The Idea of You is more than an unexpected romance story between a 40-year-old single mom (Anne Hathaway) and a 24-year-old boy band member (Nicholas Galitzine). The movie puts Los Angeles, New York, and countless European locations on display—or rather, it showcases an idea of those places. In reality, the rom-com was entirely filmed in Georgia. The Southern state lent backdrops for Solène’s California home, the Coachella festival grounds, and even the lavish vacation rental in the South of France. Eager for all of the details? Take a look at everything we know about the filming locations below.
Where Was The Idea of You Filmed?
Filming for The Idea of You—which is streaming on Prime Video and based on the book of the same name by author Robinne Lee—took place in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. Solène’s Silver Lake, California, residence is portrayed by a home in Atlanta's Virginia–Highland neighborhood. "We found it on Airbnb and selected it for the exterior look, but the interior wasn't right," production designer Amy Williams tells House Beautiful. "It was all white and gray without many of the original or interesting details. We spent two months renovating it to bring back the historic age and personality."
The renovation involved painting faux wood grain on all of the trim along with adding wood beams and other Craftsman-style architectural details. "We completely redid the kitchen with custom wooden cabinets, Craftsman-era tiles, and added window panes," Amy adds. "We painted the walls to complement Hathaway's complexion. All of the paint colors were tested against her skin tone on camera prior to selection."
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Since filming took place in December 2022, none of the trees surrounding the home had leaves on them—a necessary element to make it look like the home was in Los Angeles. "We added all of the plants, the bougainvillea climbing up her house, desert plants in the neighbor's lawn, and fake green leaves to all of the surrounding trees," Amy says. "We did our best to honor the foliage one would find in Silver Lake."
Luckily, the homeowners ended up keeping all of the updates—and the home is still available to book on Airbnb. "It’s a great Solène time capsule," Amy says.
For Coachella, the production team recreated the scale and chaos of the music festival from scratch at the Atlanta Motor Speedway parking grounds.
Perhaps the most notable European location in the film is the French vacation rental where Solène, Hayes, and the rest of the band go for a holiday. Unfortunately, it’s not an actual rental in the South of France that fans can book. It’s a beach club-inspired, 2,000-square-foot poolhouse in Atlanta designed by Charlotte Lucas. Surrounded by lush landscaping, the pool is outfitted with red-and-white cabana-stripe fabrics that make it feel like it belongs in the French Riviera.
The poolhouse encompasses a sunroom with arched windows and a trellis-inspired wallcovering; a kitchen featuring marble surfaces and teal cabinetry; and a peach-and-white bedroom with a flowering tree mural wallpaper. Want to see it all? You can tour the entire poolhouse here—including areas, like the exquisite bathrooms, that don’t appear onscreen!
