Marie Antoinette (2006): Sofia Coppola's biographical film, shot on location in Versailles, France, is based on the life of the French queen. Although widely panned by cinephiles for taking historical liberties, design addicts loved the film for its sumptuous sense of classical style. After a decade of cold, white minimalism, Marie Antoinette almost single-handedly made gilded Louis XVI furniture, flocked wallpaper and crystal chandeliers cool again.

'I loved the film,' says designer and architect Iain Halliday of BKH. 'I've even got the soundtrack!'

Halliday says the Marie Antoinette look relies on an understanding of colours from the period. 'Many people are mistaken in thinking that the 18th century was dark and heavy - it was really rich and bright,' he says.

'The interior colours - pinks, greens and blues - are incredibly fresh. There was a joyous quality about those interiors, a lightness of spirit that the movie captures perfectly.'

If you're thinking of creating the Marie Antoinette aesthetic in your home, you should be on good terms with your bank manager. This isn't a look that should be attempted on the cheap. Remember, it was always meant for royalty and they had the French taxpayer to support their lavish taste.

'Try and buy the best quality furnishings you can afford,' Halliday says. 'You'll need a good set of Louis chairs - the real thing preferably. And have them recovered in a beautiful silk fabric.'

Gilded framed mirrors are another essential; the bigger the better. They should look like they'd be at home in a palace.

Halliday also recommends a floral needlepoint Aubusson rug for the floor. Such rugs have been produced in the French town of Aubusson since 1743.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece about mankind's quest for the stars inspired an generation of interior designers. The film gave us a vision of the future that has rarely been matched in cinema. The shiny-white sets were a harbinger for the minimalism of the 1990s.

When Kubrick's astronauts sat down to a meal, they used cutlery designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1957. The cutlery, manufactured by Georg Jensen, is still produced today. Furnishings in the movie's orbiting Hilton include Eero Saarinen's 1956 pedestal (tulip) table, which is still manufactured by Knoll.

Also featured are the hot red Djinn series of chairs and chaises designed by avant-garde French designer Olivier Mourgue (and first manufactured by Airborne in 1963).

Nowadays, clean original examples from the Djinn seating series are rare (they are no longer manufactured) and sell at mid-20th century auctions for more than HK$27,000.

Space Odyssey had a profound influence on designers such as Marc Newson, whose space-age creations have reached iconic status (his Lockheed lounge for example), and Tina Engelen, who - in partnership with Ian Moore - went on to create some of the greatest examples of minimalist architecture and interiors in the 90s.

'Kubrick's sets looked futuristic back then and they still do today. We wanted to achieve that same sense of timelessness,' says Engelen.

Recreating the Space Odyssey look in your own home is easy. All you need to do is paint your walls white, buy one or two pieces of organic 50s or 60s furniture (by Saarinen, Jacobsen or Pierre Paulin) and leave it at that. Less is definitely more in a gravity-free environment.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971): Most bachelors would aspire to have a home like the one portrayed in this James Bond flick, starring Sean Connery. Nothing captured the quintessential 70s style more perfectly than the Elrod House, depicted in the scene in which Bond is walloped by femmes fatales Bambi and Thumper.

The space-age house was designed by the innovative American architect John Lautner and built in Palm Springs in 1968. Like a fortress overlooking the desert, it featured a cone-shaped roof and curved walls of glass, steel and concrete.

Diamonds Are Forever production designer Ken Adam turned the home into a villain's lair, decking it out with some very groovy furniture, such as the burned orange ribbon chairs (designed by Paulin in 1965). Also playing a starring role are the stunning, anthropomorphic Up 5 chair and Up 6 ottoman, designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1969.

'If you're after this look, you want to make it sexy,' says designer Andrew Stanic. 'But it should be a restrained opulence, sophisticated but strong, like Bond himself.

'The interior should feature secret compartments, a sense of mystery and lots of hi-tech gadgets, like projector screens that drop from the ceiling.

'Furnishings should be streamlined and sleek ... like a big modular sofa. Resist the urge to include the ultimate bachelor pad accessory - the waterbed - it's just too tragic for tears.'

Stanic also recommends a masculine colour scheme, with just a touch of orange, brown or olive green. Bond always wore a black suit with a white shirt and that should apply to the house.

The Holiday (2006): This romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black is more memorable for its gorgeous homes than its storyline.

Diaz's Spanish colonial Los Angeles hacienda was based on the 1928 home of architect Wallace Neff. The look is best described as contemporary-conservative, with rooms of neutral and earthy tones (think chocolate and green) off-set by classic furnishings.

A run through Diaz's house reveals that lamps are timber stemmed with white or off-white linen shades. Sofas are slip-covered, as are the wing-backed armchairs, while ottomans are chocolate suede. The dining table appears to be made from a blond timber such as beech, surrounded by tan suede chairs. Two Eames walnut stools have been used as coffee tables.

Other worthy mentions:

Frasier Crane's Seattle apartment (from Frasier the TV series, 1993-2004). The thinking man's bachelor pad. We love the Coco Chanel sofa.

Something's Gotta Give (2003). Made the Hamptons style de rigueur and suddenly everybody wanted a white timber kitchen.