The 1969 Mad Men Sets Are Magnificent

Interior Design recently ran an interview with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, praising the show for staying true to the era's 1960s design elements without a hint of anachronism on set. Weiner attributes the success of the Mad Men aesthetic to an extreme attention to detail: "It’s just as important for me to show a character’s open desk drawer with a half roll of Life Savers, with the paper rolled back," says Weiner. No object is left untouched. These are the Mad Med sets of 1969, including the SC&P offices, the Draper residence, and Megan's California bungalow where she may or may not get murdered. 

Secretarial desks, complete with typewriters, rotary phones, and campy birthday cards tacked to the walls.

Upstairs at SC&P. 

The conference room where Don famously gave his life story to the stuffy executives at Hershey. Just look at that ashtray. 

So much wood paneling. It's really quite overwhelming. 

"A custom Florence Knoll–style sofa and matching chair anchor the account-executive lounge at the agency."

Fact: everything here can be replaced by an iPhone. Except the Rolodex — you can't put a price tag on that. 

"How do we make this feel like it’s real? In every picture of an office from 1930 on, the wires are cut off every lamp, because they look terrible," says Weiner. "I tell the set-design team, 'Put the wires on!'"

Megan Draper's California porch where she may/may not get murdered. 

Inside her hippie bedroom, complete with busy prints and more wood-paneling everywhere

This tacky bungalow was based on an actual L.A. house.

A vintage refrigerator stands next to a rare 36-inch stove. Every last pot and pan is authentic to the era. 

Let's all take a moment to mourn the loss of televisions that looked like this. Also, note there's no reflection of the photographer in the screen. Easy answer? Ghosts. 

Here's the Drapers' living room. 

Those bar stools that line the counter are actually by Danish designer Erik Buch. 

The Drapers' bedroom — can you smell the Canadian Club? 

That's cute, but GTFO the furniture.


Jeremy Glass loves Mad Men and believes that this is, hands down, the best line ever.