The interiors of the Arconia apartments are certainly worth emulating, so here are some decor ideas inspired by Only Murders in the Building!
“Embrace the mess. That’s where the good stuff lives.”
Living in an apartment building where people keep getting murdered sounds like a nightmare, but if that building is the Arconia, you might be drawn in by the interiors!
The Arconia is a high-rise building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and is the setting for the crime/comedy series, Only Murders in the Building. Premiering in 2021, this amazing series has been nominated for several awards, including the Emmy, the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild and others.
While the Arconia is a fictional building, it is inspired by a real building called the Belnord, constructed in Manhattan in 1909. However, it’s what lies inside the apartments of the building that we’re really interested in!
Decor Ideas Inspired by Only Murders in the Building
The show’s production designer, Patrick Howe, has done an extraordinary job in designing all the apartments of the Arconia, and his work has been so good that it’s got him multiple awards, including an Emmy and the Set Decorators Society of America award!
The designers have imagined modern apartments in a historic building and brought them to life on the sets of Only Murders in the Building. There is no one style – each apartment is a reflection of its inhabitant, and has a story all its own.
Many of the characters’ apartments have become quite popular, especially those of Charles Haden-Savage, Oliver Putnam, Mabel Mora, Bunny Folger and Loretta Durkin. Let’s look at some of their design features!
Richly patterned wallpaper
One of the first things you’ll notice in almost all the apartments of the Arconia is the richly patterned wallpaper used everywhere. Nearly every apartment has walls that are completely covered in patterned paper, and the best part is that each apartment’s wallpaper matches the inhabitant!
Oliver’s entryway has a dark, floral wallpaper, and his dining area has a gorgeous print that looks like the stage of a theatre – a nod to his years in the industry! Ben Glenroy’s walls have a snake-like pattern, which hints at his television character ‘CoBro’, the cobra superhero. Loretta has 7 different wallpaper patterns in her tiny studio, while Charles uses wallpaper as a way to separate his dining area from the kitchen.
Fascinating art
Just like the wallpaper, the art in each apartment of the Arconia is a wonderful representation of each character. For instance, Charles loves more modern, contemporary art, and he’s got them up on his wall along with his framed record covers.
Oliver prefers framing Broadway posters and creating gallery walls with them. The women go a different route – Loretta has feminist art by women artists, most probably thrifted. Mabel is an artist, so she puts up her own sketches or does a massive mural – featuring the stars of the Arconia!
Accent chairs
All the apartments in the Arconia have some amazing furniture, with each piece telling a story of its own. One thing that you can’t help notice is the abundance of stylish accent chairs, in different materials and styles.
Charles has upholstered steel cantilever chairs from the 1970s, while Oliver has a couple of fluffy green armchairs along with a vintage-style chair with armrests. Ben Glenroy and Vince Fish have regal leather chairs that make a statement by themselves.
Striped upholstery
Stripes are a classic, and it’s amazing how different they can look depending on the colors and the width of the stripes! Charles’ living room has a blue-grey color scheme, so his striped sofa features these colors, and they have a narrow stripe that is more sophisticated.
On the other hand, Mabel’s old couch had wider stripes in orange and yellow, giving it a more vintage, warmer vibe. Loretta’s striped couch and armchair have a mix of stripe widths and little flowers, a representation of her more feminine personality. How cool is it that a single pattern can look so different?
Colorful tiles
If you’ve seen Only Murders in the Building, you can’t miss the tile in Charles’ kitchen – yes, the very tile where Sazz fell after getting shot. The tragedy aside, the tile pattern is quite a cheerful one, and perfectly ties together the bright orange wallpaper and peacock blue kitchen.
There are more fun tile patterns across the show’s episodes, including a fun pattern in Sazz’s home. The interesting thing is that this pattern is not on top of the steps, but on the front sides! This is a great way to add some color to a neutral space.
Intricate details
Some of the apartments in the Arconia have an Art Deco style, especially in parts of Oliver’s and Vince’s apartments. You’ll find intricate details like carvings and mouldings on furniture, fireplaces and even ceilings.
The best part is that these beautiful details can be done on multiple kinds of materials – wood and iron, as you can see in the show. These look great against the rich wallpaper and deep tones, giving that rich, moody vibe.
Dark tones
Yes, the events that transpire in the Arconia are certainly dark, and that’s probably why there is an overall dark tone to the show’s scenes, giving them a deep, moody feel. You’ll notice many examples of this, especially in the use of dark-toned wood for the furniture and panelling in many apartments.
Besides this, dark florals are prominent, along with deep tones like maroon, emerald, navy and coffee in wallpaper, furnishings and drapes. It adds to the heaviness in the air, despite all the humour and smart dialogues.
Blue-green kitchens
Many of our podcast trio’s discussions happen around Charles’ breakfast table, which means you can’t help but notice his gorgeous peacock blue kitchen! The colour is all around, on the cabinets and the island, creating a bold statement that contrasts with a white countertop.
The blue-green theme extends to other kitchens too. Loretta’s little kitchen has sage green cabinets with a wooden countertop, while Mabel’s new apartment has a white countertop and teal blue all over her cabinets – and even her refrigerator!
Beautiful chandeliers
If you like chandeliers, you’ll love drooling over the many gorgeous chandeliers in the various Arconia apartments. Many of these have an antique look, especially the ones in Oliver’s apartment. Bunny has an interesting chandelier in a 3D geometric style, that occupies the center space in her living area.
Charles has a fun metallic chandelier in his living room, with a spider-arm style that has a contemporary look that goes perfectly well with the overall decor style of his home. Along with wall sconces and table lamps, the chandeliers create a lovely golden glow.
Decorative mirrors
Since the residents of the Arconia have such awesome taste in art and love decorating their walls, it’s no wonder that they would hang up the occasional mirror or two!
Mabel has a fun, curved mirror in a very interesting shape that looks good against the geometric-design wallpaper. Charles also features a mirror in his living room that sits between his windows. But my favourite is certainly the gorgeous golden mirror in Oliver’s entryway – it is a sure showstopper!
Gorgeous rugs
When you’re watching Only Murders in the Ceiling, most of our attention goes to the walls and sometimes to the ceiling, but the floors deserve the spotlight too!
Nearly every apartment in the Arconia has large rugs that occupy quite a lot of space, especially in the living room. Some of them have pretty patterns, while others are plain. The rug patterns are like the wallpaper – they match the personality of the person living there!
Personal artefacts
In the show, whenever someone dies, our investigators usually go far back, learning all about the victim’s life. In a way, the show celebrates people’s life journeys, and you can see this in the way the apartments are decorated. Each apartment has many little items that are a direct reflection of the inhabitant, or even of the actor playing the role!
Take Bunny Folger’s apartment – it has rabbit-themed tiles, decor and even cute little rabbit figurines – a nod to the owner’s name! Ben Glenroy is a celebrity, and his apartment features photos of him in different phases of life, as well as paraphernalia from his acting journey. Oliver’s apartment is full of posters from his Broadway career, and a dramatic grand piano in the middle of his home!
There is actually so much more to talk about, especially since the Arconia has so many amazing apartments. However, I’ve picked some of the most prominent things I’ve noticed, and I’m sure you must have noticed them too! If you’d like to create that dark, moody but stylish vibe in your space, you know what to do next!
This post is a part of Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026.
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