I don’t recall when a purple side table, purple cabinets, or purple dressers started looking normal, but it was definitely at some point during the 30-year history of The Simpsons. Those 662 episodes (and counting!) have drilled teal, lilac, and pink interior design into our collective consciousness. But what would those vivid living spaces look like in real life? And how would that iconic living room setup look if it had been designed today, rather than in the 1980s?
A project by the UK studio Neomam shows us. Their digital renderings—created as a campaign for home contractor site Angie’s List—turn the show’s 2D rooms into convincing 3D spaces. And all of the sudden, the aggressive color choices of Springfield’s middle class come to life. The color palette looks downright clownish rendered in such photo-realistic detail (Are we sure this isn’t Krusty’s house?), though I sort of dig all the Prince purple.
Neomam then redesigned each of the rooms in more contemporary styles. The team gave the living room a “luxe style” update, with a marble coffee table and plenty of gold metal accents. Marge and Homer’s bedroom gets an “industrial style” makeover with exposed brick and Edison bulbs. The kitchen is now “smart home style” with lots of glowing appliances. The new “Scandinavian style” bathroom is all white, with a floating toilet and a stand-alone tub. And Lisa and Bart’s rooms don’t disappoint, feeling like they properly mirror their personalities. Lisa’s is filled with plants while Bart’s is done up in an eye-poppping Memphis style. Maggie’s nursery is soulless in comparison, an all-white Pottery Barn ad.
In any case, the updates really make me crave some sort of Lion King-esque, photo-real update of The Simpsons—at least for a weird, one-off episode.
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