The first character seen on screen in Twin Peaks is Josie Packard, who is sitting at her vanity applying makeup on the morning Laura Palmer’s body was discovered by Pete Martell. The scene is supposed to take place in her bedroom at the Blue Pine Lodge, home of the Martell’s and the widow Mrs. Packard. Thanks to the now defunct InTwinPeaks.com, we know where this scene was shot in Washington state. However, with the passage of time, things look different today.
WHERE IS JOSIE PACKARD’S VANITY LOCATED IN TWIN PEAKS?
Opened in 1937, Kiana Lodge is a private meeting and wedding facility that is located at 14976 Sandy Hook Rd NE in Poulsbo, . The Suquamish Tribe purchased the lodge from Bob Riebe (who had a small role in the Pilot episode) in 2004. The facility welcomes visitors but asks to please call ahead and check their schedule at (360) 598-4311. They prefer visitors plan a visit when no events are happening so paying clients have privacy.
The location discussed in this article is found in the dining room located in the original 1937 building facing a retention pond. The approximate coordinates are 47°41’59.6″N 122°34’56.7″W.
This scene was shot on March 17, 1989 near the end of the month-long shooting schedule in Washington state.
I’ll be examining both the Pilot Episode and the same scenes from Part 17 of Season 3 on Showtime. The biggest differences between the two versions are the aspect ration – 4:3 versus 16:9, the latter being a slightly cropped image.
ILLUMINATING JOSIE PACKARD – RUSSIAN WOLFHOUND LAMP
The original Northwest Passage script contains this scene, only Josie’s name was Giovanna Pasqualini Packard. Isabella Rossellini, whose full name is Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini, was going to play this character at one point but she was concerned about the time commitment.
INT. BLUE PINE LODGE MASTER BEDROOM – DAWN.
GIOVANNA PASQUALINI PACKARD, a beautiful woman in her thirties, wearing a silk negligee, sits at a vanity table, combing her hair, lost in a dreamy state of mind. From outside, she hears Pete’s pick-up drive off, turns to look out the bedroom’s large picture window.
On screen, the scene fades from ducks on a pond outside Blue Pine Lodge to a vintage Russian Wolfhound lamp placed on a countertop.
Pay attention to the blue tile and the hinge on the far right side of the screen as they will be important in a moment.
The camera continues panning until it lands on Josie looking into a mirror.
I combined the shots to create this complete pan of Josie’s vanity with the lamp.
Fellow Twin Peaks Blog author and replica prop collector Vinnie Guidera discussed this lamp on his Instagram account – @TwelveRainbowTrout – in October 2020:
“The lamp was made by Ohio-based corporation Phil-Mar. The shot doesn’t fully show it, but a large kidney-shaped fiberglass shade sits atop the lamp. Though mine doesn’t t have a label to confirm a model name/number, a similar design with a planter box socket rather than a long neck is listed online as “TV 110 Wolfhounds” Phil-Mar and their contemporary Haeger … have a complicated and intertwined history, both employing designer Royal Hickman at different points. For this reason, it can be difficult to differentiate between Phil-Mar and Haeger products. Listings for Josie’s wolfhound lamp are rarely accompanied by a brand name.”
Charles from InTwinPeaks also had one of these lamps. I clearly need to step up my replica prop collecting game. It was because of this lamp that Charles found the spot.
DISCOVERING THE LOCATION OF JOSIE PACKARD’S VANITY
Charles remarked on his former website that he became determined to find the Russian Wolfhound lamp. The image was burned in his mind as he had looked at it numerous times. While scrolling through photos he took at Kiana Lodge, he noticed the hinge in the bottom right corner.
The hinge was found on a cut out buffet that was found in the dining room at Kiana.
Zooming in, we can see both the hinge, the knots in the wood and the tile top to the cutout table.
The area may look familiar as Audrey Horne crosses in front of it when she checks out the Norwegian’s “ridiculous smorgasbord” in the dining room.
This great publicity shot from The Mauve Zone shows Audrey standing near the spot.
The coffee machine is about where the Russian Wolfhound lamp would have been placed.
CHANGES TO JOSIE PACKARD’S VANITY LOCATION
When I first visited Kiana Lodge on August 9, 1996, the cutout area was still found in the dining room. At the time, I had no idea this is where Josie’s scene was also shot. I only knew it as the spot where Audrey told her sob story.
Fellow Bookhouse Boy and long-time fan Jared Lyon took a photo of the dining room on August 19, 2002 during the Twin Peaks Fan Festival that year.
Bohonus has an incredible 360-degree photo of this room from September 7, 2006. It was soon after this shot that this area was remodeled. You may recall me discussing changes to the adjacent kitchen area that were made about this time.
Oh, that beautiful drawing of Kiana Lodge from both InTwinPeaks and Bohonus.com is still located inside the original building. Look for it near the bar.
When I returned to Kiana Lodge after a 23-year hiatus, I discovered that the spot where the vanity was gone.
I mean it’s long gone, like a turkey in the corn. I’d like to believe that it’s still there, covered up by those wooden planks. This was done when the Kiana Lodge team remodeled and expanded this dining room. Where is my time machine?
JOSIE PACKARD’S SCENE CONTINUES
After Pete departs the kitchen to “go fishing,” we see Josie turn her head and gently hum.
Interestingly, the way Josie turns is actually toward the direction of where Pete would be standing outside on the gravel path behind Kiana Lodge.
We can barely discern what items are behind Josie. Clearly they were placed there to create the illusion this was her bedroom (or the Master Bedroom as described in the script).
The Mauve Zone to the rescue again with this publicity shot. We can see many props were added to the countertop and we get a better idea of what items were hanging on the wooden wall.
The show returns to Josie’s vanity and bedroom in Episode 2.016 but it’s completely different as this one was built on a set in Van Nuys, California.
JOSIE PACKARD’S VANITY IN TWIN PEAKS – PART 17
The same scenes appear in Part 17, only the images are cropped to 16:9.
I really love this shot of Joan Chen as Josie Packard. The most beautiful woman in the state!
INTWINPEAKS.COM
Here is Charles’ original notes about how he found this location. I can’t thank him enough for laying an incredible foundation of work. Like the Bookhouse Boys, I’m glad to carry on his work and hope someone will do the same after I’m gone one day (in the very distant future).
