Castle’s Set Design

When I am not watching Frasier I normally love to watch mystery shows. Castle is one of my favorites from that category. Its a light and funny show that has a cute story line balanced off with murder mysteries that need to be solved on each episode.

 The “Ruggedly Handsome” Richard Castle played by Nathan Fillion, is a famous mystery writer who is brilliant and has a witty sense of humor. When the NYPD asks him to consult in a case where there were a series of murders staged to imitate crime scenes from his books, Castle was more than happy to help find this copycat killer. However while he was consulting them Castle found inspiration in Detective Kate Beckett played by Stana Katic. She was the perfect muse to base his new novels on!.

   Once that initial case was solved, Castle and Beckett continued to investigate crimes in New York, combining Castle’s witty and creative approach to crimes and Beckett’s impressive detective skills. I won’t say more ( don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t watched it yet) besides we are here today to talk about the set design! More specifically Castle’s Manhattan penthouse which he shares with his mother and teenage daughter.

The set is designed by Claire Kaufman SDSA and Alfred Sole. You can check some of their other works in the link… But I must say that Richard Castle’s apartment is their best work.

There are many things in his apartment that might not be to your taste or style, however I think that the layout of the apartment and the layout of the furniture is what makes this design a success!. It is modern and masculine yet its so cozy …It feels like home!

Its a two floor penthouse. This is the layout of the first floor where the main living areas are. Castle’s office and bedroom are on this floor too. His mother and daughter each have their own bedroom on the 2nd floor.

Besides the fact that Castle’s office room is a book lovers dream (with all those books) It has a great flow to the bedroom. The apartment is truly designed for a writer!

 The main focal point of the room of course is the “Lucee Charlemagne Staircase, Down View” I think that its a smart choice from the designer because it added depth to the room especially when you are looking in from the living room.

Here is a view from the opposite direction, looking towards the living room. I love how the spaces open into each other yet each space feels so cozy.

The bedroom feels like a secret room. It is hidden behind the built-in bookcases and a steel door. Very appropriate for our mystery writer don’t you think?

My Favorite feature in Castle’s bedroom is this beautiful photograph of Linus the lion. In an episode Castle said that he bought it from his first paycheck of his first novel and that they have been friends ever since!

The Catroux Style

One of my main inspirations for my personal style as well as my home style has been this single picture you see above of Betty Catroux taken in her home in Paris in the 70’s.  The apartment was designed by her husband François…. That picture to me is everything. It could have easily been taken in the 70s, 80s, 90s or even today…. Catroux’s interiors from the 70s remain timeless because he knew how to mix the modern classics with warm or rustic pieces of furniture in a modern yet eclectic way.

Recently Catroux redid their apartment … I am not sure whether it was a full renovation or he just added on to the apartment because I recognize a lot of art work and furniture pieces from their 70s pictures that I came across on the net!.. I love that I can’t tell exactly what he did and where he did it… the revamped apartment feels like its continuing their story rather than trying to make a new one!

Here’s the living room, do you see what I mean? It looks so eclectic and modern. Again this could easily be a Catroux apartment from the 70s, 80s, 90s or even today!…

As always he not only mixed styles and periods but layered them in a way only he could do!  There are pieces that the couple had for decades, such as the rustic colossal African mask and the 1995 portrait of Betty by Philippe de Lustrac.

I just love Betty’s office. François designed the built-in cabinetry all around the room. I love that she put a casual photograph of her late best friend Yves Saint Laurent in front of another photograph.

The painting above the sofa is by Emmanuel Gondouin from the 1930s. That Noguchi coffee table is one of my favorite tables. It’s so timeless and so fit for this beautiful library. 

Even though that first picture will still be closer to my style than the current apartment, this is still my favorite home. It’s my favorite home for many reasons ( which I stated above) but mainly because it’s simply a home of a couple who have been married for 50 years (1968) who with the new renovations seems to be looking forward to living together for many years to come!