If you loved the loft shared by Jess and her friends, you will enjoy going through these decor ideas inspired by New Girl!

“It’s a weird life, but it’s where I’m at right now.”

There was a time when every young adult woman wanted to be Jess Day from New Girl. I mean, who wouldn’t want a fun wardrobe, entertaining friends, gorgeous hair, and of course, a wonderful apartment loft?

The show that premiered in 2011 was a big hit and lasted seven seasons. At the center of this show was Jess’ Los Angeles loft, which she shared with three roommates, all men.

The loft is in a converted 1900s factory in the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles. This gives the place an interesting architecture, with features like exposed brick, which makes it the perfect canvas for Jess and her friends’ adventures!

Decor Ideas Inspired by New Girl

The loft where New Girl was shot is quite a large space, with an open layout and four bedrooms. Practically speaking, there is no way Jess and her roommates could afford that space in L.A.!

The show’s production designer Michael Whetstone and set decorator Jane Shirkes did not cover up the early 20th-century architectural elements of the apartment. In fact, they celebrated these features, combining them with a vintage, bohemian vibe that matches the personalities of all four occupants – all of whom are quite different!

Neutral basics

One of the first things you’ll notice about the apartment in New Girl is that it’s awash with neutrals. The reason you feel that is because all the basics are in neutral colors like beiges and browns – flooring, rugs, and large furniture.

Take the iconic leather sectional in the living room, for example. It’s where the gang hangs out, and it is in a beautiful brown that matches the vibe perfectly. Even Cece’s apartment shows the same colors, even in smaller accessories like boxes, ottomans and lampshades.

Bold blue paint

If you wanted a bright color to break up the neutrals, blue is a great choice! The apartment’s kitchen walls are a stunning deep blue, and the open shelves stand out beautifully against them.

Jess’ bedroom walls have a different type of blue; they are more of a solid turquoise that goes quite well with the exposed brick wall. This is definitely a bold choice, but it’s the perfect pick for Jess’ eclectic personality, and is also a warm, welcoming shade, just like Jess!

Open shelving

Jess’ apartment loft has an open layout, and the living area is delineated by shelves, which line up against the backs of the leather sectional. Open shelves abound elsewhere in the apartment, including long shelves in the kitchen, and mini open-shelf bookcases in Jess’ room.

While open shelves can be dust magnets, they are useful in ensuring that all your stuff is on display, which means you’ll use it – which is probably why Jess’ craft supplies are on open shelving! They’re also a great way to show off your precious possessions or DIY creations, again, like Jess!

Vintage furniture

Jess starts out as a public school teacher, which means she can’t afford lots of brand-new, expensive furniture. As a result, it’s natural that she’d go hunting in flea markets, vintage stores or second-hand shops. Naturally, this would end up in an eclectic collection of pieces from different places, creating a very curated look!

Some of the unique vintage pieces on the show are Jess’ swivel chair and green desk, Nick’s office desk, or the liquor cabinet. The fact that they’re all mismatched gives the apartment a lovely, thrifted vibe that has its own charm.

Industrial elements

Jess’ L.A. loft has large windows with black panes, which is a characteristic of the industrial decor style. Since this loft is in a converted factory building, it’s natural for it to have industrial architectural elements like this, as well as high ceilings and exposed brick and concrete.

Industrial decor elements are considered to be masculine, and this combines beautifully with the more feminine accents that Jess brings with her colors, patterns and textures. This just goes on to show that no matter what your home’s basic architecture is, you can still mix in other styles to create your own vibe!

Natural textures

One of the things that makes any space interesting is the mix of textures. The apartment in New Girl has lots of natural textures all over the place.

We have the exposed brick and concrete to begin with, and then we have a leather couch, sisal rugs, soft cushions, fluffy bedding, heavy metal chairs, wooden furniture and iron shelves. Add to this the many crafts that Jess makes out of wool and yarn, and you have quite the texture explosion!

DIY supplies display

If you’ve seen the show, you know that Jess is a serious DIY-er. She knits, sews, and crochets, while also making all kinds of other things with her craft supplies. It’s only natural that she’d have all these things out on display!

Not only does this give her easy access to her yarns and things, but it also provides some lovely pops of colour and natural texture to the space. It’s a great way to give a room a bohemian vibe and lots of interest, especially if you also display your finished creations!

Pops of red and orange

Color therapy states that coral is a great complementary color for turquoise. This is probably why Jess’ room features lots of red and orange accents to complement her gorgeous turquoise walls!

From her dresser to her swivel chair to her wall art, shades of red and orange are scattered across her room, which don’t just add interest but also prevent the turquoise from swallowing up the room. They’re also a great representation of her cheerful personality!

Personalized bed walls

Jess and her roommates – Nick, Schmidt and Winston – are different individuals with very different personalities and interests, so it’s only natural that their rooms reflect these differences. The best representation of this is the way they’ve decorated the walls behind their beds.

Jess has a gallery wall behind her bed, with a mix of floral and geometric art – an indication of her feminine and kitschy personality. Nick loves his music, so you’ll find lots of posters on his bed wall. But the most striking bed wall is probably Winston’s, which has a massive erotic alien mural on it!

Task lighting

When you have a large, open space, it is crucial to plan your lighting well, so there is enough light for all your activities in all parts of the apartment. This is probably why task lighting plays such an important role in all rooms of the loft.

The dining table and the kitchen island have large pendant lights hanging over them. The kitchen shelves have lights installed under them, and even the bathroom sinks have lights over them! All the lights are pretty basic, with functionality taking precedence over looks.

Mismatched items

As mentioned earlier, most of the items in the apartment have a thrifted vibe, as if they were collected from different places over time. And when you do that, you are bound to end up with mismatched sets of everything, which is actually quite nice!

Jess’ bed has lots of cushions piled on it, with each cushion having a different print and pattern, making it obvious that they were all individually sourced, or DIY-ed by Jess. The dining table has chairs in different styles and colours, and somehow, it all fits together nicely!

Quirky elements

When you live with an eclectic personality like Jess, it’s natural for your space to be filled with knick-knacks of various kinds. And if your roommate is a crafty person, then you’ll also have the pleasure of seeing lots of handmade items everywhere!

Jess displays her little kitschy items on her desk and shelves, but she also hangs some on the wall, including on a spool-shaped rack. And it’s not just Jess’ stuff – the entryway also features a red and black bicycle hanging on the wall!

Most of us millennials remember the fun days of watching New Girl when it first released, and that’s why it’s still worth a rewatch today! And thanks to this post, you can include some of her apartment’s decor ideas in your own home, so you get a space that truly reflects your personality, quirks and all!

This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026.

Click on any letter below to read the other posts in this series:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z