Shonda Rhimes’ Apartment Looks Like a “Bridgerton” Set

You thought you eat, sleep, and breathe “Bridgerton“? Well, clearly you haven’t seen the New York apartment of the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes.

Rhimes invited Architectural Digest into her Upper East Side residence, decorated by Michael S. Smith, which is floor-to-ceiling whimsy, elegance, romance, and an homage to classical European design.

“This place is really about my work life,” Rhimes told AD. “But I came into it thinking, If I had no kids, no responsibilities, what kind of a space would I create? Obviously, we did incorporate things that were necessary for the kids — moms never get to think selfishly — but this was really exciting for me.”

Each room is bolder and brighter than the next with mismatched pillows and ornate furniture that one wouldn’t think to put together, yet it all works when in the same space.

“I chose pieces mainly for comfort and for simplicity, but also it made it possible to choose things that could be both antique and modern and feel a little bit eclectic. And I could also just sort of go crazy…but not feel like I had to stick to any one style.”

And even though each room is packed with fun and functional furniture, there are even some hidden gems hiding away behind the wall. Rhimes explained that her dining room doubles as a guest room — the bed is actually a Murphy bed that pulls down from the television wall.

Of course, the main function of the entire apartment is to be a space where Rhimes can get inspired and create. “[Smith] knows that it’s important to me to have rooms and spaces to sit and think, to have new places to move to just get my brain going sometimes,” she told AD. “I’m building an entire sort of universe in my mind, but I’m also trying to think of a series. It’s not just two hours, it’s not just 30 minutes; sometimes it’s 18 seasons. You really do need time and space to think about it.”

How could you not feel the need to write a Regency-era romance while seated among such elegance?