If walls could speak: The most iconic homes from film and TV

There's nothing more transporting or evocative than peering into the homes of others - and this is still the case when you're watching a TV show or a movie.

From meeting Carrie Bradshaw on the steps of her NYC brownstone to taking tea with the Dowager Countess at Downton Abbey, sometimes the location is just as iconic as the characters.

Whisk yourself away to a world of palatial country manors, luxurious city flats and more iconic homes from the world of TV and film.

The most iconic homes from film and TV - and their real-life locations

Carrie Bradshaw's apartment

That night I got to thinking... of Carrie Bradshaw's perfect city dwelling.

We often see Sex and the City's stylish protagonist gazing out on the streets of NYC from her window, and her apartment truly became like an additional character in the iconic series.

The front door - the sight of many a kiss, and sometimes a blazing row with Mr Big - is an Instagram hotspot, with fans flocking to the real-life location of 64 Perry Street in the West Village of Manhattan.

Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)

Perhaps a bit out of most people's budget, Highclere Castle stood in as the majestic Downton Abbey, the family home of the fictional aristocratic Crawley family.

During the series (and the movies), Downton saw a lot of scandals, hilarious one-liners and sweeping romance.

In reality, Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679. Located in Hampshire, fans can book to get a tour of the castle.

Home Alone

After it was released in 1990, Home Alone quickly became part of the festive culture - watched every Christmas by families all around the globe. And just as iconic as the quotable lines and characters is the obsession with the magnificent home the McCallisters own. Just HOW did they afford such a building?!

In real life, the red-brick Georgian home is located in Winnetka, a suburb of Chicago, and last went on sale in 2024 where it attracted a buyer around the £4.1 million mark. The house was built in 1920 in the Georgian colonial style and boasts 5,398 square feet of space, 10 bedrooms, and five baths.

The Bridgerton home

From its very first series, Bridgerton has cast a spell on romance-starved viewers, captivated by the blend of modern sensibilities with old-fashioned balls and glamour.

Acting as the Bridgerton family's home in the popular Netflix series is Ranger's House in Greenwich, South East London.

The Georgian villa has previously been home to Princess Augusta, the sister of King George III. Today, it acts as a museum and an attraction.

The Friends building

While Friends might be synonymous with New York, the all-time iconic sitcom was largely shot on a soundstage in Los Angeles.

So, Monica's dreamy, airy apartment wasn't a real address, alas. However, the exterior of the apartment which features heavily throughout the show's ten seasons - and is where they all, at one time, live, is real!

A tourist hotspot in Manhattan, the building can be found at 90 Bedford Street, at the corner of Grove Street in Greenwich Village.

Grace and Frankie's beach house

A massive factor of Netflix's smash hit series, Grace and Frankie - apart from the titanic talent of stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin - was its idyllic location.

Finding fulfilment in their twilight years, 70+ friends Grace and Frankie get up to all sorts of antics at their dreamy beach house.

While some of the interiors were designed for the show, the exterior shots were actually filmed on location at Broad Beach in Malibu. The home was designed by architect Steve Giannetti.

Hocus Pocus

Tourists hoping for some witchy magic in Salem will probably make the house at 318 Essex Street a must-see on their trip.

It is the house used in the 1993 cult favourite Hocus Pocus, which starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy.

Not only is the classic-looking house real, people can visit - today it is open as a museum.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air mansion

In West Philadelphia born and raised...

We already know you're finishing the song because The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was a defining show of the 1990s.

Streetwise Will Smith gets sent to live with his wealthy family in Bel Air, and the house does not disappoint. The impressive structure is real, but it's not in Bel Air - it's in the, perhaps even more exclusive, neighbourhood of Brentwood in California.

Cameron Diaz’s home, The Holiday

2006's The Holiday has become as much a part of the Christmas season as presents and turkey. Fans watch and fall in love time and time again with the old English charm of Kate Middleton's cottage and the glamorous, exciting glamour of Cameron Diaz's California mansion.

If you find yourself in the area and fancy a snoop, the address is 1883 Orlando Rd., San Marino, CA 91108.

Chatsworth House (Pride and Prejudice, 2005)

In the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley and Succession's Matthew Macfadyen, Chatsworth House was used as Pemberley, the home of Mr Darcy.

Chatsworth House is a Grade I listed estate in the Derbyshire Dales that has been owned by the Cavendish family since the 17th century.

Rumour has it that Jane Austen might have beat them all to it, having actually based Pemberley on Chatsworth. She was staying six miles away in Bakewell when she wrote her iconic novel.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Diane Lane was the envy of women everywhere in 2003 when she lived out something of a fantasy - packing in a bad relationship and fed up with the routine of life, she bought a run down villa in Tuscany and renovates it.

The villa used in the film actually exists, and like the film, it is set in Cortona, a small village south of Arezzo.

That's where you'll find the real life Villa Bramasole houses, as well as the Piazza Signorelli which is where Diane Lane's character makes friends with the likes of Lindsay Duncan's eccentric Katharine.

The Psycho home

Ok, ok. Bear with us on this one.

While it's not exactly the setting of romance and fantasy, the home from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of the most iconic buildings to ever appear in film.

And you can visit it. Sort of. The original façade still exists at Universal Studios in Hollywood, where guests can look upon it and feel uneasy via studio tours.

Cheaper by the Dozen

Remaking the 1950 classic, 2003's Cheaper by the Dozen starred the likes of Steve Martin and Hilary Duff as part of a huge family - one big enough to even rival the Kardashians.

A big family needs a bigger home, and the gorgeous Victorian style house they all called home is a real-life home. Built in the 1890s is situated in a Los Angeles neighbourhood at 357 Lorraine Boulevard in Windsor Square, and after the movie was made, celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D bought it.

Sleepless in Seattle

Grieving widower - and single father - Tom Hanks made romantic-comedy history in 1993 when he sat on the porch of his houseboat and spilled his heart to a radio doctor.

One of the listeners who heard his story was Meg Ryan, who made it her mission to meet the man behind the story. And... love happens.

While the love story might be fictional, the stylish houseboat upon which Tom Hanks made his iconic call is real. The home is based on the banks of Lake Union, was built in 1978 and has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths.

The Golden Girls

Thank you for being a friend... The timeless Golden Girls is beloved by all generations, who, quite frankly, would do anything to have a slice of cheesecake around the kitchen table with the girls.

Their cosy, Miami home - with its famous lanai - was not actually in Miami. The real building used for the exterior is located in Brentwood, California.

Lorelai’s house, Gilmore Girls

Any Gilmore Girls fan has dreamt of walking around the quaint small town of Stars Hollow and ending up at Lorelai and Rory's charming home.

Sadly, neither one actually exists. But you can visit Lorelai's home, which is at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Hollywood.

While Stars Hollow isn't real, either, it was reportedly inspired by real towns including Washington, Connecticut.

The Playboy Mansion

Appearing in reality shows like The Girls Next Door and scripted shows like Sex and the City, the Playboy Mansion is one of the most iconic homes ever made.

The former home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017, the palatial manor sits on 5.3 acres of land and has 29 rooms.

In September 2017, the legendary property was sold to an unidentified buyer for $17.25 million.

Will & Grace's Upper West Side apartment

For anyone who's ever lived in a city like New York, Will & Grace's home is the ideal.

Spacious, with a balcony, open-plan kitchen and massive living space, properties like this aren't easy to come by...

... which makes sense. The apartment was actually on a soundstage in Los Angeles.

However, the exterior and building it's based on is real, Riverside Drive in the Upper West Side.

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad was a true TV phenomenon, winning countless awards and making a permanent antihero in Walter White.

The home based on Walter's is real, and the residents have had issues with fans turning up. So we won't share the full address here, but, like in the show, it is in a New Mexico suburb.

Father of the Bride

In Father of the Bride, the 1991 remake of a classic Elizabeth Taylor film, Steve Martin is basically living the American Dream.

Happy family. Stable job. And massive, perfect suburban family home.

The huge home is real, and can be found in Pasadena, California.

The Cullen's home, Twilight

The stylish, good-natured vampires of Twilight swapped the dusty basements of Dracula and previous vampires for this ultra-modern home.

A real home - the modern house is located in Portland, Oregon, and was built in 2007.

Something’s Gotta Give

Film director Nancy Meyers is celebrated for the interiors in her films - and her choice of idyllic settings was never better than with 2003's Something's Gotta Give.

From Diane Keaton's open-plan kitchen, the huge windows in her writing study and the nearby beach, it was truly a home to dream about.

Sex Education

Starring Gillian Anderson, Netflix had a smash hit with the unconventional teen comedy, Sex Education, which focused on a teenage son coaching his schoolmates through plenty of sex and body related issues.

Funny and heart-warming, the series also drew plenty of attention for Gillian Anderson's paradise of a home in the show. Surrounded by acres of Herefordshire nature, the huge lodge is a real life location, and has an Instagram dedicated to it (perfect for escapist home fantasies).

Emily and Richard Gilmore’s home, Gilmore Girls

Many of the locations in Gilmore Girls are, sadly, not real. But the old-fashioned, old-moneyed home of Richard and Emily Gilmore is!

While the 1923 French Provincial revival-style mansion is meant to be based in Connecticut in the series, the mansion is located in Pasadena in real life.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

From Audrey Hepburn's iconic black dress to the timeless soundtrack, Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of the most stylish movies ever made.

And part of that style is thanks to Holly Golightly's old-world New York apartment. Set in a row of classic brownstone buildings, it evokes the old money glamour of a bygone era.

The location of Holly's brownstone is 169 East 71st Street, between Third and Lexington Avenues in the famed Upper East Side of Manhattan. It's now owned by luxury travel company Inspirato and subscribers of the premium service can book the iconic apartment for their stays in the Big Apple.

It’s Complicated

Nancy Meyers, director of films like Something's Gotta Give and The Holiday, has such a well-known knack for finding and designing the perfect homes, the 'Nancy Meyers aesthetic' has become a genre in itself.

Once again proving her prowess in choosing an iconic setting, 2009's It's Complicated had viewers lusting after the Spanish-style hacienda-inspired home of Meryl Streep. With a massive, open kitchen, sprawling garden and a charming exterior, the house was real - it was built in the 1920s and was reportedly once owned by actor W.C. Fields.

Yellowstone

Yellowstone was the rare TV event which captivated all demographics, and had people who might not be typical cowboy fans caught up in the epic, western drama.

Fighting over the sprawling land and gorgeous ranch, the fictional home in Yellowstone is actually real - it's a working cattle ranch where guests can pay to stay.

The location is Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana.

Alnwick Castle (Hogwarts)

While not quite a home, Hogwarts was a sanctuary for Harry Potter and his wizarding friends in the iconic film franchise.

With magical castles being in short supply in reality, filmmakers turned to the history of old England. Alnwick Castle was used for exterior shots of Hogwarts.

Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England, having been home to the Duke of Northumberland for over 700 years.

Cranborne Manor

When Netflix made a stylish adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel, Rebecca, in 2020, they relied on the glamour and excess of England's country homes to capture the mysterious Manderley.

Cranborne Manor was used for shots of Manderley. The manor, in Dorset, is a Grade I listed building that was originally built as a hunting lodge for King John in the 12th century.

The Notebook

First things first, sadly Ryan Gosling didn't construct this house by himself, as he does in The Notebook.

But the stunning, old-fashioned home is very much real.

In real life it spans 4,255 square feet and is just one of 18 homes on Martins Point Plantation, a 900-acre private community.

Practical Magic

There's a rather popular meme which states, "Girls just want one thing: the house from Practical Magic." And it's not hard to agree with the sentiment.

Home to a family of witches who love love, midnight margaritas and sisterhood, fans were obsessed with the Victorian manor.

It was purpose-built on San Juan Island, Washington for the film, and designers Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch were inspired by Victorian homes, East Coast lighthouses, and late-19th-century scrollwork.

The Holiday cottage

2006's The Holiday is one of the most beloved romantic films ever - and fans were particularly taken with Cameron Diaz abandoning the modernity of California for the charm of a quaint cottage in a sleepy English hamlet.

Sadly, Kate Winslet's Rosehill Cottage which Cameron Diaz temporarily moves into doesn't exist. The exteriors were built for the film, and the interiors were film sets.