Now this is an apartment Lady Whistledown could appreciate!
On Thursday, Mar. 3, writer and producer Shonda Rhimes took Architectural Digest on a tour of her cozy New York City apartment and its colorful wallpaper, artwork and antique touches that feel straight out of Bridgerton.
While she was cognizant that her apartment was "big for New York standards," Shonda explained that due to its small size, most rooms in her apartment are multiuse and often work "double duty."
That includes her living room, which is covered top to bottom in eggshell blue floral wallpaper and acts as both an entertaining space and office. "This is my favorite place to be whenever I'm in New York City," she shared. "It really is like one of the comfiest and coziest places in the world."
The wallpaper was the first thing that caught her eye for the apartment. "When I bought this place I didn't have any furniture," Shonda explained. "I started with the wallpaper and built outwards from there."
She's since filled it with an "eclectic" mix of antique vases, vintage mirrors and other one-of-a-kind accoutrements. "I chose pieces mostly for comfort and for simplicity but also it made it possible to choose things that could be both antique and modern," she shared. "Instead, I let the wallpaper really be the choice for the room and let everything else sort of complement it which was exciting."
She then led viewers into the adjoining room, which is tasked with "triple duty" as a library, guest bedroom and dining room. Covered in a warm pink and white wallpaper, the space features comfy chairs by its fireplace, a banquette for hosting parties and a bed seamlessly tucked into the wall for overnight guests.
"I have had the fire on when I've thrown a dinner party and it does make for a really wonderful feeling," Shonda said. "I've had people come and sit for hours, bottles and bottles of wine are gone through, and there's something about the way this room feels that makes people feel like it's just an open invitation and I love that."
She continued, "I'm sort of famous for having like a little bit of social anxiety and for some reason this room sort of takes it all away for me."
Stepping into the kitchen, complete with floral accents, Shonda explained that it's a spot where she spends a fair bit of time trying out new Italian recipes. "I'm a big fan of Italian cooking," she said. "Maybe I'm a little basic, but I'm a very big fan of pastas and lasagnas and risottos and things like that."
She added, "I'm still perfecting my recipes. I wouldn't say I'm the world's greatest cook, but I am getting pretty good."
Finally, the screenwriter let viewers have a peek at her "girls room" where her three daughters—Harper, Beckett and Emerson—stay when they visit.
Although Shonda admitted that she's struggling to get them to want to stay there permanently. "I'm dying to have kids who want to live in the city and be cosmopolitan city kids, yet I have country children," she joked. "We're working on it!"