And Just Like That… AD Tours Carrie Bradshaw’s New Gramercy Park Pad

"The Upper East Sider has left her studio for a totally different (but still quintessentially Carrie) town house—explore the set with the team who crafted “the most beautiful apartment in New York” By Michelle Duncan

And Just Like That… Carrie Bradshaw has entered a new era. After decades of glamorizing cramped Upper East Side living in Sex and The City, the main character of both the original series and its revival has traded her humble alcove studio for two floors of a gorgeous 1840s Greek Revival town house in Gramercy Park. Though based on an actual structure in the tony NYC neighborhood, you won’t find Carrie’s dreamy four-bedroom pad there IRL; everything from its romantic façade—complete with a street-facing balcony and deep entryway framed by metal fretwork—to the ethereal “natural” light that floods every room of the double-height interiors, was created on a soundstage.

Lighting design mimics daylight to bathe the apartment in “sunshine,” as scenes in Carrie’s new apartment are shot on a soundstage. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max

Season three sees Carrie gradually furnishing what Michael Patrick King, producer and writer on both iterations of the show, describes as “the most beautiful apartment in New York.” And though her new scenery calls for fresh decor, pieces from her old studio move with her to the dwelling, giving audiences a sense of continuity. In a new video, production designer Miguel Lopez Castillo and set decorator Karen Weisel Holmes walk AD through the main rooms of the fictional parkside abode, showing fans how the little details matter when making a television set feel like the beloved character’s real-life home. “We try to add personal, life-layer touches,” Holmes says.

Carrie’s office is outfitted with her writing desk, a weathered blue table, and a velvet chair from her Upper East Side apartment. And just as in her old abode, her desk is situated in front of a window, providing the ideal space for shots of the writer at work as she just “can’t help but wonder” about her latest predicament while gazing out at her city—a familiar scene for fans.

Carrie’s published books, her Vogue magazine collection, a bookmarked copy of Architectural Digest (naturally), and the black rotary telephone from her old digs all live on in-built shelving in her apartment. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max

Holmes teases Easter eggs in Carrie’s coveted closet, which shares the familiar boutique-style and walk-through structure of her former one. The character’s JW Anderson pigeon purse from season two of AJLT sits prominently on a built-in vanity, along with the “parfum” painting brought over from her uptown home. Holmes and the costume department dug through the SATC archives to stock her new closet with garments like Carrie’s bridesmaid dress from Charlotte’s wedding and her three-piece suit from season one of the show.

Naturally, the fashionista’s legendary fooxwear collection warrants a room of its own. Holmes points out a few pairs with their own memorable narrative arcs, including the shoes given to Carrie after her Manolos were stolen at a house party in season six of SATC and the infamous Manolo Mary Janes from the Vogue closet in season four. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize other items from Carrie’s past, such as her former studio’s bed, vanity, and a dresser used to furnish the guest bedroom (which also doubles as a room for her cat, Shoe).

Most of Carrie’s at-home scenes take place in the dining room, drawing room, and kitchen downstairs on the unit’s parlor floor, where a mix of elevated and thrifted furniture reflects the character’s personality. “We tried to really get into her head and think about how she lived, what her influences were, and what kind of shopping she had access to,” Holmes says. “I like to think of Carrie Bradshaw at the flea market or at a vintage store.” Sarah Jessica Parker, who famously portrays the writer and shopping fiend, is charmed by the authenticity of Carrie’s carefully curated collection. “I love how much Karen [Weisel Holmes] found in seriously affordable vintage and consignment shops,” Parker tells AD. “There are some fabrics that are for sure higher-end and cost more per yard, but there’s a huge amount that’s just from the street.”

A retro Smeg refrigerator, skirted sink, and wall-mounted telephone give Carrie’s kitchen a cozy, vintage feel. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max

Years after Carrie famously used her kitchen as a storage space, she’s graduated to using her new, garden-facing, single-wall galley kitchen for something more akin to its intended purpose. Castillo and Holmes aimed for a vintage feel using white cabinets, vintage appliances, and simple handed-down furniture. A skirted farmhouse sink and a wall-mounted telephone infuse a sense of recent history into the space.

Just off the kitchen, a door opens to a spiral metal fretwork staircase that winds down to the garden. While earlier this season, the space was wild, whimsical—and yes, rat-infested—by episode seven, we see a courtyard that trades the British-style manicured-yet-untamed feel for picturesque minimalism, featuring a mix of both live and artificial plants, per Castillo.

The garden connects to the apartment of Carrie’s downstairs neighbor, Duncan. The two units couldn’t be more different; the ceiling height, finishes, colors, and furniture, are infused with Duncan’s dour, reclusive personality, which Holmes says brought “its own decorating challenge.” Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max