Does the exterior of this home look familiar...and yet slightly off?
This is the real
Brady Bunch house as it appears today. When production found the home they tacked on a fake window to the front to make the outside of the house kindasorta match the already built sets. Fun fact: the owner's installed in the fence because Brady fans kept coming up to the front door to take pictures. #thatsnotappropriatefolks
Ahh...here's the more familiar Brady facade! This exterior photo of the home comes complete with an awesome vintage station wagon.
Instead of going with a Los Angeles mansion, the producers of the Brady Bunch wanted a very middle class looking home. This mid-century split level only had two bedrooms! In contrast, the Brady Bunch floor plan boasted three family bedrooms, a bedroom for Alice, a large open foyer/living room/dining area, a great kitchen, a family room, and Mike's den. So...not realistic. Still, though, nice to see. Today the only TV family in similar digs would be the family on
The Middle.
I should just ahead and pin this, because I love Mike Brady's home office. The striped curtains, the leather chair, the danish modern sofa, the crazy awesome built-ins, the credenza, the stacked stone fireplace. Heaven. Love it.
The view into the kitchen from the dining area. You can even peak into the family room. Y'all, this house has SO.MUCH.PANELING. It's way to much fake wood for me. But the kitchen layout is pretty awesome. The kitchen island is awesome! And some of the appliances are even stainless. I love the glimpse of the tulip chairs at the kitchen table.
Another view of the kitchen. Love the stainless double ovens. I've always been intrigued by the brick opening next to the ovens.
Samantha Stevens had one in her kitchen, too. What is it? A rotisserie? Does anyone know for sure?
Who knows what really went on in Mike and Carol's master bedroom? I know I love the Danish Modern furniture and am digging the genie bottle shaped vintage brass lamps. Those lit panels behind the bed? Confused me as a kid. I still think they are a weird choice.
Chaos in Marcia, Jan, and Cindy's bedroom! I think this is from the episode where the girls move into the Brady home, but I don't have the series on DVD so I can't double check. Y'all, three girls in that tiny room with two little dressers and one closet? Where did Jan and Cindy keep their clothes (not to mention their toys!) because we know that amount space would barely hold Marcia's wardrobe.
I SO wanted this wallpaper when I was kid. Mod floral wallpaper? Yes, please.
The Brady staircase, maybe the most famous open staircase in history? Do I even have to tell you how much I love the stacked stone planters and color blocked light panels? Do I?
Here's the awesome thing: we can watch the house evolve through the years, thanks to a couple of reunion movies (and spin-off shows!).
There are limited pictures of
The Brady Brides (and I haven't seen it since I was a kid), but it looks like the house hasn't changed much.
However, by the time we get to a
Very Brady Christmas the house has seen significant change. Everything is white, the mod color blocked light panels have been replaced with glass block (where does this exist in the upstairs of the Brady house? Mystery room!). It looks like the awesome sauce stacked stone built-in planter is gone. The kitchen is also all white...but they left the family room in its fake wood glory!
So, did anyone else grow up watching Brady Bunch reruns? What other sitcom homes do y'all love?
Your fan-girl-dom is adorable.
ReplyDeleteI adore the brady bunch and am trying to work on a house plan of the inside of the house with a program called "House Beautiful" but am having problems with aligning the upstairs with the downstairs it just doesnt fit. the girls and boys room over looked the back yard toward the carport but when I align the hallway with the landing at the top of the stairs the bedrooms are way over to the side of the house and over look the opposite side of the house from the carport. Dont know what I am gonna do so I am going to have to impovise I guess.
DeleteSometimes I sit around and think about how lovely and functional the layout of the Brady's house is. Well, the downstairs. The 6 kids in two bedrooms thing is a little much. But I guess if your kids have to be cramped so you have a place for your live-in housekeeper to stay...well, there are worse hardships. That staircase is not baby friendly, though. I wonder if they didn't move in until the boys were older. Maybe that's what killed Mike's first wife...she was worn out from spending all day keeping babies from falling off those stairs. Umm....I need to stop thinking about this now. Maybe there was some plexiglass, and they took it down once Bobby hit 5 or so. Wait--I'm still thinking about it!
ReplyDeleteGretchen, I seriously love you. Post-baby we must have lunch and go thrifting.
DeleteUntil I was 12 and we moved inro a bigger house, I shared a room, 1 double bed and a twin bed, with two sisters. Not crowded, as my mother used every space and was so organized! I last remember the room, at 12, sisters were 10 and 9. My two brothers shared a room, ages 8 and 7; and my parents had my brother, 2, in a crib in their room. Then we moved to a 4 bedroom house. Had another sister and then moved into a 5 bedroom house. As 5 of us grew up and moved out, with 2 left, they moved into a smaller house. 😍
DeleteYou're so cute. I do the same thing when I watch shows. I'm ALWAYS looking at their houses and drolling over the sets. I think my all time favorite is the Father of the Bride house.
ReplyDeleteThat house is fantastic. I'll watch awful movies (like the one with Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow) just because I love the house.
DeleteI thought I was the only one obsessed w that house!!! My younger kids are also obsessed and want to know y we can't have an orange kitchen and an Alice!!!!
DeleteThe opening is an indoor charcoal grill. We have one in our house. :)
ReplyDeleteI am incredibly jealous. Know this.
DeleteThanks for solving this mystery!
My sister just bought a house with that same stone hole in the wall. Her nor the agent could figure out what it was for so thanks for the info!
DeleteI'm wondering if the glass block light wall above the stairs is the parents' bedroom on the other side? You know, those lighted panels in their bedroom like you mentioned with the color block on the other side in the early days?
ReplyDeleteI think it was a glass partition between the sleeping area and the bath area.
DeleteI used to wonder about the set up as a kid but then I'd get so caught up in the show that I'd forget about it. The floorplan that used to boggle my mind was the Huxtable's home from the Bill Cosby Show. I think he had a home office too but didn't use it often. And there always seemed to be enough bedrooms even when the kids started moving their new spouses and families in.
ReplyDeleteSomething to think about, as I am surprised no one in all these Brady forums thought of it! Notice, when one looks from the outside of the Brady House, the main door opens and the upstair rooms (by way of the fake window) are to the LEFT. But when one walks through the door and enters into the "production set", the stairs and the upper bedrooms are to the RIGHT!!! I think Schwartz had one too many Martinis, when he was meeting with his floor planners, way back in the Spring of 1968!
ReplyDeleteIt’s actually a great and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you simply shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe window at the front of the house was Greg's window (in the addic).
ReplyDeleteIn one episode Greg was scaring the girls by lighting up a fake ghost in the back yard, by beaming a flash light out the attic window. So that window must overlook the back of the house?
DeleteIn one episode Greg was scaring the girls by lighting up a fake ghost in the back yard, by beaming a flash light out the attic window. So that window must overlook the back of the house?
DeleteI have wanted to live in that house all of my life! I'm so glad there are like-minded...ehem!...normal people in the world. Thank you for this blog.
ReplyDeleteI know the house doesn't work in real life, but I want to live there anyway. Wanona, if you figure it out, let us know!
Oh, was Alice's room off the kitchen? Isn't that also where Bobby made the washing machine overflow? Help anyone?
ReplyDelete"Oh, was Alice's room off the kitchen? Isn't that also where Bobby made the washing machine overflow? Help anyone?"
ReplyDeleteI think Alices room was off the laundry room. You had to go through the laundry room to get to Alices room. Thats just a guess. :-)
Man, I was born in 1969, so I grew up in the 1970s-1980s watching syndicated reruns of Brady Bunch, many times twice a day. It was my number one favorite tv show and it remains that way today. The Brady house was practically a member of the family, an uncredited co-star of the series. A very familiar and comfortable sight. I swear, if I ever get rich, I'm building an exact replica of the Brady house!
ReplyDeleteThe lighted panel behind Mom & Pop Brady's bed is their dressing area that leads to their bathroom. I am so glad someone mentioned the inconsistency between the outside and the inside of the house. Anyway, I would still love to build and live in that house, orange counters and all! Maybe someone can build "Sitcom City" that would have all the TV houses so you could choose which house you wanted to live in. And high-rise apartments too, for all those great apartments we love on TV! I live in fantasyland most of the time. Nice to meet you all!
DeleteYou are so right about the house as an uncredited character!
DeleteWho wouldn't want to live there with all the show memories?
The owners could make a fortune renting it out like a time share deal.
If you google, the brady bunch house plans" you will find them. It's an awesome layout. I too also wanted to live in a house like that when I was a kid :)
ReplyDeleteKendry.
Saved as a favorite, I love your blog!
ReplyDeletemy weblog; trading option binaire
You can get a better look into the unknown brick kitchen opening in this pic:
ReplyDeletehttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BkuNUnHb75E/Ur6A4C7cTMI/AAAAAAAAOLE/Ted07kV4F0c/s1600/kitchendetail.JPG
It may be a griddle, though gas grill is also an interesting concept.
I'm watching the series with my two daughters and am in love with the house too. It's been 30+ years since I've watched the show but it feels like home! I keep thinking how familiar everything is. I'm loving the big low wooden cabinet that sits to the left of the staircase. It looks so interesting, with its wide short drawers. Anyone know what that is and its purpose? If it was in Mike's office I would guess it's full of plans, but in the living room, I'm at a loss!
ReplyDeleteThe opening beside the wall ovens is a grill. if you notice on the inside of the opening the brick is darker because of soot damage. Just like what you would find around a fireplace opening. Also below that opening is a warming drawer or broiler. I always found it fascinating starting with a Very Brady Christmas how the opening was closed and the microwave was installed in the wall but at the same time of the brick matched. I believe in reality it would be noticeable that the newer brick was added. I even loved the updated kitchen other than the added window on the back wall. IDK what the purpose was to add a window.
ReplyDeleteI have the same dining room set I inherited from my Mom but chairs are shot.....any idea where to buy these chairs?
ReplyDeleteThanks.