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By Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum is a film critic for EW

Homer Simpson may think his home is his castle, but no interior decorator would make that mistake: The Simpsons' charming two-story maison in Springfield, USA, is that rare and wonderful design find-a house made for people without a lifestyle! David Silverman, The Simpsons' supervising animation director and one of its producers, places the architecture in the historic ''post-Levittown'' period of 1952-60. And although he is nonplussed by the family's casual attitude toward housekeeping (''there are stains on the acoustic-tile ceiling, for example''), Silverman, 36, who has worked with Marge and Homer since their rise to fame on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987, has come to accept that after four seasons as the stars of Fox's most successful comedy series, Mr. and Mrs. S. will probably never move to more stylish digs. ''Their roots are firmly entrenched,'' he says. As the season draws to a close on May 13 with an episode in which Krusty gets canceled and Johnny Carson and Bette Midler make guest appearances, we are pleased to offer an exclusive tour of three much-lived-in Simpson settings. THE FRIDGE In a household of hearty appetites, the Simpsons' fridge stands as a shrine to family togetherness and nutritional catastrophe, as well as a surface on which to display the accomplishments of Bart and Lisa. ''One thing we also try to show in every kitchen scene are the dishes drying,'' says Silverman, who is sympathetic to Marge's ongoing attempts to keep things spic-and-span.

1 BART'S STUDENT ARTWORK A loving tribute to a father from his devoted son.

2 BRAIN IN A JAR ''We went on a field trip to the Springfield County Coroner's office last year,'' says Bart, ''and I picked myself up a little souvenir.''

3 DAIRY SHELF ''The little section with the see-through plastic door is my favorite part of the refrigerator,'' says Homer. ''Door goes up, door goes down. Door goes up, door goes down ''

4 CONDIMENT SHELVES Peanut butter with the jelly already mixed in, creamy marshmallow spread, ultra-mild taco sauce, and artificial American- cheese-product-in-a-can.

5 DUFF BEER SUPPLY Explains Homer: ''I keep Duff Lite on the left, Duff Dry on the right, and regular Duff smack dab in the middle-or is it the other way around? Aw, who cares?''

6 FRESH-FRUIT BIN ''I hide my secret Duff backup supply in here,'' confesses Homer. ''No one in the family ever looks in here since we don't believe in eating fresh fruit. ''

7 LAST NOVEMBER'S THANKSGIVING TURKEY CARCASS ''The meat's kind of dry, but I think I can scrape about 17 more sandwiches out of it,'' says Marge.

8 HOMER'S PRIZE BOWLING BALL ''A cool ball gathers no gutters,'' he says. ''Plus, that way my fingers don't sweat so much when I bowl.''

9 WALL PHONE '80S MODEL ''We bought three remote phones,'' says Homer, ''but they kept getting lost around the house. You can still hear them ringing sometimes, but damned if we can find 'em.''


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