Adapted by Ben Hecht from the play by Noel Coward—but decidedly changed in both substance and tone—Design For Living is the very essence of the kind of light, sophisticated romantic comedy with a touch of bedroom farce that was Ernst Lubitsch's trademark. A painter (Cooper) and playwright (March) both fall in love with Gilda, another American living in Paris. Unable to choose between the two, she comes up with the perfect solution: she will live with them both but on a strictly platonic basis. While their careers thrive, tensions inevitably erupt and lead to Gilda's temporary flight to a marriage of convenience. In the end, the unorthodox "design" is reestablished, giving Lubitsch free reign to wield his celebrated touch.