“Twilight” claimed the hearts of teens around the nation when the novel by Stephanie Meyers came out in 2005. But nothing could compete with the grip that the soon-after movie series would possess on fans. The first installment of the Twilight franchise came out in 2008, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and the obsession with werewolves with 6-packs and sparkly vampires has only skyrocketed. The final movie of the series, “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” released in 2012.
In 2024, many brands will collaborate with “Twilight” in order to boost their popularity. For example, ColourPop cosmetics recently dropped their “Twilight” x ColourPop collection.
The ColourPop Instagram post announcing the makeup drop states, “this new limited-edition collection featuring all new moody shades inspired by the iconic first Twilight film!”
A new viral LEGO Collaboration with the Twilight franchise was recently approved by LEGO and fans will finally be able to put their little grimy hands on a miniature Cullen house LEGO set. The product idea was pitched on Feb. 3, 2023, and almost a year later given the green light by LEGO.
“Twilight” takes place in Forks, Washington, but most of the filming occurred throughout the Pacific NorthWest (PNW). The mysterious blue filter vibes of the PNW draws tourists in by the throat, including the famous Cullen house, where in the movie, 7 of the most sparkly vampires reside in Forks, Washington.
This mid century modern vampire home is located in the Lincoln district in NW Portland and was designed by parent of The Cardinal Times staff member Lola Kovel, Jeff Kovel.
Kovel is the founding principal and design director of SkyLab architecture, and he had no idea that the “spec” home he designed for the purpose of showing off SkyLab’s architecture would become the famous home of fictional vampires.
“I wanted to try to figure out a way to show people what kind of buildings we could make. So I bought a piece of land and built a spec home on it, which is a house with no clients,” said Kovel.
A few months after the house was sold, Kovel was notified about the beginning of filming for the first Twilight movie.
“I didn’t know what the film was. I heard that it was like a vegan vampire movie or something,” said Kovel.
Kovel didn’t anticipate the popularity of the film, or the attention the film would draw to the house he designed. Only when SkyLab began to receive fan mail did Kovel realize how big of a deal the house he designed would be to “Twilight” fans.
“We started getting letters from kids all over the world about this house and about how they love this house and how when they get older, and when they’re rich, they’re gonna hire Skylab to design them Twilight houses,” said Kovel.
Kovel has continued to watch the popularity of the film franchise expand, as he has realized the LEGO version of the Cullen home is an interesting milestone in his career he never could have anticipated.
“My daughter tells me that getting a LEGO [set] is the most important thing I’ve done in my career,” said Kovel.
