There are 21 seasons (and counting!) of Grey’s Anatomy. Throughout the medical drama’s 20-year run, protagonist Meredith Grey has mainly lived in two homes: the childhood home she inherited, with a constant rotation of roommates, and the dream house Derek Shepherd built for her atop a hill in the woods. In a recent episode, titled “Ridin’ Solo,” viewers who have been in it for the long haul were introduced to Meredith’s new home in Boston, which she bought with her surgeon boyfriend Nick Marsh. The luxury residence serves as a fresh reminder that Meredith has done well for herself. Plus, it gives us another chance to see Meredith invest in a personal space, however briefly it appears on screen.
In celebration of her new digs, we’re taking a deeper look at all of the places she’s called home on the hit show—and the meaning behind them.
When Meredith returns to Seattle for her surgical internship, she moves back into the house she inherited from her mother, Ellis Grey. She partially grew up in the residence before her mother fled to Boston, with her in tow. The iconic house, a character itself, is one of the drama’s few remaining original cornerstones—a place where endless memories have been made and countless people have lived.
The multilevel property’s exterior is portrayed by a home at 303 W. Comstock St. in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. As for the interiors, almost all of the sets that make them up have existed since season one, according to Shondaland. When Mer moved in as an adult, the place was filled with her mom’s belongings—an ideal situation for a broke intern who likely couldn’t afford to furnish the place. Small changes have been made to the sets over the years, signifying the passage of time and more. Case in point: Meredith’s white bed sheets are swapped for red ones when Derek moves into the house during season five—surely a signal of their red-hot romance and relationship milestone.
While Meredith never takes on any formal home renovations or redecorating projects, a serious alteration is made in her bedroom. When she moves out and Alex Karev briefly owns the home, part of the wall is clearly patched over where Derek drew a diagram of a brain tumor above the bed. Luckily, that memory didn’t die with a coat of spackle presumably at the hands of Alex, who claimed Meredith’s bedroom as his own. Meredith and Derek feature the drawing as wall art in their bedroom at their dream house. They placed it not over the bed again but on another wall in their suite instead. The decision is never directly addressed, but how they made it happen likely went one of a few ways: Either they had a photo of the diagram printed on canvas, Derek redrew it, or it’s the original cut out of the drywall (although, the edges look a bit too perfect in that case!).
When Meredith eventually moves back into the home, she takes a sledgehammer to a wall in between the living room and kitchen during the premiere of season 12. She does this along with her sister-in-law Amelia Shepard, who kicked off the project, and her half-sister Maggie Pierce. The mini demo symbolizes the trio’s fresh start and commitment to healing from their past trauma.
While Meredith no longer lives in this house, more obvious changes have been made since a newer set of interns moved in. The kitchen now boasts new cabinetry painted in a bright teal shade, and thrifted mismatched furnishings reflect the current occupants’ style.
In Seattle, the only other home where Meredith puts down roots is the dream house Derek builds for their future family. Derek finds the building process exciting, while Meredith couldn’t really care less about the details. “It’s a classic Victorian design with an open floor plan,” Derek tells Meredith when he pitches it to her during season four. Later on, Meredith builds the floor plan of their future home out of candles and states, “I don’t build houses because I’m a surgeon.”
Derek owns a parcel of land in the woods, which he bought specifically to carry out his plan. Of course, he spends some time living in a trailer on the land first. According to eagle-eyed fans on Reddit, the setting is portrayed by a real area called Poo Poo Point (yes, really) on West Tiger Mountain in Issaquah, Washington. Unfortunately, the house isn’t real, and the interiors were entirely built by the production on a soundstage.
The fictional cabin-style structure is far from a Victorian, but that’s probably for the best. With a largely wooden exterior and natural materials throughout the interior, the place fits right into its landscape. The open-concept kitchen and living area puts fewer walls between Meredith and Derek compared to their previous living situation, symbolizing how they can be more open with each other. Even among the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, the fridge has a glass front, as do the upper cabinets.
Nevertheless, it’s dreamy. A stone fireplace fuels the cozy atmosphere in the living room. Nearby, tall glass doors lead to the big outdoor deck with expansive views.
Meredith eventually sells the place following Derek’s death because it doesn’t feel like home without him. But maybe, one day, her daughter Zola will follow in her footsteps by moving to Seattle for a surgical internship and eventually buy the house back. We can dream!
Meredith moves to Boston during season 19, and her house there is revealed in season 21. Filming took place at a real home in Los Angeles’s Altadena neighborhood. While the home wasn’t lost in the January 2025 wildfires, the surrounding areas were deeply affected.
Sadly, viewers aren’t let in on how the whole home-buying process went for Meredith and her boyfriend Nick. Meredith’s genius daughter Zola likely had a strong say in the matter. Her younger kids Bailey and Ellis probably had some input, too. As busy surgeons, Meredith and Nick likely hired a real estate agent to handle the house hunting. We have to imagine the couple purchased in cash, considering Meredith revealed she still has a healthy wad of savings leftover to use for her own Alzheimer’s research.
As for the home’s design, the kitchen features a distinct, custom counter with a curved breakfast nook built into it. There’s also a sizable island with glass pendants overhead and a butler’s pantry. A mix of wood tones and stones make up the area’s neutral color palette, while pops of color are brought in through wall art on the wood-paneled and white walls throughout. A glimpse of the living area reveals there’s an indoor fireplace.
The outdoor setup is equally luxe thanks to a big concrete propane fire pit and comfy seating. Similar to Meredith and Derek’s dream home, the contemporary house is full of large windows and glass doors for letting natural light flow in.
