Behind"
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