In Sex and the City 2, Carrie quips that she’s been cheating on fashion with furniture. And honestly, I thought the furniture may have been the best thing about this movie, which had the fab foursome flying off to Abu Dhabi and leaving their signature city of New York behind. (I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t crazy about it–it was nominated for the Worst Movie of 2010 by the Razzie Awards.)
The set design kept me fairly entertained while I was watching it, though, so let’s take a closer look at the apartment that newlyweds Carrie and Big are living in now.
Carrie and Big’s Apartment:
The Set Decorator for the movie was Lydia Marks, who says they took their inspiration for the apartment’s architectural style of from old movies, including Alfred Hitchcock films. She says they “wanted it to feel very, very real to New York City.”
“A lot of fancy apartments that you see in movies tend to get a little bit largebecause it’s easier to shoot in, and it’s an instant read to the general public that it’s a nice apartment,” Marks says. “But we felt really strongly that we could make an apartment on a scale that was realistic to the real New York and still have it be elegant and high-end and I think we did that.” You can read more of her interview on Shine.
Because Carrie kept her old apartment, everything in the one she shares with her husband is new and was chosen so that it reflects them both. It’s much more masculine and “grown-up” than the place she lived in as a single girl.
Carrie and Big’s living room includes a sofa by Montauk Sofa upholstered in blue wool-mohair from Donghia and a pair of beige midcentury side chairs. The bright floral Birdie Blossom Cushion by Paul Smith for the Rug Company adds a classic “Carrie” touch. (Source: Elle Decor.)
“Carrie is trying to make a new apartment for the two of them, not just for her,” Jeremy Conway, the production designer for the TV series and both films, told Elle Decor.
An unusual oxidized-metal chandelier by Property hangs above a French 1940s mahogany table from Alan Moss in the dining room:
He says they wanted to design a space that would combine masculine elements, such as linear midcentury furnishings and dark woods, with whimsical rugs and cheerful fabrics.
Elle Decor reports that the unusual blue tile in the kitchen is by Heath Ceramics from Ann Sacks.
The Bedroom:
In the first half of the movie, when the characters are in New York, the colors are muted, in stark contrast to the sets and costumes when they’re vacationing in Abu Dhabi. (Some of those scenes were filmed at a hotel outside Marrakech in Morocco. Others, like the one in the nightclub where they sang karaoke, were built on soundstages back in the States.)
Big and Carrie don’t agree on having the TV in the bedroom. When he surprises her with one for their anniversary, she pouts because she would have rather gotten jewelry.
The His and Hers Closet in this apartment isn’t quite as dazzling as the one he built for her in the first movie, but it’s still pretty fabulous.
Some of these photos were taken by Craig Blenkenhorn for Elle Decor. You can read their article about the sets and see more pics here.
Charlotte’s Park Avenue Apartment:
I can’t resist throwing a few photos of Charlotte’s Park Avenue apartment in while we’re at it. I wish we had gotten to see more of it in the movie. The kitchen looks exactly the way I’d imagine hers to be, pink cupcakes and all.
I loved that little breakdown she had in the pantry. I’ve had days like that, too, although my pantry isn’t quite as fabulous a place to hide out in, sadly.
Set Decorator Lydia Marks says the kitchen was designed to show Charlotte’s need for perfection. We get a glimpse of the bathroom, too, which also has lots of white and pink in it–and a pretty fabulous tub:
Charlotte’s daughters Lily and Rose share this pink bedroom (read all about it in an interview on LilSugar):
We saw more of Charlotte’s place in the first movie, and I featured those photos, along with ones of Miranda’s house in Brooklyn brownstone in Sex and the City: Real Estate Heaven.
Carrie’s Old Apartment:
Carrie spends some of her time in her old apartment, too, which she uses as a quiet place to write. This set had to be re-built from scratch for the movie to make it match the one from the first.
You can see more photos of it–including how it looked in the first movie before she gave it the makeover–here.
P.S. Last week we took a look at Samantha’s Malibu Beach House, which is available for rent.
Every Monday I feature sets from the movies like these. Want to see if any of your favorites made the list? Click here!
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