‘Owning Manhattan’ Star Jess Taylor Opens Up Cozy New York Studio Where She Takes Refuge From Netflix Drama

“Owning Manhattan” star Jess Taylor lives and works in the city that never sleeps, but behind closed doors, the luxury real estate agent loves nothing more than being in bed by 9 p.m. inside her cozy New York studio apartment. 

The 37-year-old Netflix personality purchased her 475-square-foot corner unit located inside a 1902 Manhattan building in 2016, just two years after she left her hometown in West Sussex, England, in pursuit of the American Dream.

Over the course of more than 10 years in real estate, Taylor has engineered upward of $500 million in sales transactions. Selling new development properties is her area of expertise, and she’s been a valuable member of Ryan Serhant’s trusted roster of agents since 2021.

Throughout Taylor’s run on Serhant’s “Owning Manhattan,” she has referred to herself as everybody’s “favorite British broker,” though in Season 2, which dropped Dec. 5, she was not always everyone’s cup of tea. 

A territorial clash with coworkers and costars Nile Lundgren and Genesis Suero consumed much of her storyline, as did her frustration about being passed over for the opportunity to be named the sales director at 200 Amsterdam, the luxury condo building where “Succession” was filmed.

Nevertheless, Taylor tells Realtor.com she didn’t stay gutted for too long, admitting that while she is “not working as closely with Ryan this season,” she has remained booked and busy ever since the series debuted. 

In fact, Taylor says that the series has helped to push her career to new heights, explaining how it has helped to expose her to a whole new group of potential clients.

“It's just busier, crazier,” she explains. “People kindly do reach out and say, ‘We like you on the show so we'd love to work with you.’"

Still, managing the show along with her career can prove hectic at times, with Taylor noting that her filming schedule can often get in the way of her actual business obligations.

“And then filming Season 2, you forget in between the seasons how much of that time it takes from you to film the show while still trying to run your business," she shared. "I became a crazy person just trying to manage it all.”

Fortunately, the real estate agent has managed to carve out a slice of calm inside her light-filled New York home, where she tunes out at least a bit of the noise that surrounds her daily life.

In the latest edition of Celebrity Sanctuary, Taylor details how the English countryside-inspired space she shares with her beloved Corgi, Bertie, makes her feel like the queen of the castle whose reign at the studio apartment and at SERHANT. has no end in sight. 

The summer of 2014, I was like, “I don't have a boyfriend. I don't own property. I have this opportunity that came up [in New York]”—I was working in finance—“So if I don't move now, I might not ever.” And then it was like, home would always be there. Twelve years later, here I am, still here. 

I [first] moved into a rental. I bought this a couple years into living in the city. It's a studio, 475 [square feet], but I have a 350-square-foot terrace. We don't even call it one [bedroom]. You have zero beds, one [bathroom]. 

When I saw the address, it's on this tiny street in New York that I had never heard of because it just runs between two streets and two avenues. I said, “Where is this place?” And then I found it was located in this little heart of Gramercy. It is a walk-up, but it had this amazing terrace.

The street I’m on is on this beautiful park and there's a church and it's just beautiful [with] trees everywhere. Even though it's really connected for all modes of transport, which I need for my job, it is just very tranquil. It kind of feels like a little escape that no one knows about. 

I'm [in] a corner [unit], so I get all-day sunlight. I have beautiful casement windows. I love a casement window, being a Brit, and it just has a lot of charm.

Since I moved in, I’ve basically gutted the whole thing. Sanded the floors, stained them, redid. My windows have these beautiful wood framing around them, redid all that, redid the flooring out on the patio, redid the bathroom, I did that when I first moved in, redid the kitchen, new closet, so basically everything is brand new at this point.

The furniture was actually all stuff that I had at my previous apartment that fit quite well with the space because it was pretty neutral; white, beige bed, and then same with the sofa. It was perfect, L-shaped, so it fit quite nicely. 

Right now, my mom is here and she is helping redesign all my furniture. We're getting all new stuff because I've had it for about 10 years. 

We've actually got a new bed, new sofa, new chairs. [I am] trying to create more separation between the areas because it is kind of a square, so trying to have a seating area, bring in some more storage, and then have my bed kind of where it is, but create more definition between the spaces.

[For] the bathroom, I actually worked with one of my colleagues at my old company. I know what I like, but I don't necessarily like doing all the research for it. He loved doing the research so he would find things and I'd be, like, “Yes, I like that. I don't like that.”

My kitchen, one of my girlfriends who recently moved over to America is an interior designer, and to be totally honest with you, it was in the middle of filming the show and working, so I just kind of let her know the style. I wanted an English countryside image, and she went with that. I had say in some things, but I let her run with it mainly. 

I go pretty neutral. I like white drapery. The floors and the framing is all quite dark, so all the furniture’s light and I try and keep as bright as possible. There’s some wainscoting. There’s some drapery. Also the color, and some of the accessories, and then a nice rug on the wooden floor.

I think a favorite piece that’s sentimental to me is, I’ve never had a dog before, I always wanted a dog, and I got one. I got Bertie. He's gonna turn 10, so I got him nine years ago.

My mom got, when he was a puppy, there was a lovely photo of him sitting outside this house [where] I was living in Brooklyn, and she got a hand-drawn sketch of him, so that's one of my favorite pieces I have. 

I love to have photos of the family, and I'm getting an article I was featured in put up, photos of my dog, and things like that, so I would say that's really where the personal touches are. 

I have this beautiful terrace where I love to sit out, tan, entertain guests. Not any more because I’m a bit older, but we used to have big parties out there. A couple a summer: Fourth of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day. It's just lovely to sit out there.

It has a view. Well, it's recently been blocked, unfortunately, but it had a beautiful view of the clock tower. It’s just been blocked, but still, it's lovely out there. I thought this [airspace] would never go. It's in the distance but, you know, nothing is protected in the city.

I have some fake trees, some really comfy couches, a big table to entertain guests with, and then some sun loungers for some tanning. I do have two really cozy chairs. 

I actually want to do more work out there. That's my next project because when furniture's been outside for eight years, it kind of starts to disintegrate a little bit, so my next project is to make that even more upscale than it currently is.

The table, it's wood and it's just eroded a bit. We don't need the beer pong table anymore. We're older than that now.  It's a big table, so it's perfect for that kind of thing, so [I want to] get something a bit smaller, which is more for adult entertaining, if you will.

I want some more couches for people to sit out, some more low-lying tables, maybe a firepit, you know, make it more cozy out there.

For me, [a sanctuary is] somewhere that's super cozy, where I can relax and completely switch off from the world. 

I spend a lot of time in my bed. It's super comfy. It's just where I do my best thinking, sleeping. People joke I love to sleep, I love to nap, so I would say the bed or my terrace [are my sanctuaries]. 

[My bed has] a bunch of pillows, a big comfy duvet, which, I think you guys call them comforters here, but a big duvet. It's all white, just fluffy pillows, and then my little dog to snuggle up to. Really cozy and comfy.

It faces out of the casement window, so there's lots of natural light. I can see the top of the beautiful buildings across the street from me.

I do a lot of work from home. I go into the office when we have team meetings and things like that, but I actually find I work better when I'm at home without the noise around me, so I spend a decent amount of time here, and also because I don't want to leave the dog by himself. 

I'd say I'm here in the morning, go out, film, do my thing, and then come back. I love an early evening. Everyone jokes [about] me. My lights are out by, like, 9 p.m. because I love to read. I'll get home early, watch a bit of TV, eat my dinner, and then start reading and try and wind down by about 9 o'clock at night.

I'd like to say [my sanctuary] separates [work and home life]. It does a bit, but also, I live in a small co-op building and I do all the deals for the building, which is great that I have all their business, but this is also where I sell. But once the door's closed, it does feel very much very tranquil.

The only thing I'm missing is a wood-burning fireplace, which I'd love, but can't have. Most buildings in New York don’t allow for that. 

Most people, they don't realize, you hike up all these steps and when they walk in they think it's lovely because having casement windows, having a corner, having all this natural sunlight, even though it's a studio, it feels bigger than a studio because of the light and the terrace for entertaining. I always get very good feedback. 

The Jordans (Jordan Hurt and Jordan March) have been here, Chloe [Tucker Caine] and Jade [Shenker]. Tricia [Lee] was meant to come, but she was busy that day. Once it's kind of reset and I'm back to entertaining, Jordan and Trisha will come over for sure.

The next bit will be finish doing the terrace and making it super cozy. It takes a long time for all this stuff to arrive, and finding the time and doing all the research, but the terrace will be the next [project], for sure.

Look, I love my home. The only issue is, you know, space. It is a studio apartment. I would love to sometime upgrade, but it's perfect for right now.