The locations are stunning. The decor is iconic. The rent is unrealistic
Nostalgia TV is back. Known for their canned laughter, quirky characters and iconic sets, TV shows from the 1990s and early 2000s are featured highly on today's 'must-watch lists' — and for interior aficionados, the real star to emerge from this throwback TV renaissance is the apartments, of course.
In fact, Google searches for Carrie Bradshaw, Jerry Seinfeld and the Friends apartments have all increased in the last month, and on social media, accounts like @seinfeld_ambience and @cozydigest are showing their love for the homes found in Seinfeld, Gilmore Girls, Sex and the City and more.
It's part of a wider interiors trend known as nostalgiacore, which uses vintage aesthetics to create a feeling of warmth and cosiness at home. But it isn’t just about looking backwards. Victoria Robinson, trend expert at Hillarys, tells us that the resurgence of interior design from shows like Friends and Sex and the City 'reflects a cultural shift from perfectionism to authenticity. In an era saturated with filters and Photoshop, the styles seen in these shows resonate because they embrace imperfection and individuality', she explains. TV apartments are as much a reflection of the characters as they are of any given design style. It's this individualism that makes them so appealing to viewers.
Are you obsessed with Carrie Bradshaw’s walk-in closet? Will you defend Monica Geller’s purple walls until you die? Have we all been overlooking the New Girl loft? In a world of TV apartments, only one can truly triumph. So, without further ado, here's our ultimate ranking of nostalgia TV's best apartments, from the charming but lacklustre to the seriously stylish.
Let's face it, JD and Turk’s apartment in Scrubs was never about the decor. These busy doctors aren’t worried about reconfiguring the apartment’s layout or replacing an old 1970s-style couch, and why would they when so much of their lives revolve around Sacred Heart? For that reason, we’ve had to put their apartment last on our list. Sure, it’s cosier than Dr Cox’s modern-industrial bachelor pad but it’s still an apartment that contains a stuffed dog. Carla hated Rowdy, and frankly, we do too.
Scrubs is available to watch on ITVX and Disney+
Up there as one of the more unrealistic apartments on this list, Ted and Marshall (unbelievably) moved into this apartment shortly after they graduated. When Lily moves in, she describes it as a ‘boy apartment – it's full of swords and video games and kind of smells like dude'. Though we love the apartment’s exposed brick and enviable rooftop, we have to take sides with Lily on this one. The red accents are a tad overwhelming, and the clutter is out of control. Between this and the fear of the cockamouse returning, we’re going to have to pass.
How I Met Your Mother is available to watch on Disney+
We know what you’re thinking. Where is the colour? Where is the art? How can Jerry's drab apartment not be lower down on the list? We get it; that blue sofa is doing a lot of work and, you’re right, it wouldn’t have killed Jerry to add a splash of colour. Nevertheless, there’s something so aesthetic about this apartment. From its chunky 90s sofa to its cool neutral palette, it manages to hit all the right nostalgic buttons. The aforementioned @seinfeld_ambience seems to understand this. There's a cosiness and simplicity to the apartment's 90s minimalism. As George says, ‘I like to feel cosy. You know, I have a very small apartment. I like to feel tucked in, nestled in.' This apartment will do just that.
Seinfeld is available to watch on Netflix UK
Just like the show’s heroine, Mindy’s New York apartment is romantic through and through. With decorative moulding, baroque chairs and glitzy chandeliers, it was made for someone destined to live out their own Jane Austen fantasy (Danny is Darcy and Jeremy is Wickham, right?). Yet because this is Mindy, her apartment also has its fair share of individuality. Colourful curtains and patterned cushions adorn the apartment, echoing the types of bold prints that Mindy likes to wear. All in all, the apartment is a modern romantic fantasy. It’s perfect for a character determined to live out a romcom-style existence.
The Mindy Project is available to watch on ITVX
Probably the most underrated of all TV apartments, the New Girl loft is an enviable example of industrial chic. The characters live in a converted factory in downtown Los Angeles, giving the apartment its exposed brick and wooden beams. The decor all revolves around a large mid-century leather sofa and is lit with industrial-style pendant lights. All this gives off the air of an effortlessly styled loft. We think this Craigslist apartment is an absolute steal, even if Nick won’t pay for 'the wiffy'.
New Girl is available to watch on Disney+
When Martin Crane looks around Frasier's apartment, he notes how 'nothing matches'. Frasier insists that the style is 'eclectic... the theory behind it is, if you've got really fine pieces of furniture, it doesn’t matter if they match – they will go together.' With a Le Corbusier lamp, Eames chair and sofa based on a model owned by Coco Chanel, Frasier's apartment would be many an interior designer’s dream. Ultimately, however, we feel that much like its protagonist, Frasier's apartment is a little too pretentious for its own good. Sure, it has that killer view of the Boston skyline, but its stuffiness stops it from ranking any higher on our list.
Frasier is available to watch on Channel 4 and Paramount+
On the surface, Carrie's apartment is a bit all over the place. With its mismatched furniture, eclectic artwork and messily stacked shelves, it doesn't automatically scream 'number two' on the list of TV's best apartments. Still, no one can deny that it's an effortlessly chic flat. We love the breathability of its open-plan concept, the mix of mid-century furniture and the fearless layering of contrasting patterns. In many ways, the apartment is much like Carrie herself – slightly chaotic but always stylish. The ultimate It Girl’s apartment is certainly worthy of this spot. As Carrie Bradshaw herself said, 'Beauty is fleeting, but a rent-controlled apartment overlooking the park is forever.' We tend to agree.
Sex and the City is available to watch on Sky Comedy and NOW
With its vintage posters, floral curtains and kitsch knick-knacks, Monica’s apartment in Friends is truly a masterclass in shabby chic. When it came to sourcing the decor for the show, set decorator Greg Grande would turn to thrift stores and flea markets, leading to an aesthetic which Vogue would call 'flea-chic'. Its purple walls, painted in Benjamin Moore's Persian Violet 1419, made the show instantly recognisable and now, those same walls are an iconic part of TV history. Ultimately, Monica's apartment embodies everything we love about nostalgia TV. It's cosy, warm, idealistic and aesthetically pleasing, and for that reason, it has to take the top spot.
Friends is available to watch on Netflix UK
Sophie Newlands earns runner-up spot on IDM
Winner of BBC's IDM revealed
Emmely defends bold designs on Interior Design Masters
Meet the Interior Design Masters 2026 finalists
