For six glittering seasons, Blake Lively embodied the effortlessly glamorous Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, a character who became synonymous with the luxury and intrigue of New York’s Upper East Side. Across 121 episodes, the show offered an intimate look into a world of opulence and secrets — and at its center stood the now-iconic Van der Woodsen apartment.
Recently, Lively revealed that the apartment wasn’t just a filming location — it was a meaningful part of her life and career. “That place wasn’t just a set,” she said. “It became a second home. We filmed there so much that it felt like part of me.”
Here are three surprising truths about the real-life apartment that defined one of television’s most stylish eras.
1. The Van der Woodsen Penthouse Was Real — and Blake Lived There
Unlike many TV homes created on soundstages, much of Gossip Girl’s filming took place in an actual Upper East Side residence near Fifth Avenue. Lively recalled the surreal experience of waking up in the same elegant space her character “lived” in on screen.
“You’d wake up, walk into this massive living room with chandeliers and marble floors, and then a crew of 50 people would just roll in and start shooting,” she said.
During later seasons, she even stayed in the apartment between shoots. “It was strange but comforting,” she added. “You’d hear the traffic on Madison Avenue and forget for a moment that you were pretending to live there.”
2. The Gold Staircase Nearly Didn’t Make the Cut
One of the show’s most famous visuals — the shimmering gold staircase where Serena made her unforgettable entrance in Season 1 — almost never appeared on screen.
“The designer thought it was too much — too flashy,” Lively revealed. “But I remember saying, ‘No, this is Serena. This is who she is.’”
The staircase quickly became an essential part of the show’s visual identity, appearing in countless dramatic moments. “That staircase became a character of its own,” Lively joked. “It held secrets, heartbreak, and about 300 pairs of Christian Louboutins.”
3. Midnight Rehearsals and Quiet Reflection
Behind the dazzling exterior of Gossip Girl, Lively found moments of quiet solitude in the apartment. After long shoot days, she often stayed behind to rehearse for the next day.
“Sometimes it’d be midnight, everyone gone, and I’d walk around rehearsing lines for the next day,” she said. “Just me, in heels, talking to myself in this giant penthouse. It felt oddly grounding.”
Those private rehearsals, she said, helped her separate herself from her character. “Serena was larger than life, but I wasn’t her. That apartment reminded me I was just a girl doing her job in an extraordinary space.”
A Home Beyond the Screen
For Lively, the Upper East Side apartment was more than a backdrop — it was a chapter of her own story. “People still ask if it was real,” she said with a smile. “It was. Every laugh, every cry, every glass of champagne — all real moments that happened inside those walls.”
From its gold staircase to its quiet midnight reflections, the truth inside the apartment reveals why Gossip Girl remains more than a show — it’s a timeless piece of New York’s pop culture heartbeat.
You know you love her — xoxo.