Cincinnati couple creates ‘Friends’ & ‘Seinfeld’ sitcom-themed Airbnbs

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A Cincinnati couple created a sitcom-themed Airbnb in the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood for short-term renters.

Brenda and Otto Baum and their crew worked for months to make renters feel like they are living in a real-life TV show in what they call their “Sitcom Suites.”

“We really wanted it to feel like you were literally on a set,” Otto said. “If you look at these sets, the walls don’t go all the way up. It’s imaginary. It’s not real.”

The property developers made their unique Airbnb’s based off of sitcom classics “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” which are both exact replicas of the well-known TV shows.

“The door and entry way in Seinfeld I wanted to be perfect because you see Kramer come through that door so many times,” Otto explained.

“There’s board games and an episode [in Friends] with The Shining… so we have The Shining in the freezer,” Brenda added.

The Baums’ concept for these one bedroom-one bathroom Sitcom Suites came in the height of the pandemic, out of the couple’s love for the shows and watching them for hours with their kids in quarantine. They put their plan into action in October.

“We thought it’d be kind of fun to go see a set, and what would be even cooler would be to sit in a set and live in a set,” Otto said.

Finding all of the furnishings, pictures and more to match came with its own unique challenges. It took more than three months to complete the project where they had to travel to seven different states just to find the perfect replicas.

“It’s a tiny set and a tiny room. At the end of the day, you have a finite amount of square footage,” Otto said. “So, that’s probably been the biggest challenge.”

But the final product made it all worthwhile.

“I want people to have that nostalgic, I remember that I remember when, or I was doing that at that time,” Otto added. “A feeling. I think it’ll be unique to each person but essentially take you back to a time and place. That’s what I envision.”

Both the Friends and Seinfeld-themed Airbnbs will be available to book on April 1 and the price will start at $175 per night.

The couple is also working on a “Golden Girls” and “Schitt’s Creek”-themed Airbnbs that should be ready later on this year.

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