Every iconic moment from Mariah Carey’s 2002 MTV Cribs episode
"I have a rule against sitting up straight. I prefer to lounge."
By Will Stroude
Words: Will Stroude
In 2002, a glorious and historic moment occurred, as Mariah Carey opened the doors to her New York “art deco apartment” for a candid and frankly inspirational look at a legendary diva’s domicile on the sadly now-defunct MTV Cribs.
When it comes to home and interiors advice, 13 years later there is still only one place to turn. Here are some of the most iconic moments from Mimi’s unforgettable Cribs outing…
When she experimented with cutting-edge decorative techniques…
“The walls are a process called ‘glazing’ and I like that cos it looks like candy.”
When she painted the living room non-jarring colours because life is complicated enough already…
“I chose to do the colours neutral so they’re not jarring – I have enough jarring things happen to me on a daily basis.”
When she described this shimmering golden settee as the “more serious” part of her home…
“Me and my friend don’t even bother coming into this area”.
When she kept a close eye on her personal belongings…
“I have Marilyn Monroe’s piano and I’m very protective over it. I would show it to you guys but I can’t.”
The time we were reminded to never leave the bathroom neglected…
“The chandelier is one of my favourite things in this room.”
And when she took a bath in a towel…
When she made the understatement of the century…
“I guess we could call this the ‘butterfly’ guestroom”.
And wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in the name of household upkeep…
“Don’t I have three people upstairs working for me?”
When a rest was needed after all that hard work, but thankfully there was a chaise longue in the kitchen…
“I have a rule against sitting up straight. I prefer to lounge. So I put this chair here”.
When she knew how to prioritise a refurb…
“Here we are in an unfinished room. These are some little moments… like me on tour… and an award I won from Playboy”.
And the apartment finally decided to take charge of its own public image…
“Oh look! Here’s the apartment in Architectural Digest!”
The moment she casually took her dog out the laundry room dryer…
“I also have a love of animals.”
And taught us a thing or two about keeping your pets in line…
“I got this fish tank and these salt water fish… but I had to get them changed to be nocturnal because they were on the opposite schedule to me.”
…Most of the time, that is.
When she kept it real…
“I just wanted little pictures of my everyday life… Here’s me swimming with dolphins.”
See also: “These are American Music Awards. I’m really proud of them because they represent ‘the people’.”
Right up until the extended sequence in which she introduced us to the group of captive workers in her onsite salon…
“When they’re not working on me, they tend to work on each other.”
…Even though she had no need for them.
Mariah: “I can do hair too. I have 500 hours beauty school. How many hours at hair and beauty school did you have?”
Hair stylist Mabel Jimenez: “1200”.
(Ed: Mabel Jimenez’s current whereabouts remain unknown).
And finally – inevitably – the moment she tackled the onsite gym’s Stairmaster in 4-inch heels while taking in a panoramic view of New York…
“I can stand here and look at New York, and things of that nature.”
An inspiration as always, Ms. Carey. You can relive the episode in all its unbridled glory below: