See Inside The Big Fish House – Beth Bryan
Want to take a tour of the great fish house after the hometown takeover gave it an epic makeover? Come take a tour of this incredible house in Wetumpka, Alabama, where Tim Burton filmed the 2003 hit movie, Big Fish.
Arriving in downtown Wetumpka, it’s impossible to miss this massive Victorian house towering over downtown. it can be seen from almost every point of view in the city. the view from the second floor is clear across the river! For the past several years, owners Shelly and Wade Whitfield have been renovating it to bring it back to its former glory.
The second story of the home was actually built by the Big Fish movie crew back in 2003, so it definitely needed some love and attention. In 2020, had the honor of being a part of the design team at Home Town Takeover that helped Erin and Ben Napier come up with a plan to make it shine again.
The kitchen had not changed at ALL since the day it was featured in the movie. I took a quick selfie to document the history of the place where Jessica Lange and Albert Finney once stood.
During construction, the dining room wall was taken out to add in french doors with a transom that lets in plenty of light.
The wall between the dining room and kitchen was removed, and the foyer doorway was widened for much better traffic flow.
Josie from Russell Construction gave the house some instant curb appeal with the pressure washer.
The night before filming the big reveal, the design team gathered around Shelly’s new kitchen island for a quick meal of take-out pizza before putting the finishing touches on the house. I can say from experience that it is the perfect kitchen for gathering with friends, just wish we could have lingered longer!
Katie and Lann taped out that foyer wall for the giant collage of family photos. Wait til you see how it turned out!
Let the big reveal filming begin!
The film crew in the NEW updated kitchen with Ben and Erin! So exciting!
Here is the AFTER!
Isn’t this the happiest, most welcoming front porch you ever did see?
Love this little pop of sunshine yellow on the front door.
And now, come on in…
As a quick reminder… this is what the lobby looked like before:
And here it is NOW!
I am still swooning over this foyer. It is absolutely magnificent!
Little reading nook at the end of the foyer.
And now head into the dining room and kitchen. It is SO much more open now!
Check out those new french doors.
The dining room nook got a fresh coat of paint.
And here is the new kitchen. SWOON.
I am in love with this simple vent hood with vertical V-groove paneling backsplash above the range.
And the chunky open shelving on either side of it! Obsessed.
And on the right side of the kitchen.
But I think the star of the show is this amazing island with glass cabinet doors and a closed toe.
But this beautiful brass faucet in the farmhouse apron sink is a close runner-up.
Over in the living room, Erin preserved the history of the Big Fish house by recreating the wallpaper from the movie. Isn’t it fabulous?
After all the film crews rolled out, the Whitfields were able to kick back and enjoy their new living areas! Congratulations, guys!! I’m so happy for you!
