Being engrossed -- or bored -- goes way beyond the plot for today's moviegoers.

The big screen has become a source for big-time home decorating ideas, says set designer Andrew Baseman. Surroundings make and reinforce statements about a movie's characters, and who hasn't wanted the actors to get out of the way so you could get a better look at, say, the light and airy kitchen in "Something's Gotta Give" (2003) or the contrasts between the homey English cottage and sleek L.A. home in "The Holiday" (2006).

Baseman, a New York City interior designer, created the sumptuous set for a Manhattan apartment in the April 20 release of "The Nanny Diaries," which is almost as anticipated as the movie itself. The setting is featured in the new issue of Traditional Home magazine.

He wanted the audience to sit in the lap of luxury, just like the film's characters.

"Whether moviegoers laugh or cry with the characters, we want them to be enthralled by their surroundings either way. I didn't want it to look like it came out of a magazine. I wanted to push it a bit more and make the sets a commentary on the characters, almost like a fifth character," he said in a recent phone interview."

Based on the novel by former nannies Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, "The Nanny Diaries" offers a nanny's eye view of child rearing in the upper echelons of Manhattan's social strata. The film stars Laura Linney and Paul Giamati as Mr. and Mrs. X, the driven, dysfunctional and inconsiderate parents of a spoiled 5-year-old. Baseman based his designs on book details.

"I made Linney's palette cool, almost frosty and very chic in blues and silvers and mirrored surfaces. Her husband, on the other hand, is very secretive, and his den is not a warm, inviting place. It's a bit standoffish, and the walls are lacquered in oxblood red," he explained.

Beyond that, Baseman wanted the apartment to be opulent, not trendy. "The rooms I created are actually very comfortable, elegant and inviting. No one wants their rooms to look dated in a few years. The best pieces are timeless."

Henredon was his choice for home furnishings. "You don't want a room to look like you emptied out a furniture showroom. I like it when things don't match too much, when it's all mixed up. Henredon has lots of different styles, like the Barbara Barry line that is sleek and modern with beautiful lines that mix well, and Ralph Lauren, which is traditional, classic and antique-y."

His favorite piece from the film is a chair -- "a modern take on a high-backed wing chair with brass studs (the Revival chair) I covered it in gorgeous Silk Trading Co. fabrics, almost a paisley jacquard and a quilted silk in a contrasting color on the sides. I sat it near the fireplace, and it's the piece most people on the set gravitated toward. I keep thinking 'Where would this fit in my apartment?"

Baseman won't have a chance to buy the chair, valued at $3,225. It's part of a national giveaway sponsored by Henredon Furniture and Traditional Home magazine, valued at $15,000. The grand prize is a chocolate brown Henredon Simone loveseat and matching Simone accent chair, both with tufted backs, foam blendown seat cushions and welt trim, plus four coordinating relax-down back pillows.

Baseman said other elements from his set translate from fictional to real home, too. "Color schemes, use and placement of accessories, the choice of furniture, the way it's arranged and how a room flows. You can get great ideas from watching movies."

In fact, Baseman's set design was so impressive that one of the film's producers has hired him to design his house.

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To enter the Henredon and Traditional Home magazine's "The Nanny Diaries" giveaway, visit www.Henredon.com; visit a Henredon store or dealer; or mail a postcard with name, address and daytime phone number to: "Henredon Nanny Diaries Sweepstakes" c/o Traditional Home, 125 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017, Attn: Kerrie Savage.

For rules, visit www.traditionalhome.com. Limit one entry per household.