AD’s Open Door: 10 Episodes to Inspire Your Next Interior Design Project

Celebrities’ homes have always been a subject of fascination among the public. And no one does it better than Architectural Digest’s YouTube series, Open Door. The show has been going on for 10 years, and even then, there’s always something new that will capture the attention or even go viral.

It’s not so crazy to suggest that some of these videos have served as inspiration for real estate and interior design projects all over the world. But, out of the 142 episodes of Open Door, here are 10 that we think stand out from the group.

Dakota Johnson’s House That is Dakota Herself

In all of AD’s years documenting celebrity homes, they never reached a peak higher than when Dakota Johnson had them over. The actress’ eclectic pad became viral as much as her very real way of touring and describing her house. “These are…some stairs,” she said while leading the film crew to a hot tub.

Nonetheless, this house is probably the best example of when an amalgam of inspirations come together. Equal parts new age, beatnik, hipster, and Mediterranean, Dakota Johnson’s home is definitely her creation.

No to Rockstar Life in Travis Barker’s Homeground

With an abundance of space and a lack of unnecessary noise, Travis Barker’s home is the furthest thing from his life as Blink 182’s drummer. And while he had his interior designer do all the work while he was away on tour, he loved the redesigning so much that he’s stuck with it ever since. The art doodads, what few of them are there, are perfectly placed to make one appreciate all the space around them.

Also, unlike most celebrities, Travis bought the house 16 years ago and it has remained his abode ever since. It goes to show that your home, the one home that you love, can keep you grounded amidst the chaos of life.

Neil Patrick Harris’s Brownstone and a Celebration of the Roaring ‘20s

NPH’s brownstone home is a complete departure from the minimalist, zen houses that have come to define this age’s aesthetic. There’s so many turn-of-the-century things, but the place never seemed like it’s too packed. We would have noticed it because the cameraman would struggle to move.

But, the highlight of the house is the parlour that seems to be an ode to the opulence of the 1920s, when railroad barons and heirs of railroad barons made use of their enormous wealth to party. They have a full bar, with tap, right in the center of the parlour, which says more about them than anything else in their house.

A Southern Hemisphere Paradise, by Lenny Kravitz

This is an Open Door episode that could have used an extra hour. Lenny Kravitz’s home in Brazil is a real-life sanctuary. The place is a working farm, so its residents (including Lenny) will never want fresh food as long as the farm is working. What little we saw of the main house exudes the qualities that made Lenny the star he is: creative, calm, and colorful. And he has Ingrid Bergman’s transparent piano.

Naomi Campbell’s Kenya Home is African Opulence

Naomi Campbell, eternal supermodel, has a home in Kenya that is so beautiful in its combination of traditional African architecture and western-inspired interiors that it seems like a place where royalty resides. The living room she introduced at the beginning of the video has a pool opposite it, should Naomi or any friend of hers gets bored or hot. It’s the first of probably 15 magnificent things about her house.

This place is so fitting of Naomi Campbell’s standing in the world of fashion and pop culture, a queen.

Cara Delevingne’s Alice in Wonderland Abode

Nothing describes this crazy house better than how Cara Delevingne put it: “the theme is Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.”

Without seeing the video, try to decide whether it’s a real house or not based on these things that Cara may or may not have said:

• “Shoe cupboard”
• “Vagina Tunnel”
• “Adult playhouse”
• “Rotisserie chicken thing”
• “Scoot from my bedroom to the kitchen”
• “David Bowie shrine”

Tommy Hilfiger. That’s It, That’s the Description

Tommy Hilfiger’s Open Door video is one of the few that has in the title the value of the property. It really shows. The apartment is in The Plaza, and the building overlooks the entire length of Central Park in New York. This is what you can do if you’re the namesake of one of the most revered fashion houses in the world.

More than anything, though, the house has an Americana feel to it. It’s full of gilded age-style decorations and New York luxury. Tommy, also, seems to be a big fan of the New York Times as he has a few items from the newspaper’s original office hanging in this mother of all penthouses.

Zedd’s Hilltop House (Mansion) of Zen

Zedd’s Open Door episode is the second-most viewed in the series, and one of the few videos where the focus is more on the architecture than the interiors. But, in most cases, this is a dream home to most people. There’s an abundance of open space, and all the amenities any one person can want. It’s a mansion that’s actually meant to be lived in, and that’s lovely.

Gwyneth Paltrow and A Tale of Design Perfection

From the moment Gwyneth Paltrow mentioned “Georgian proportions” in her Open Door special, we knew she was serious about this house. The way she name-dropped every designer she worked with speaks volumes about how involved she was in building her home from the ground up.

It’s hard to find any fault in how this place was designed, from the choice of fixtures and the marble bar to the pastel shades used in each room. Oh, and that spa in the house. To have all the money in the world.

Bretman Rock’s Hawaii (Traditional Pronunciation) Homebase

Bretman Rock, one of social media’s biggest stars, knows who he is and where he belongs. And that’s Hawaii. His house is testament to when you have more sense and style than money, although he is rich.

On to the house, which has a very Filipino executive house feels to it. But, everything is elevated to a whole new level when seeing where his house is and the view he gets daily. It’s healing, fun, colorful, and familiar all at the same time. What more can you want in a forever home?