A Definitive Ranking of the Best Houses in Taylor Swift’s Music Videos
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Over the years, many people have wondered who Taylor Swift’s chart-topping songs are about, but we at House Beautiful have long been keen on another facet of TayTay’s creative genius: the wide-ranging set designs and filming locations of the more than 50 music videos she’s starred in since the onset of her career in 2006. From the wallpaper-clad apartment walls in her “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” video to the grandiose castle in the widely popular “Blank Space” music video (which currently has over 2.7 billion views), there is certainly no shortage of design inspiration for Swifties of all ages—and even the haters, who just need to calm down. Plus, with five more re-recorded Taylor Swift albums on the way at seemingly any given moment, it’s only fitting that we revisit and rank the 10 best houses in her music videos over the past 15 years. Below, take a look at House Beautiful’s long list of ex-lovers—er, favorite T-Swift music video dwellings—where there are certainly no blank spaces.
10. The Bohemian Bedroom in “Teardrops on My Guitar”
The music video for “Teardrops on My Guitar”—Taylor Swift’s second single off her 2006 debut self-titled album—depicts the then-16-year-old country singer lying on a quilted neutral-toned comforter and complementary satin pillows, all the while wearing a satin evening dress and, quite literally, shedding teardrops on her guitar. Between these bohemian design elements and the rustic wrought iron headboard behind her it should come as no surprise that Taylor went on to become an antique store enthusiast, even detailing her shopping escapades in her personal diary, parts of which were made public thanks to deluxe copies of her 2019 studio album, Lover.
9. The Iconic Colorful Bedroom in “You Belong with Me”
Some of the most iconic moments in the “You Belong with Me” music video take place in a teenage Taylor Swift’s bedroom, wherein she exchanges messages written on a notepad with the boy next door, through their windows—which are conveniently located directly across from one another. When TayTay thinks her dream guy has gone to sleep, she proceeds to dance around her room as if no one is watching (Spoiler: her crush is, in fact, watching). The backdrop to these famed scenes—which have been viewed over 1 billion times—is a somewhat messy bedroom (in true teenager style) with a butterfly print hanging above the bed, pickle green walls, and plum drapes.
8. The Log Cabin in “Cardigan” and “Willow”
Both of Taylor Swift’s most recent music videos feature the same quaint little log cabin, which is likely because the two songs at hand—“Cardigan” and “Willow”—are part of what Taylor Swift herself has called “sister albums,” known as Folklore and Evermore. As such, the “Willow” video begins where the “Cardigan” video left off: In an Easter egg-filled chalet that perfectly suits the whimsical aesthetic of both the songs and their corresponding albums (one of which recently one Album of the Year at the Grammys). One of the Easter eggs in question? A tiny vintage clock hanging on the cabin walls, which has its hour hand on the 1 and its minute hand on the 3, a nod to Swift’s favorite number, 13.
7. The Eccentric Decor of “Our Song”
The eclectic decor of Taylor Swift’s bedroom in her music video for “Our Song” is a maximalist’s dream: We first see her using a vintage millennial pink-colored telephone while looking into an oval-shaped metal mirror that hangs on a chartreuse-painted wall. Next, she’s using that same retro phone while lounging on a grassy green shag rug that sits atop a violet floor. And there’s even a mirrored drawer right beside her, which we’re still coveting 14 years later.
6. The Wallpapered Airstream in “You Need to Calm Down”
Chances are, you’ve never seen a wallpapered airstream, much less one as charming and pop star-approved as the one Taylor Swift wakes up in in her “You Need to Calm Down” music video. And, in true Taylor style, some of the decor in this delightfully decorated house on wheels are actually Easter eggs. Case in point: the framed Cher quote that reads “Mom, I am a rich man,” which is an allusion to a then-soon-to-be-released Taylor song: “The Man.” As Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye fame told House Beautiful back in 2019 when this video came out, he not-so-secretly wishes he stole one item in particular from the star-studded video’s set: "There was a honey jar, and it was vintage from the '40s or the '50s. It was this beautiful little glass honey bear that I tried to steal but I didn’t," he confesses.
5. The Leafy Apartment Walls of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
If you just can’t choose between the two most iconic banana leaf wallpapers of all time, Martinique and Brazilliance, might we suggest a similar alternative that is Taylor Swift-approved—and has a starring role in the musician’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” video. Another design element in this video that we love can likely be attributed to Taylor’s love of cats (she currently has three of her own), so we were not shocked—but we were charmed, nonetheless—to see a Kit-Cat Klock hanging on this leaf-clad wall. Best of all, you, too, can be the cat’s meow by purchasing Swift’s exact clock here.
4. The Maximalist Apartment in “ME!”
It’s somehow already been two whole years since the release of Taylor Swift’s song “ME!” and its maximalist decor-filled music video—and we’re still obsessed with the impressive mix of furnishings seen throughout. That includes a gallery wall of paintings of actual chicks—wearing sunglasses, no less, which is a nod to the song’s lyric “There’s a lot of cool chicks out there”—and a portrait of the Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), who are featured on another song off of Lover. You can recreate this House Beautiful-worthy space with exact pieces from the video, like the Reform Credenza and the Jacques Game Table, both of which are the creations of design mastermind Jonathan Adler.
3. The Multicolored Life-size Dollhouse of “Lover”
Another Lover-era music video we love is the one for the album’s title track, which begins with a scene depicting a young girl opening a Christmas present that we at House Beautiful would love to get our hands on: A snow globe that features a multicolored dollhouse with numerous monochromatic rooms all throughout. Soon enough, this extraordinary abode is brought to life, with Taylor and her music video boyfriend living it up in each and every space, sometimes even matching their clothes to the decor. One of our favorite rooms? The green one, which boasts malachite-inspired wallpaper, a verdant velvet couch, and a custom portrait of one of Taylor’s cats, Benjamin Button—who starred in the “ME!” music video and was subsequently adopted by the queen of felines herself.
2. Castle Gwynn From “Love Story”
Just a few days before Valentine’s Day this year, Taylor Swift released the first of many of her re-recorded songs: “Love Story.” Naturally, this led us to revisit the spectacular structure that plays a key role in the song’s accompanying music video: Castle Gwynn. Located in Arrington, Tennessee—just a thirty minute drive from Nashville—this awe-inspiring site is actually a private residence, and its creation came about when portrait photographer Mike Freeman, the home’s owner, was assigned to design his dream house in a high school architecture class. Some years later, this replica of a 12th century Welsh castle was created—and the rest is folklore. And, despite its status as a private home, you can still visit and tour this property, when it serves as the site of the annual Tennessee Renaissance Festival each weekend of May.
The Sprawling Long Island Castle in “Blank Space”
Even if you’re not a Swiftie (the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, after all), there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen the music video for “Blank Space,” given that it’s been viewed over 2.7 billion times, making it Taylor’s second most-viewed music video, right behind “Shake It Off.” Of course, the main filming location of this video is the real star of the show—and you can recreate this iconic moment in pop culture history yourself because Oheka Castle is open to the public for tours, weddings, and other events, not to mention the fact that it’s also a hotel with several restaurants throughout, both indoors and outdoors.
Honorable Mention: Taylor’s Childhood Homes in “The Best Day”
Given that this is a list of the best houses in Taylor Swift’s music videos, we can’t go without mentioning a video that shows us the songstress’s actual abodes, in the form of numerous home videos from throughout her childhood. “The Best Day” sees TayTay as a baby, a toddler, a teenager, and a young adult, doing everything from playing an acoustic guitar in a wallpaper-swathed entryway to exploring the Christmas tree farm she grew up on. We’re certain that Taylor would agree there’s no place like home.
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