Emily in Paris season two will make you fall more in love with the City of Light, and that's all thanks to production designer Anne Seibel.
In an exclusive chat with E! News, the Oscar-nominated art director revealed how exactly she brought Emily's Parisian world to life, including the American expat's stunning walk-up apartment. Seibel's secret? Blending Paris' real-life exquisite exteriors with studio sets.
For example, the interiors for Savoir, Emily's apartment and Gabriel's restaurant are all built sets, but plenty of the real Paris is included in the Lily Collins–led comedy.
In fact, while the interior of Emily's apartment is (wo)man-made for the show, Seibel confirmed that season one's notable spiral stairwell really exists out there in Paris. Though, even if you stumbled upon it, you might not recognize it.
"When we came there, I said, 'My god, they repainted the whole thing inside,'" she shared. "They must have made money on us."
Seibel's solution to the problem: "I built the stairs. I gave more stairs for the apartment to shoot in. It was fun for me." (Eagle-eyed fans, we dare you to find any inconsistencies between the original and the convincing replica.)
As for any criticism the show may get for its portrayal of Paris, Seibel made it clear that she is unbothered, noting with a little laugh, "We shot, in my mind, what the Americans like as Paris. Fantasy and romantic and fun and colorful."
Using the scripts as her source of inspiration, Seibel noted that she has searched through the iconic city "like Sherlock Holmes" in the hope of finding "unusual places." Ultimately, Seibel settled on the Left Bank—best known for its jazz music, the Latin quarter and historical sites—as the main location for Emily's life in the city of love.
Of course, Emily in Paris does leave the Left Bank from time to time, as this season featured an adventure to St. Tropez. Seibel said she and creator Darren Star wanted portray classic St. Tropez, which is known for exclusive beach clubs and Brigitte Bardot.
Apparently, the stunning hotel where the show filmed was found "by coincidence," and Seibel couldn't have been more pleased. "It's still a preserved Riviera hotel," she said. "It has not been completely redone in an international way."
And if Emily in Paris is renewed for a third season, Seibel is ready to take the cast to a different exciting locale. "Maybe [Emily] can go to the mountains...a lovely place in the Alps," she quipped. "I have to talk to Darren about it. Where does he want to go?"
Emily in Paris season two is now available on Netflix.