While recently watching a super old episode of Parks & Recreation, we had to laugh when we saw what looked exactly like our card-catalog-turned-spice-&-spoon-rack in the background behind Amy Poehler. Especially because the episode was all about her unabashed hatred for libraries:
Isn’t it a dead ringer for the $5 thrift store version I got two Valentine’s Days ago from Sherry (read more about that here)?
So it got us wondering if you’ve ever seen something you have in your house on TV. Was your fancy stapler on The Office? Did your Ikea curtains make an appearance on Project Runway? Have you spotted the same touristy magnet from Texas on someone’s fake sitcom fridge? Spill the as-seen-on-TV beans.
Jeannette says
I saw this gorgeous white ceramic bowl my grandmother had gotten me on The Biggest Loser in their kitchen on the display shelves.
Jenna says
My IKEA coffee table, it’s a big round white one and I saw it on HGTV.
Kristen says
It was actually an appliance. In college, we had an OLLLLLD washer and dryer set in our apartment…they were green. But one day I saw that they’re the same as the washer/dryer set in the basement area of “That 70’s Show”.
robin says
My 2 yellow Pottery Barn chunky candle stick holders are the same ones that Cane and Lily have in their living room on “The Young and the Restless”
Janel says
Saw another reader’s comments about the bedding DJ Tanner on Full House used – my parents had that same 80’s geometric bedding too!
Madelaine says
Andrea H-G: I have some of those same glasses! My cousin and I split what my grandmother had. I haven’t watched enough episodes to see that for myself, but now I can brag about it, Thanks!
Allison says
The tile in my bathroom looks just like the tile in the bathroom off the Drapers’ bedroom in Mad Men. I really hope they don’t move out of that house this season, I would miss seeing Jon Hamm in my bathroom!
Lindsey Kaye says
When I was little my brother and I happened to notice that our family had the same juice pitcher that was in a short scene from the Smashing Pumpkins video for “Rocket”.
I thought we were the coolest family EVER. Even if it was a plain clear pitcher.
You know what though? More than 15 years later and that pitcher is in my fridge right now full of home made Arnold Palmer (lemonade/iced tea). And I still hear that song when I make drinks!
Melanie says
I have this exact shirt that Erin is wearing in the Happy Hour episode of The Office (it’s from H&M) – link to screen cap:
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/andy-and-erin/images/11086795/title/happy-hour-screencap
Terri says
I saw my green “bird” dessert plates from Pier 1 hanging on the wall in Phil and Claire’s house on Modern Family.
chrissy says
Sun on Lost was wearing my wedding dress during her wedding scene! (I know, not exactly home decor) I was SO surprised/excited but I was only engaged so I hadn’t worn it yet and therefore couldn’t scream and point at the tv because my fiance was sitting right next to me. So I ran upstairs and locked myself in the bathroom to call my mom.
Caitlin says
I’ve seen my Ektorp chair on the Big Bang Theory set, and my Expedit shelves on Leverage. I know I’ve seen more, but those are the oens I see most often! I guess even pros love IKEA too.
Beylah says
This is a fun one.
On one of my favorite shows on Showtime, United States of Tara, they are always eating cereal out of this bowl: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3617427. I have the same mug at home, also from Cost Plus. :)
Lindsey says
We had the same chandelier in our old house that Dave Seville has on the first Alvin & The Chipmunks movie. I didn’t even notice it until after we moved. And we’ve watched that movie many times…it’s one of my kid’s favorites!
Katrina says
Back in the day when Friends was hip, cool, and still on the air, I spotted the blue with suns coffee mugs that my mom had sent off with me to college.
Sayward says
I notice IKEA products on TV and movies ALL the time, particularly the bedrooms in ABC Family shows. I’ve also seen IKEA artwork in an All American Rejects video. It must be a go to staple for set designers. I’ve seen my comforter on Heroes and my Hemnes bed more than once.
When I watch Dawson’s Creek reruns I spot my old American Eagle clothes too.
Kara says
It wasn’t actually ours, but the bedding that we registered for our wedding was discontinued before we were married, so we never received it. Since it took us forever to agree on it, we were very disappointed (5 years later, we still can’t agree on bedding). Shortly after our wedding, we saw it in Michael’s bedroom on Arrested Development.
Kay Snyder says
My pottery barn quilt that I got lik 7yrs ago was on Reba for a while. Now pottery barn has reintroduced it in their catalogues. I was cool before anyone else thought so…lol
brooke cox says
I have the same Crate and Barrel green lamp that Cameron and Mitchell have in their home on Modern Family. I felt special and love every time I see it on TV.
Amy says
I think it was season 4 or maybe 5 on Lost, when Kate was back in the real world and was acting as Aaron’s mom…anyway, the bedding in Aaron’s bedroom was the same bedding in our nursery!
Oh, and I pretty much want to live in Claire and Phil Dunphy’s house on Modern Family. I would kill to know where they got some of the stuff in that house.
Natalie says
I have a set of IKEA pillow covers that I have seen on at least 3 HGTV programs. They’re a couple years old, but they are black and white, and apparently, I wasn’t the only person who loved them :)
Also, my mother has the dining room set from My Three Sons. My great-grandmother purchased it back in the day.
Carol N. says
This is kind of the opposite from your questions, but I remember watching the ‘original’ Bob Newhart show (where he was a psychiatrist) and he had bookends that were “A” and “Z”. I looked for those for years and finally my mom found some at a thrift store and got them for me. That was years and years ago and I still have them. As a matter of fact, I just spray painted them from ugly brass to oil rubbed bronze.
Molly says
At one point, What Not to Wear had my cheap (like, way cheap–clearance priced at IKEA) blue, brown, and cream curtains as their background…and more recently, Project Runway had my West Elm orange, red, and yellow silk pillow covers in their post-safe room behind the runway! Fun.
Sayward says
Also, one of my couches is on the show Greek
Ings says
I have the same bedroom set as Ray and Debra in Everybody loves Raymond. It’s the Fontana set from Broyhill. I bought it 8 years ago and now I hate it!
Shari says
I had the Full House geometric bedding back in the 80’s. Actually I still have the top fabric from the comforter, because I’m a bit pack-ratty.
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
I’m obsessed with Parks & Rec!
Yes, I seem to see pieces from my house all the time. All of the Bravo reality shows love working with big box decor so my IKEA furnishings seem to pop up in most episodes.
Lisa T says
When I was in college I inherited a white saarinen “tulip table”. I thought it was “soooo 70’s” and hated it. I had a table cloth made that reached the floor – so no one would see the dated table. Finally after college I happily unloaded it at a garage sale. I threw in the table cloth as well!
Fast Forward 15 years. I was in the market for a kitchen table — I wanted something white and sleek. Immediately I thought of that Saarinen table and regretted having sold it. I tried to buy a replacement but they are way too expensive (I had no idea!!!) Now, I see that table in EVERY decorating magazine. It’s like it is haunting me. . . .taunting me, really!
Rob says
Do you mean the Swingline stapler from Office Space?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rob,
We just mean anything from any movie/show (for example, Michael Scott’s stapler or mug or ruler from The Office, a poster or desk lamp from Friends, etc).
xo,
s
Chez says
Some curtains I was “auditioning” for the living room are in the a bedroom on the show Vampire Diaries. I was so excited to see them both in the same room at the same time! I called my husband in to see, but he was far less impressed. :) And I ended up returning them to Pier One, but man, it was exciting for a time. :)
Erin R says
I got a sweet set of dishes from the Goodwill when my husband and I first moved in together. I saw it about a year later when I was wathcing reruns of That 70’s Show and Eric’s family had the exact same set, tan and brown with flowers.
nikki says
When Friends was on, I noticed in one episode that the shower curtain in Monica and Rachel’s apartment was the exact same shower curtain I had received as a wedding gift from Bed Bath and Beyond. It was weird to see it on tv.
Jessica says
My parents have the ugliest brown and orange striped couch in their basement. My brother and sisters and I would always complain to them how much we hated it. We were so embarrassed by it that one day we all pooled our money and bought a slipcover for it! haha. Well then, one day we were watching the movie “8 Mile” and we saw the exact same couch in one the scenes! We all could not stop laughing. Thanks for this post, it totally reminded me of that and how funny it was!
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Never been something in our house, but I have seen clothes on soap operas that I have. :)
Stacy says
Our kids love to point out that our multi-colored striped dishes are the sames ones that they have on Hannah Montana. We got ours at Big Lots, wondered if they got hooked up with a sweet bargain too?
Cristina says
My son has a really cute stuffed monkey that he carries everywhere (his Momo) that seems to be featured in every kids’ catalog (Land of Nod, especially). Every time we get a new catalog at home, we love to flip through it looking for Momo. We make up elaborate stories about what Momo gets up to during the days when we are away. He’s a top model with really great toys, for sure!
caitlin says
We saw our Target shower curtain on an episode of “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant”…in one of the dramatizations where someone thought they just really had to go to the bathroom and ended up giving birth
Also, my Corelle dishes have made several appearances on the show Food Detectives with Ted Allen
Sarah says
My old Anthropologie bed spread that I got in high school and used in college in on Legally Blonde: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Kcx2q6m…
bailey says
Our Ikea bedding (baby blue with white circles) was on Season 5 of Top Chef. It may have been on another Bravo reality show around that time also. It seemed like we kept spotting it places.
Wendy says
The light blue terry cloth robe with white clouds that Reese Witherspoon wears in Legally Blonde 2 – I had that oh-so stylish piece, too.
Beth-BTW says
I collect suns. One of my suns hang in Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan’s kitchen in the movie “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Pretty cool!
Also, a dress I bought back in the 90’s in KMart of all places was worn by the lead actress in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. LOL
Kim says
I see my house plant (Schefflera arboricola) ALL the time. I got it at IKEA several years ago when it was just a little baby plant – apparently it is very common for TV show sets. I’ve even seen it (animated) on South Park.
Jill says
I’ll never forget this because it was super creepy to me – the sheets on the bed in the movie Misery were what I had on my bed at the time. I think I was 13 or 14 when I saw the movie…still makes me shudder.
Megan says
I have the now discontinued hexagon nesting tables from West Elm that are on the Biggest Loser. I actually bought them after seeing them on the show. Speaking of West Elm, I assume you guys know that you are on a poster hanging in their store right now for your stellar use of the parson’s desk… too cool!
In the non-home decor category, I was watching Modern Family and Claire was wearing a shirt I have from Target… and I had it on that day, too… creepy. Also, Emma on Glee wears a lot of stuff from Target and I can always spot it as soon as she’s on screen.
Jill says
My IKEA Aneboda Armoir is on almost every episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Almost every hospital room sports the armoir – which is strange since I have never been in a hospital that had anything like it!
Briel K. says
Do clothes count? On True Blood Sookie was wearing a dress I own when she finds a key character dead (S1) and I saw Ali wearing a necklace I own on The Bachelor last season! haha
christa says
the ikea bed in our guest bedroom is featured as amy’s bed in secret life of the american teenager. along with our towels from target! i can tell from the stripes! oh, AND our striped pitcher from crate & barrel. yes, they have everything we do, it seems. and yes, i watch that show.
Kerry says
Back when I was in Jr. High/High School Zach Morris from “Saved by the Bell” had the same sheets on his bed that I did – wonderfuly geometric shapes in black, grey, turquoise, hot pink and yellow. So late 80’s early 90’s.
Anne says
I was watching Friends one evening in college and realized I had the same spoon rest that was in Monica’s kitchen!! After all these years (over 7 now I think) I still have it!!
Becky G says
I have two items: One is a crate & barrel glass lamp. I registered for it, but it went out of stock before anyone bought it for us. This year it is back in the catalog, and in the bedroom of Rachel on Glee. :( It belongs in my house, not on their set!
Also on Glee, one of the super cute cardigans Emma wears can also be spotted in my closet!
I don’t count the Ikea stuff…