Taylor Swift’s ‘Cardigan’ Music Video is Rustic Cabin Decor Porn

Written by

Jessica Wang
Jessica Wang
Jessica is a writer and former weekend editor at Apartment Therapy. Her work also appears in Bustle, Nylon, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, and more. She lives in Southern California with her dog.
updated Aug 1, 2020
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Taylor Swift released her surprise album “Folklore” on July 24, as well as a music video for her single “Cardigan”—and the stunning visuals include rustic cabin decor porn. Swift wrote and directed the video (shot amid COVID-19 quarantine and overseen by a medical inspector), but it also included a team of other artists: cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, special effects artists David Lebensfeld and Grant Miller, and set designer Ethan Tobman. The cabin, a location that bookends the music video as a place where Swift starts and ends, is full of dreamy rustic cabin design inspiration. 

“Cardigan” opens with Swift in the cabin on an old piano, which serves as a portal through the various settings. She begins at the cabin, lands in a serene forest, transports to the high seas, and, in the end, returns back to the dim of the cabin. Fans have speculated that the video is an allegory of her growth and her career: the cabin is her start, whereas the forest is her at the height of her career. The water, on the other hand, is her weathering the more tumultuous periods of her life (public feuds, etc.), and, back at the cabin, she returns to herself. 

The cabin set design feels like a warm hug. It’s filled with antique furniture and decor that includes vintage picture frames, rustic candle pillars, and heirloom clocks. It’s no surprise that it’s so impressive, too. Tobman, a production designer and director from Montreal, has already worked on an array of notable pieces prior to “Cardigan.” His résumé includes Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade” (as well as her recent “Black is King”), Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry,” Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All the Stars,” and Swift’s “The Man,” according to his portfolio. His designs also span film sets, such as Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell “Beautiful Boy” and Brie Larson’s “Room.”

In “Cardigan,” Tobman makes the case for decor pieces that invoke a rustic cabin in the woods. Below, shop some items to “Cardigan”-fy your living spaces. 

Credit: Amazon

Buy:  Oval Vintage Picture Frame from Amazon, $25.99

Credit: Etsy

Buy: Vintage Alarm Clock from Etsy, $50

Credit: Etsy

Buy: Rustic Wooden Candle Holder from Etsy, $26.99+

Credit: Etsy

Buy: Rustic Electric Table Lantern Lamp from Etsy, $79.99