Thelife- TikTok user Natalie Salerno re-created the iconic cottage from "
The Holiday " using gingerbread. - Salerno drew up blueprints for the home, which was the first
gingerbread house she ever made, using photos from the film so it would be as realistic as possible. - The finished gingerbread house had more than 50 pieces, icing decorations, a roof made of almonds, and even battery-powered lights to make the house look real.
- To re-create the house yourself, see Salerno's blueprint here.
"The Holiday" is one of the most iconic modern
But the stunning locations in which the movie takes place also contribute to it being a fan favorite, including Iris' cottage in Surrey, England. The cozy home looks like the ideal remote getaway for winter.
One fan, Natalie Salerno, decided to pay homage to the cottage by making a gingerbread version of the home.
"I don't think there's a better place for architectural inspiration than a Nancy Meyers film," Salerno told Insider of why she wanted to re-create the home. "I'm such a huge fan of her work in general, but 'The Holiday' is definitely one of my favorites."
Salerno spent a week planning a gingerbread iteration of the cottage and drawing extensive plans based on the house in the film.
The result of her efforts looks like a miniature, festive version of the famous home. The house was the first gingerbread house Salerno built.
@natalie_salerno how i built iris’s cottage from the holiday out of ##gingerbread - ##theholiday ##nancymeyers ##gingerbreadhouse ##foodtiktok ##baking ##christmas
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Salerno wanted to make the house look as realistic as possible, as she said in her TikTok video, so the edible version of the home had two chimneys, two doors, and even an engraved gate, just like the cottage does in the film.
The house was made up of over 50 individual pieces of gingerbread, which Salerno then decorated with royal icing to make it look realistic.
She used slivered almonds to create the illusion of roof shingles and even added battery-powered lights to the inside of the home to make it look inviting.
"I really enjoyed adding all of the small details to the cottage and ultimately they ended up being my favorite part," Salerno said.
"The piped ivy on the fence, the tiny wreath with a red bow, the color of the doors - which took me a while to get just right - and the gate I made out of trimmed scraps all bring me a lot of joy when I look at them now," she added.
In her video, Salerno said the entire process took her about two weeks to complete, including planning and building.
"Designing the plans was definitely the hardest part," she told Insider of building the gingerbread house. "I was just working from photos so I had to make a lot of estimates when it came to sizing."
Her TikTok had over 117,000 views at the time of writing, which was a surprise to Salerno, who is new to posting on TikTok.
"I was super surprised by the engagement on TikTok especially given it was my first ever post - and first ever gingerbread house," she said. "It's honestly been so nice to have people be so positive about the project. I think it's also a testament to how beloved the film is."
Salerno also shared her blueprints for "The Holiday" cottage on her TikTok page. You can read her plans to make the house for yourself here and see more photos of the home in Salerno's Instagram highlights here.
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