How Amanda Seyfried Turned a Bare NYC Loft into a Warm, Farmhouse-Inspired Retreat

Amanda Seyfried has blended country charm with city living in her New York City apartment, creating a space that reflects both her farmhouse roots and her work in Manhattan.

Amanda Seyfried created a bright, farmhouse-inspired retreat in the heart of New York City, transforming a raw top-floor space into a warm city apartment. She opened the doors to the finished apartment to Architectural Digest, offering a look inside the transformation.

When Seyfried first set eyes on the New York abode, located in a 1907 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it lacked walls, finished floors, and other essentials. But there was one selling point: the dramatic arched windows that flooded the space with light.

The actress used to own a darker downtown apartment, which she bought when she was 24 and afraid of heights, so she found herself drawn to this apartment’s sunny atmosphere.

The Manhattan apartment now serves as a welcoming and comfortable city base for her and her husband, actor Thomas Sadoski. They primarily live on a farm in New York’s Catskills Mountains and also have a home in Los Angeles.

Because the New York apartment was far from move-in ready, the couple turned to Brooklyn-based design firm General Assembly, led by Sarah Zames and Colin Stief. It was Seyfried’s third collaboration with Zames.

“Extensive work had to be done just to get the place to a functional home level,” Zames said, noting that even for a firm experienced in gut renovations, this project stood out as a dramatic transformation.

Working within the constraints of a historic building also meant limited layout options. To maximize space and function, the designers relied heavily on custom-built elements.

The kitchen, complete with custom cabinetry, sits directly beneath an existing skylight. A solid oak partition with a built-in mirror creates a small entry area just steps from the kitchen.

In the primary bedroom, built-in oak storage lines the walls, while the children’s room features custom bunk beds.

Though Seyfried describes Zames’s style as “so modern,” her own taste leans more traditional and rooted in history.

She has owned her Catskills farm for a decade and says it reflects her aesthetic. “I grew up in a stone house,” Seyfried said. “I just love history, and I love the smell of old wood. History has a smell to it.”

To merge her country taste with city living, the design team introduced wide plank flooring and custom shutters for the arched windows.

Instead of traditional drapery, the shutters allow light control while preserving the architectural detail. “The arched windows were something that we really wanted to highlight,” Stief said, adding that the shutters provide privacy without blocking views and give the home a subtle country feel.

Throughout the apartment, thoughtful details balance comfort and style. Plaster walls and crown moldings painted in Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White create a soft backdrop.

A playhouse by Make It Cute, a company Seyfried founded with two childhood friends, adds a personal touch.

With the apartment complete, Seyfried says it offers stability during busy stretches of work. As she develops a Broadway show, she expects to spend several months living there. “I know this will be where I live, and I’m comfortable here,” she said. “I feel really safe.”