We're kidding here, right? The design elements were a mess.

Agreed.

I liked it. But, I like Carrie's old place better. There is a loveseat at my local thrift shop very, very similar to her sofa for $25 but I can't convince the husband, haha.

Haven't seen the movie...but do not like these shots.

Does not look to me like either Carrie or Big lives here...

I agree, the bookshelves are way too busy. The living room feels dark and the two chairs and table on the corner remind me of grammas house, maybe is the fabric. The kitchen looks 1950’s. The only fabulous space is her closet!!!I don’t get it; this apartment does not reflect NYC or the fabulous life and good taste of Big and Carrie.

First thing I'd do is rip down those curtains. Waaaay too dark for my taste. I agree it looks cluttered- like an over styled granny. Ew!

I love the entryway.

But that kitchen gives me hives. No wonder nobody uses it--it's got a wall of useless, *ugly* clutter on the left and the counter has that white wall hanging over it that makes me claustrophobic just to look at. Also the blue tiles are unpleasantly bright, especially lit up and next to the white. And that table just looks like it's in the way.

I do like the pendant in the kitchen, though.

I actually like a lot of the basic elements. To me, the accessorizing is just out of control and there are some very odd choices going on there. It seems to take away from what does work.

Maybe it's supposed to be ultra realistic....like how two people with a lotta stuff get together and it's instantly cluttered no matter what until someone breaks down and dumps a lot of their stuff.

I don't like the place, it is way to dark for my liking. I would go light and airy with lots of white in such a beautyfull pad. Some of the furniture like the LR stuff is boring and unspiring, something like the MCM dinig set is really hot. Overall, I see great bones, some really nice furniture and lots of darkness and clutter. I liked Carrie's old pad a lot.

I want to know about that blue ottoman Carrie is sitting (kneeling) on in the living room. I'd like to see a closeup of that. Otherwise, too cluttered, but lots of great furniture.

That blue ottoman and Carrie's '40s-style turban were the best things about this awful, awful movie!

The Sofa featured in the movie is a Montauk Woodframe with a COM fabric.
Montauk is a sofa company from Montreal, Canada. They are a carbon negative company.
This is the website, if you are interested.... www.montauksofa.com
It should be noted that they are a super responsible furniture maker. Which, in the mess that was that movie, is nice to see.

Wow People -
This is a Movie - A Fantasy.

This aren't real people, and this isn't a real home:
It's a set in a soundstage - sets which are created to set a mood and tell us, without using words, something about the character(s) who inhabit those spaces.

If this was the set of a drama revolving around a depressed, poor, dangerous or introverted person, the sets would be equally dark and the spaces would be sparse or filled with junk - and we'd know in an instant that the character who inhabits this space leads a troubled life or is even scary...
...However this is a light comedy about people who are bright, glamourous, witty, wealthy and enjoy their cocktails - and Carrie is Jewish - So the sets and lighting are equally bright, glamorous and filled with expensive tchotchkies (and a Mennorah in the kitchen) to convey visually that this is who these characters are.

@repressd -

I'm pretty certain that the "white wall hanging over" the counter is intended to be upper kitchen cabinets...
...and I love how the undercabinet lighting highlights the shape of the Heath Tile backsplash to create sparkle - visually linking her kitchen and the glamour and sparkle of the lights on the sign of a Broadway Theatre and Times Square.

I kind of like it. I don't think its that cluttered... And I wouldn't consider myself a fan of clutter.

I was expecting MORE clutter - this looks like an updated Mad Men set! I mean, Carrie has always been the character to mix styles, add tons of accessories, and not shy away from what others would consider garish or over-the-top. This screams "I just moved in with my stylish, but uptight boyfriend and haven't been allowed to touch anything!"

i have not seen the movie, but I think they should have stuck w/ the place they bought -- but didn't move into -- in the last movie. The pre-war w/ the gorgeous floors!

Ditto ModHomeEcTeacher! Please someone provide information about the blue ottoman, pleaaaasseeee!!!!

@bepsf - Carrie is definitely not Jewish!

I unashamedly love this series, and the movie to an extent. It's my "so sick I can't move" go to, or "finally on holidays, just want to sit still for a day" entertainment.

This place is way too cluttered for me... or perhaps it's that it's so dark? Something about it (except the wardrobe!!) just doesn't work for me.
Everything is just so busy, and it all just seems to clash slightly.

Also, how many empty vases can two people have on display?!

But they also created these houses with certain scenes in mind, for example Charlotte's kitchen was done in all white on purpose, to show off the pink cupcakes from that "kids are hard?" scene.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but it would be nice to see what the other places look like. I bet Miranda's is the nicest!

i think seeing these rooms on screen do them much better justice that in still print. That being said, i don't think it was very Big and Carrie. And i LOVED Carrie's old *updated* apartment from the first movie.

Any ideas where the rug in the kitchen is from?

Miranda's place was the NICEST!!! I loved her kitchen. I also liked Charlotte's stark white on white kitchen, but I am a sucker for white on white kitchens.

I liked Carrie's sofa. It reminds me of the LIAM from Mitchell Gold Bob Williams. I would never buy it, but I still like it. And I like her footstool. And I liked their bedroom.

That Ann Sacks tile in the kitchen though was a little 'throw-up' and OTT for me. But I am sure someone somewhere loved it.

I fell asleep during this movie. I did wake up at one point and thought, "I like that sofa.".

@zoee the primary menorah (temple menorah) has seven branches and is only used in synogogues. this style predates the story of chanukah. take a look at the coat of arms of Israel for one example.

@bepsf talk about ethnic stereotyping! sheesh! and since when is Carrie Jewish?

I thought the apartment was really bad. But, the lavender dress Carrie wore on the plane was great and is by Norma Kamali (Goddess dress to the knee) and available on her site. i just got it and its even better in person. http://www.normakamalicollection.com/catalog/product.aspx?cid=60300&idx=11

Oh, that's right - It's Charlotte who becomes Jewish.
(I knew it was one of them - I couldn't remember...
...but then I rarely saw the show and never saw the movies)

But really Naimh - "Ethnic Stereotyping"???
I had no idea that stating a single character was "Fabulous", "Glamorous" or "Witty" was considered "Ethnic Stereotyping"...
...quite the stretch there.

*yawn* a kazillion dollar budget and this is what they came up with? I don't hate it or love it, but its just...BLAH! Its So not Carrie OR Big. Looks more like a furnished apartment they'd be renting while they waited for their place to be renovated or something. No pictures, no funky art, nothing that screams "we're living it up in NYC!" here at all.

And the kitchen is ridiculous. I realize its a movie and all, but come on. The only thing that really jumps out at me is the chandelier over the dining room table.

But of course, the whole premise of the movie was ridiculous, so why would you expect anything more from the design?

Amanda
http://justanothertreehugger.wordpress.com/

I quite like it (not the dining so much). I like the darkness - I looooove moody house and rooms, and find 'light bright and airy' white rooms so bland and boring!

These pictures don't do it justice. I agree with AT. This apartment and *some* of the fashion was the only good thing about that movie!

i had a lot to say about this on the other thread. but after seeing the movie, i must agree with wuerin that the sets look much different on film than in still photos. i actually could see it as the next level for both big and carrie. neither was on this level on the show. big's pads were actually very ordinary and what you'd expect in nyc. however his studio in the first film was much more upscale and distinctly masculine.

the mix of styles/time periods that abby points out adds to the eclectic presentation you'd expect from carrie. it's a new direction from her - highly preferable - original set, and even from that hard/bright reno at the old place. on screen it works...

I saw the movie and I have to say these pictures have a totally different feel from what I remember getting in the movie. I loved the blue couch in during the movie and thought it was funny it was part of the storyline. I turned to my friend when the couch first came up and said "love the couch". But I agrees with everyone, seeing the set one by one it does feel cluttered. But I am no director or set designer, maybe it's not about a picture but about the feeling while you watch the movie. If that is the case, they totally succeeded in my opinion.

Carrie's home in the tv series seemed like a real home. All of these seem more like sets than real homes. (And yes, I know they're all sets, but these seem more fake than usual). There's an airless, soap-opera feel to these.

Oh my aunty, it's awful. In the shots above it looks like they're visiting an elderly relative and are waiting for a sensitive moment to get the hell out of there.

It reflects nothing of either of their styles. Remember Big's apartment in the series? Huge red wall behind the bed, dark furniture, white bedlinen, barstools at the kitchen counter. Fantastic. And Carrie's? Slightly French, pastels, the odd piece of classic furniture, but also quite minimal.

Those two styles could have complemented eachother very well. This is just a busy, showy, try-hard hot mess.

I guess they spent all the money on those desert shots, when in fact, their style-conscious audience would rather have seen some fantasically styled interior shots than a besunglassed, Arabian nights-in-the-day sand scene. Good move.

I saw the apartment in the movie too and loved it! I agree it looked better on screen than it does in the photos.

I completely agree with the description of their place as both masculine and feminine, though only as far as the entrance and the living room. And while there's plenty that I too could complain about, I appreciate that you posted this, Abby. I think that striking a balance between these two feels can be very difficult and I like that you picked up on this example of success.

P.S. I can't remember anything that occurred, plot-wise, in this space. Definitely a junk food movie, but we knew it would be, hmm?

A good point well made, wereaa.

The apartment looked WAY better onscreen and wereaa go sell your nonsense elsewhere.

@ModHomeEcTeacher & KitaMiami - it's the Lola ottoman by Anne Kyyro Quinn.

@wuerin - the rug in the kitchen is Starflower Blue, by Barber & Osgerby from The Rug Company's Designer Collection.

Wasn't there a similar post like this a few weeks ago?

@bepsf
well it was actually the "filled with expensive tchotchkis" bit that I had the most trouble with. And yes, linking Jewish-ness to those characteristics does count as stereotyping even if you think of them as complimentary.

I fail to see the problem. I think the apartment is lovely. John and Carrie are getting older and settling down why cant their apartment say that? I think the movie stayed true to itself....glamour, drama, labels and fun.

All I have to say is what happened to the beautiful penthouse apartment they moved into in the first movie? They ruined it -- way too modern in the wrong places and way too tchotchki in others.

I saw this movie (which I thought was lame), and I loved the interiors! I kept thinking, "Man, it'd be fun to have 5 minutes to run through that set, snatching up as much stuff as I could (a la Supermarket Sweep)!"

I wouldn't really expect a fully practical apartment from a show where everyone wears 4-inch heels.

Hi guys,

Does anyone have any info on the table and chairs found in Carrie's kitchen?

Thanks.

Hmmm, I thought it looked great in the movie. But for some reason, these pictures....

Like how the closet has a his and her side. Thats cute but would probably be very expensive to pull off in real life!

Eh...

I too liked Carrie's old apartment, before AND after the makeover.

I liked any apartment Samantha had. She always had the ultimate bachelor(ette) pad. Even when she moved to the meat-packing district, it was a basically a studio b/c the bed was right across from the kitchen. But it had humongous loft windows. Very kewl.

Miranda's was too mod or utilitarian for me.