Written by Jacques Palumbo, CNN
Star producer Shonda Rhymes has proven himself a mastermind in the creation of shiny TV hits such as “Gray’s Anatomy”, “Scandal” and “Bridgerton”, but a look at her apartment on the Upper East Side in New York shows that she can also have an eye for gorgeous design.
The convent, which includes a brightly decorated living room and a royal dining-library, was decorated by Michael C. Smith, with whom she had previously collaborated at a home in Los Angeles. But this space, Rhimes explained in the April issue of Architectural Digest, mainly functions as a refuge for her working life.
I went into this with the thought, “If I didn’t have children, I didn’t have responsibilities, what space would I create?” She recalled. “Obviously we included the things that were necessary for the children – mothers can never think selfishly – but it was really exciting for me.”
Shonda Rhymes’ royal post in New York was decorated by interior designer Michael C. Smith. Credit: Architectural digest
The mother of three and head of production company Shondaland, most recently, recently brought the limited series “Inventing Anna” on Netflix, based on the true story of Anna Delvi, a fraudulent woman making her way to the top of New York’s cultural environment. But when Rhimes bought the apartment, she delved into the production of Bridgerton, the hot drama of the London period, which will now enter its second season on Netflix. The influence of the 19th century public show can be seen in the romantic and regal notes around the space, such as the charming gilded mirror in her living room, combined with lush garden-themed wallpaper and bold yellow curtains.
“I was immersed in the romance of Bridgerton for a while, so it had to affect some of the things I was thinking about,” Rhimes told Architectural Digest. “Everything spills over into everything else. If you think about these books that we’re turning into a series, then it inevitably spills over into what the apartment will look like, which inevitably spills over into what’s written in the scripts – it’s all kind of spinning together. “
“I was immersed in the romance of Bridgerton for a while, so it had to affect some of the things I was thinking about,” Rhimes said. Credit: Architectural digest
Meanwhile, the light-soaked master bedroom is made up of cool gray blue and neutral – a gentle palette that contrasts with the liveliness of the common areas.
“It was smaller than some of the places I looked at, but I understood right away,” she said. “There is this enveloping terrace and the light that came in was amazing. It felt like a place where even in the middle of the city, you felt like you were in your own little refuge.
Throughout the apartment, Smith and Rhymes have mixed antiques with modern furniture, such as a painted late 18th-century Italian chest under a sun-like chandelier by RW Russell. And as for the art and art books that fill her home, Rhimes collects important works by black luminaries, including Huey Lee-Smith and Walter Henry Williams Jr.
Rhimes explained that Smith included “beautiful little nooks” and other spaces for her to sit and write, calm down, or watch the world outside her windows.
Rhimes uses space to invent the bold, drama-filled stories he is known for producing. Credit: Architectural digest
“There’s a double-sided desk where I can work or look out the window and watch something,” she said. “I mostly look at other people’s roofs or balconies and wonder what’s going on. It helps when you’re trying to imagine stories in your head. I live with these characters.”
Referring to her creative process, Rhimes said: “I spend a lot of time in my head – a lot of time in my imagination, a lot of time when it seems like I can be quiet and still, but I’m actually telling stories,” she said. “So (Smith) knows that it’s important for me to have rooms and spaces to sit and think, to have new places to move, to activate my brain sometimes. I’m building a whole kind of universe in my mind, but I’m also trying to come up with a series. It’s not just two hours, it’s not just 30 minutes; sometimes it’s 18 seasons. You really need time and space to think about it. “