It’s Double Take time! Check out my feature on Erin’s “jam-packed full of inspiration” blog, Design for Mankind. I don’t know how she manages to keep inspiring us 4-5 times per day. If you missed Caitlin’s office on Cashmere Mafia or Victory Ford’s office on Lipstick Jungle, then take a quick look. Otherwise, let’s talk about one of my all-time favorite shows (and I know I’m not alone)…
*** Update (June 3, 2008): See Carrie’s NEW blue apartment in the movie ***
Will Carrie return to her bachelorette apartment in the new Sex And The City movie? With all of the hype about the long-awaited film that’s due to be released on May 30 (can May please come sooner!), I thought we could have a little fun trying to recreate the look of the famous apartment that we all grew to love. Carrie’s home felt so real, so New York, and so lived-in by a 30-something social butterfly. Fashion, or should I just say shoes, definitely took a higher priority than the domestic life. But can I please have her movie star closet?
Carrie’s one-bedroom Upper East Side apartment has the familiar flea market feel, with each piece of furniture infusing the Carrie personality. A great wall of bookshelves holding hundreds of Vogue, Madamoiselle, and New Yorker magazines greets you at the entryway. All we have to do is grab a couple of stained expedit bookcases, natural magazine files, and all of those magazines you have hidden under your bed…and voilà!
Carrie’s living room is a little sparse but has two important pieces: Aidan’s leather chair and the triangular-legged coffee table. This piece reminds me of the bradshaw cocktail table at Room & Board and it looks like some readers on Apartment Therapy had the same idea. Don’t forget the Manolo Blahnik volumes (try out Blahnik by Boman and Manolo Blahnik Drawings) that the set designers purposely left laying around.
I’ve always been a fan of the comfort of Carrie’s bedroom. Twinkle Living’s rose lavender duvet cover is similar to Carrie’s purple duvet while the marblehead table from Feather & Black is not too far off from her bedside table. For artwork, try finding original black & white photography on Etsy that reflects your personality, then take it to your local framer and request large mats with brushed silver frames. If you are looking for a quick solution, art.com is a great resource. And don’t forget the rustic chair beside Carrie’s bed. Anthropologie’s madeline chair would be a grown up substitute.
Jeremy Conway, production designer for the HBO series, was the mastermind behind the interior design of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha’s homes. His crew “employed a particular color theory for each of them that helped in identifying character and personality. The idea is to be able to look at a room and say, ‘Now that’s very Carrie.’” As Paloma noted on her lovely blog, this couldn’t be more true for Carrie’s closet. The gorgeous deep teal-grey-blue of the walls and shelves makes this room the most glamourous in the entire apartment. And why shouldn’t it be when it’s the home of thousands of dollars worth of shoes and vintage clothes. Benjamin Moore’s normandy would be a good place to start if you are thinking of transforming your own closet with a coat of paint.
We’ll just have to wait for the Sex And The City movie to see where our dear Carrie ends up living. But until then, check out your local flea market for individual furniture pieces that will give your place a more “authentic Carrie pre-phase 4 of Mr. Big” look.
Interested in more set design inspired rooms? Here are the latest posts from my new feature, Double Take:
- Mandy Moore’s apartment in Because I Said So
- I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry apartment
- Failure to Launch house
- Mia’s apartment on Cashmere Mafia
- Apartment on P.S. I Love You
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith house
- Carrie’s blue apartment in the movie
- Chateau in A Good Year
- Viola’s estate in Monster-In-Law
- Craftsman house from Monster-In-Law
- Rose’s bedroom on In Her Shoes
- Caitlin’s office on Cashmere Mafia
- Victory Ford’s apartment on Lipstick Jungle
Image credits: HBO, Vogue, IKEA, The Container Store, Room & Board, Amazon.com, Twinkle Living, Feather & Black, Art.com, & Anthroplogie.
17 responses so far ↓
1 Jamie : Mar 25, 2008 at 9:23 am
Any insights as to a paint color similar to the color of Carrie’s bedroom?
2 bandelle : Mar 25, 2008 at 9:44 am
The production designer said this about the bedroom color: “The walls are a soft shade of celery green washed with a lavender iridescent glaze (’it looks better on screen - it has a glow about it,’ Conway explains).” Benjamin Moore has several soft greens so pick up some paint swatches to compare in your room. As for the sheen, it looks like Ralph Lauren has a product called candlelight that you can mix with their other colors but will be opaque: http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/rlhome/products/paint/items.asp?haid=123. Also Behr has a pearlescent finish but I’m not sure if you can mix it: http://www.behr.com/behrx/act/view/products_detail?prodGroupId=26&catName=Faux%2FDecorative+Finishes&catId=18
Hope this helps!
3 Alia : Mar 25, 2008 at 6:05 pm
aaahhhhh…what I would give to have an apartment like Carrie’s!!! I need to own an apartment or house because I would love some of your furniture finds!!!
4 all things bright and beautiful : Mar 27, 2008 at 1:21 am
Now this is one impressive collage you have here (aside from the gorgeous pics in general
5 B : Mar 28, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I am almost positive Carrie’s bedding is Calvin Klein. I’ve coveted it for years.
6 bandelle : Mar 28, 2008 at 9:39 pm
B - I think you’re right actually: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=16534&CategoryID=7529. I adore the color and the duvet just looked so warm and fluffy in Carrie’s bedroom. I could totally see it on my bed too. And guess what, it’s on sale! Have a lovely weekend…
7 La Dolce Vita : Mar 30, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Thanks for the mention, Kylie! This post is amazing! You always do such a fabulous job when you write about the sets from everyone’s favorite tv shows.
- Paloma
8 BellaKay : Jun 12, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Love the site! Thanks for this detail…so fun! Any insight into where I could find the actual Love poster hung at the entryway of Carrie’s apartment? I LOVE it.
9 bandelle : Jun 12, 2008 at 3:36 pm
BellaKay — the Love poster is actually a different needlepoint artwork from Paul Smith than the one I showed on Double Take: Carrie’s Blue Apartment. Visit the Rug Company’s site and type in “Love Too” in the search field on the bottom left corner. Glad you like the site!
10 Annie : Jun 12, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I came home from cinema an hour ago and I immediately got on the internet just to find that “LOVE” poster Carrie had on her wall. I had already gone crazy, but then I found your last comment.. Thank you so much for finding, it, I’m lovin’ it!
11 bandelle : Jun 12, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Annie, I’m so glad that you found your way over here. Wasn’t the movie just brilliant?! I HAVE to see it again.
12 Anonymous : Jun 30, 2008 at 1:49 am
Carrie’s bedding is Calvein Klein. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, I ended up buying the entire collection. It was a bit expensive but worth EVERY penny. It’s called Bamboo Flowers. Just to let everyone know, it’s MUCH easier to order the entire set online because they are going to be discontinuing it soon and it’s hard to find every piece you want at the department store! I got mine from Macy’s, and it’s actually on sale now!! PLUS if you have a Macy’s credit card, you get those all days %20 off passes and you CAN use them on the Calvin Klein bedding!!
I was very excited to FINALLY treat myself to this, but now that the SATC movie came out, i’m dying to replicate her new bedroom!!
13 bandelle : Jun 30, 2008 at 10:03 am
Anon, it’s awesome to hear from someone who actually has the bedding. It looks really beautiful and very soft. I loved the color palette in Carrie’s old apartment and can’t figure out if I prefer the new blue. And THANK YOU for giving us the Macy’s discount tip
It definitely would be a treat and I’m happy to hear that it’s totally worth it.
14 Anonymous : Jun 30, 2008 at 4:16 pm
It def. is worth every penny, it’s almost always on sale @ macys.com
15 cindy k : Sep 11, 2008 at 4:57 pm
i see your features on dfm and they are fantastic! i’ll be visiting you from now on, too. i loved carrie’s old apartment because it seemed like it evolved over time and was cozy. i like the glam of this one, too. but, i’m a libra and can never make a choice - luckily, i don’t have to ;).
16 Rea : Nov 2, 2008 at 8:48 am
Hi, just wanted to ask do you know who draw the picture of ‘perfume’ next to the entrance door? Ive been searching for it for an hour and abt to give up (I know I had the name a few months ago, but lost on my laptop)… thanx a lot!
17 Anonymous : Dec 2, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Does anyone know the make of Big’s kitchen, I love it
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