Woman Creates ‘Titanic’-Themed Apartment After Seeing Movie 500 Times (Exclusive)

Though it’s been over 27 years since the movie Titanic came out, for one woman, it feels like yesterday.

Sarah Boll loves Titanic, telling PEOPLE she’s seen the film “over 500 times,” having initially watched it with her dad when it first came out. She would often visit the traveling exhibits and, even as a child, she wore a necklace made of coal from the ship around her neck.

Now, at 38, she has taken her love a step further, turning her apartment into the Titanic.

After visiting New York City’s part-exhibit, part-interactive theatre experience for Sleep No More, Boll wondered why there wasn’t a Titanic version. Inspired by the experience, Boll decided to make something that felt true to the source material but was also interactive.

She originally planned to decorate her apartment like the Titanic for a party. However, feeling like the apartment was never fully complete, she kept postponing the party until everything was perfect.

“Initially, months ago, and I didn’t record any of this, I was gonna have a party, which I never had because I could never finish this apartment,” she says. “I’d never wanted to show anyone because in my mind I’m like, this isn’t good enough and I need to be better.”

After Boll put up ceiling and floor tiles, she realized she could actually transform her whole apartment into a near replica of the famed ship. Then it “completely got out of control, and I still add stuff like every day.”

Boll has been documenting the ongoing process of turning her apartment into the Titanic on her TikTok account and Instagram, sometimes even asking her audience for input. She frequently posts in-depth breakdowns of each room, with the items that she’s sourced on display. One of the items that initially inspired the project was a Titanic model her father gifted her for her high school graduation, which is in the “sinking room.”

The apartment also features an “iceberg room” and Boll transformed her living room into the Verandah Cafe and her bedroom is styled after a suite on a ship. The apartment also features portholes, which she embellished with blue fabric to mimic the ocean water.

Boll sources most items online, from places like eBay, Etsy and Amazon. She has purchased temporary tiles, gold spray paint to mimic the gold details on the ship, vintage costumes and dresses and items that one might find on a boat, such as control boards and switches. Boll even bought a Titanic purse off eBay, which is shaped like the ship.

Boll likes to show off the progress of her apartment to her friends, occasionally posting videos of their reactions online. She has even filmed Hinge dates reacting to the unit and shares that, on some occasions, she’s asked them to help her paint when they’re over. Boll notes that those who know her well are not surprised that she’s done this and that it’s very “on brand” for her.

“I’ve had the best summer of my life doing this. I just really like doing this,” she emphasizes. “It made me really happy and stressed, but happy.”

When asked how much money she has spent on the project, she admits she “has no idea.”

“It’s a lot, but I don’t know. If I were the type of person to keep track of it, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place,” she shares. “I can’t keep track of it because I don’t want to know. It would stop me from doing this.”

Although Boll is unsure of the exact amount, she notes that her most expensive Titanic-inspired piece is a cherub, which cost $900. In terms of hours spent on the project, she shares that it’s “a lot” but, again, she “can’t estimate.”

Outside of “why” she’s doing this, Boll shares that most people don’t understand “how” she is doing this in a rental.

“This is all renter-friendly, which people do not understand,” she shares. “I received numerous comments and then I was nervous that my landlord might see my belongings. I had to get creative with it because the ceiling is also all cement. Everything has to be taped up. People can’t comprehend that this is all tape and an art project.”

Boll knows the party has to end at some point, and afterwards, she will have to take down the ship-themed decorations. Her hopes for the future are to create a Sleep No More-inspired walkthrough to display all the pieces she has collected over the last few months.

“I would love to get this out and get it somewhere where people could walk through. But I also love having it as an apartment theme, too, because it’s so weird,” she adds. “How cool would that be if I could build a makeshift apartment and then put the Titanic stuff in there so people can experience it?”

Boll mentioned on her account that after taking down her Titanic things, she wants to design a Wizard of Oz apartment.

“I don’t know how long this will be up, but I do need to change the theme eventually,” she admits. “I don’t know when.”