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DIY Sex and the City: Interior Design Notes
Email from 5.29.08

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Carrie's bedroom

So, Sex and the City is back.....with a vengeance. If you never knew what it was all about, chances are you will now.

Let's move past the boys of summer (Iron Man and Indiana Jones), and get back to the girls (Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte). But before we get all caught up in the tawdry details, I'd like to dig into the design details which have all been meticulously recorded and discussed over the past few years. So, if you want your home to look like theirs, here's my starter kit (and it better include ABC Carpet and Home)...

 
 

CARRIE'S APARTMENT:

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Production Notes: All the furniture in Carrie's apartment has a flea market feel - weathered paint, mismatched chairs and tables, lived-in fabrics - and for a good reason: many of the pieces were snatched up by Conway and his tea m at New York City flea markets and second-hand stores. The two main elements of the living room are the "Aidan Chair" and a large circular coffee table. The chair is slightly stained and ripped, Conway points out, "because if you recall, Aidan tells Carrie he pulled the leather from an old pullman car." Conway searched for a table that would be ideal for the girls to gather around and gab - but couldn't find one that fit the bill. So he took matters into his own hands - literally. "I built one, and it was exactly what we were envisioning," he says.

>> HBO slideshow of her apartment with more notes
>> Tantsu Marimekko curtains
>> Chelsey Mclaren print in hallway

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THE COFFEE TABLE:

>> Bradshaw Tables from Room & Board named after the one in Carrie's living room
>> Good Question Thread about the Coffee Table

THE CHAIR:

>> Aidan's Morris style chair in Carrie's living room thread
>> The same chair - a Morris Chair - by Whit McLeod

THE COLOR GREEN:

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>> Sex and the City Green - used in so many of the interiors

CHARLOTTE'S APARTMENT

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Production Notes: Old Money Influence
"Trey represents a lot of wealth, and we though the clearest way to show that was with a lot of room," says Conway. "We wanted to always be able to see space and volume: no matter what angle you're coming from, you can see down another hall....""

>> Charlotte's apartment interior slideshow and notes
>> linens by Ann Gish
>> bedside lamps from Bond Street Antiques
>> Osborne & Little wallpaper
>> classic Bernadaud china
>> chandelier from Basil Lawrence Antiques
>> ABC Carpet and Home

SAMANTHA'S APARTMENT

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Production Notes: The Boudoir
"Conway calls Sam's style of decor "The Big Game Hunter Look." There's lots of crimson and sienna-dark, passionate reds that evoke heat and desire. The linens are from Calvin Klein and ABC Carpet and Home. There's even a fireplace. "A nice touch, but you just know that Sam never uses it...""

>> Samantha's apartment interior slideshow and notes
>> linens by Calvin Klein
>> linens by ABC Carpet and Home
>> red lacquer gilt Chinese 19th century armoire from Far Eastern Antiques and Arts
>> 18th century illumination prints from The Orange Chicken on Franklin Street
>> Viking stove and a Gemini sink
>> Calvin Klein dishware and Le Cruset pots and pans

MIRANDA'S APARTMENT

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Production Notes: An Underlying Edginess
"Let's face it," says Conway, "Miranda does not mince words. She calls it like she sees it. She can be, well, blunt." To emphasize this, Conway scouted for furniture that was particularly angular or "edgy."..."

>> Miranda's apartment interior slideshow and notes
>> Donghia - chairs
>> ABC Carpet and Home - rug
>> Bellini - crib
>> Amy Coe - bedding-all animal prints

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Comments (13)

Everyone always wants to be Carrie.

posted by RobertTheChicken on 2008-06-09 12:10:12
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Samantha. Those red sheets with the gold scrolls were fantastic.

posted by Lady J on 2008-06-09 12:40:40
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but let's not forget that in the movie, carrie's place gets a great big, glossy, storage-rich, cerulean makeover. would love to see stills of that if anybody has a link....

posted by ValerieNYC on 2008-06-09 12:42:40
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My ideal: Carrie's style stripped of excess ... not quite orderly, but closer. And borrow from Sam's simply gorgeous kitchen palette.

posted by holland on 2008-06-09 13:09:31
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I know these posts are technically decor-realted, but still... I really cannot wait for all of the SATC madness to die out. I'm so sick of seeing it/hearing about it EVERYWHERE. Everywhere! It's like Titanic or Y2K or the Bicentennial. TOO MUCH!

posted by Anna at D16 on 2008-06-09 13:34:24
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except for the vague addition of pink post-Aidan, Carrie's place had no color. her focus was on her wardrobe.

posted by Lady J on 2008-06-09 17:44:37
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What was wrong with all the TITANIC madness?

If you turn off your TV and stop looking at websites all the SATC stuff will go away.

posted by Mr. Dangerous on 2008-06-09 19:24:18
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SATC Part Two is in the works... it's a money machine.

posted by right angle on 2008-06-09 20:43:13
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valerieNYC, there is a satc movie book with stills of the apartment makeover and comments about it.

posted by patrickmc on 2008-06-09 22:36:11
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anybody else completely sick of Sex and the city? I liked the show, but this is too much! everywhere I turn it's sex and the city, the movie, carrie" this and that... ;-H

posted by brownstone on 2008-06-09 22:59:26
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Don't care. Never cared. Won't care anytime in the future.

posted by nazrd on 2008-06-10 00:58:11
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Is it not over yet?
Yawn.
Next, please.

posted by JoJenks on 2008-06-10 09:03:00
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Yeah, the movie makeover of Carrie's apartment. They "glossed" over the makeover in the movie -- but it was so different than Carrie originale. Very uncharacteristic makeover. What were they trying to say with that?

posted by matthieu on 2008-06-10 12:05:29
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