Tonight, Mariah Carey’s new docuseries, Mariah’s World, debuts on E!.But before we cross this threshold—a point of no return, certainly—let’s pause for a moment to savor this final moment of relative mystery. Come Monday, we may all be discussing canopy beds adorned with woven butterflies and gold-platted dinnerware (who knows!). But for now, our main source of information on Carey’s sense of interiors style is her epic episode of MTV Cribs.
The year was 2002, and Carey gamely led a camera crew around her three-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath, 11,000-square-foot Tribeca penthouse—her “first apartment ever.” Below, we break down her best—and most wild—advice from the now iconic episode. Here’s hoping Mariah’s World brings more such sage wisdom!
If your apartment search at first does not succeed, try, try again. On getting her very first home, Carey says, “[It] took quite a while because all the co-op boards kept telling me, ‘Nooooo.’ ” Yes, we are extremely curious for more details.
Make your walls look like candy.
Carey greets the camera crew in a dress that’s more club-ready than made for hanging around at home. (But then again, did we expect Mariah Carey to be in sweatpants?) The hallway’s orange walls, “are a process called glazing . . . and I like them because they look like candy,” Carey explains. (Naturally.)
Focus on neutral, “non-jarring” colors.
“I chose to do the colors neutral so they’re not jarring because I have enough jarring things that happen to me on a daily basis.” Same.
Make some aspects of your home off-limits.
Carey then leads us into another beige/pale gold-ish room that looks pretty much the same, other than perhaps the extremely large couch cushions. She explains, “This is the relaxing, more serious part of the house that most of my friends and I don’t even bother coming into this area.” Hmm. I guess if you have a penthouse, why not? Some objects, too, are off-limits at Carey’s abode. “I have Marilyn Monroe’s piano and I’m very protective over it,” she adds. “I would show it to you guys, but I can’t.” Note: No further explanation is given as to why she cannot show viewers the piano.
Casually place impressive things around your house that guests may run into. “Oh look, here is the apartment in Architectural Digest.”
Create unique spaces.
Carey’s apartment includes a “ladies’ lounge” and lingerie closet.
Don’t feel limited in terms of your favorite room.
Carey’s favorite room seems to be her bathroom. “I have to change before we go into the bathroom because it’s a very, very serene place for me,” she says. Then a very odd scene takes place in which she potentially changes into a towel and actually gets into her bathtub.
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Every kitchen needs a good place to lounge.
Carey reclines on a pink flowery chaise lounge in her kitchen and announces, “I have a rule against sitting up straight.” Other highlights of the kitchen? It has a country theme, and a bell to ring, in case anyone needs to be cut off from prattling on.
Only have one guestroom.
This helps avoid too many people trying to stay with you. Carey’s guestroom is the butterfly room. Then it is quickly renamed the butterfly fan room, since she keeps all her fan books in there. “We dedicate the butterfly room to them.” No comment as to whether this is her use of the royal we or the poetic plural, but we are betting on the former.
Make your bedroom a private place.
“I feel like if I show my bedroom, then what’s left for me?” Mic drop.