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‘Parenthood’ features realistic living spaces

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Special to the Los Angeles Times

Set in and around Berkeley, “Parenthood” unfolds principally in three family residences that vary in architectural style.

The first is the house of Zeek and Camille Braverman (Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia). “They have lived there 30 years, filled it with heirlooms and haven’t redecorated much,” set decorator Julieann Getman says. “It’s well worn and comfortable.”

Despite clutter and “visible scouring pads,” Getman says, the Bravermans’ woodsy kitchen has an old-fashioned, welcoming feel. Its island is “where everyone goes to talk about their problems.”

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She achieved that feeling with a wainscot backsplash, paneled kitchen cabinets in a shade of Farrow & Ball paint called Calke Green and walls in Benjamin Moore’s Rockport Gray. Hanging lamps like the kind you might have seen in an old schoolhouse are from Practical Props in North Hollywood, and the curtains came from Jet Rag, a vintage clothing store in West Hollywood.

Zeek and Camille’s successful attorney daughter, Julia ( Erika Christensen), lives in a more contemporary environment, as seen on Page E1.

“We wanted to reflect her taste in art and Midcentury Modernism and her ability to purchase it,” Getman says. The decorator pulled off the look on a tight budget, finding a coffee table and chairs that looked similar to Mies van der Rohe’s classic 1929 Barcelona design at Blueprint in Los Angeles, as well as tables at Crate & Barrel, rugs and pillows at West Elm and lighting from Lamps Plus and Ikea.

Adam Braverman (Peter Krause) and wife Kristina (Monica Potter) live in a house based on a Craftsman in Pasadena.

“Their style is Pottery Barn, right off the shelf,” Getman says. “Not everything matches, but it’s easier when it’s done that way.”

Indeed, the red counter stools and pendant lights in the kitchen (painted in Benjamin Moore’s green-gray Saybrook Sage) are from Pottery Barn. Though the sofa and chaise sectional in the family area of the great room were custom made from a striped material found at F&S Fabrics in L.A., many of the accessories are from discount stores such as Cost Plus World Market and HomeGoods.

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“I shop a lot at Living Spaces,” says Getman, who strives for realism rather than perfection. “It’s much more what people can truly afford as opposed to what they see in magazines.”

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