Features

Subterms

    Latest story

    175 Shares99 Views

    “The Sims is a key part of why I ended up in interior design”

    by

    The Sims has been allowing players to act out their architecture and interior design fantasies for more than two decades. Jane Englefield finds out how the makers of the iconic life-simulation video game keep up with shifting trends.

    “People laugh when I mention playing The Sims, but it was hugely significant in terms of spatial planning and was a key part of how and why I have ended up in the line of interior design work that I have,” interiors stylist and editor Rory Robertson told Dezeen.
    “The Sims offered people the opportunity to get a feel for design,” he reflected. “You could be as extravagant and outrageous, or as briefed and restricted as you liked.”
    The Sims was first released in 2000 with three sequels since developedCreated in 2000 by American game designer Will Wright, The Sims is a video game where players make human characters – or “sims” – and build their virtual houses and lives from scratch, catering to their needs and desires.
    With four iterations of the main game and dozens of themed expansion packs focussing on topics such as university, parenthood and cottage living, The Sims is one of the best-selling video-game franchises of all time.

    “It’s really accessible”
    Architecture and interior design has been a major part of The Sims experience from the very beginning.
    Having previously created the city-building game SimCity in 1989 – which itself has been credited with inspiring a generation of urban planners – Wright was originally motivated to develop The Sims after losing his home in the Oakland firestorm of 1991 in California.
    In fact, early designs were for an architecture game, with the shift to focus on people a relatively late addition to the concept, according to one of the game’s first art directors, Charles London.
    Design remained a core part of the offering, however, and the interface features tools that allow players to instantly build structures and decorate and furnish them from an extensive inventory of items.
    Players can choose from a wide inventory of decor and furnishing options”It’s really accessible, so I think a lot of people get into it without even realising that they’re playing with architecture and playing with space,” said video-games expert and historian Holly Nielsen.
    “While it was like catnip for design budding minds, it was also just a wonderful opportunity for procrastination and frivolity for people who aren’t particularly confident or tuned in to interiors or architecture,” echoed Robertson.
    Since the original The Sims, a broad set of options has been available for players to suit their tastes and imaginations.
    Possibilities have ranged from minimalist bungalows filled with neutral furniture to more outlandish dwellings, such as castles defined by Dalmatian-print wallpaper or hot tubs parked in the middle of multiple living rooms.
    “We’ll take any source”
    The team behind these possibilities described how they ensure that the architecture and interior design options stay feeling fresh and contemporary with each new game in the series.
    “Since we’re a game about real life, anytime we step outside our door we have inspiration by just looking at what’s in our immediate environment,” game designer Jessica Croft told Dezeen.
    Art director Mike O’Connor added that he and his team scour the real world and the web for up-to-date references.
    “We’ll take any source,” he said. “We’re looking for patterns. If we start to see round furniture, or bouclé, or whatever the trend is, [we ask] has it already gone?”
    “The internet doesn’t scrub old ideas. So you know, it’s seeing if there’s a trend, is it sticking, does it apply to what we’re doing now?”
    The in-game design possibilities have evolved over time to keep up with trendsFurniture and appliances within the game are regularly revised over time to reflect cultural and technological progression in the real world, Croft explained.
    “In Sims 2 [released in 2004] I would not be surprised if there was a landline phone – and there definitely isn’t a landline phone in my own house, or Sims 4,” she said.
    “Even things like VR [virtual reality] didn’t really exist back in The Sims 2 days, so things like VR consoles, computers – we just added dual-monitor computers, and LEDs are now in most households,” she continued.

    Digital fashion means designers’ “imagination can go wild” says Roblox vice president

    That in turn sees the team take a surprisingly deep dive into how interiors are changing, O’Connor acknowledged.
    “Over the life of this game, you see an evolution,” he said. “Electronics are probably the biggest category [of change]. Even just how people use TVs, how they place them, has changed.”
    The idea, says Croft, is to ensure that The Sims players feel a close connection to the world they are building for their sims.
    “The most fun thing for me is being able to allow players to craft stories that are relatable to them,” she said. “So, looking for opportunities to make players feel seen.”
    “An element of freedom and fantasy-building”
    But, as Nielsen points out, there is an additional aspect to the game’s architecture and design possibilities that is central to its appeal.
    “In one sense, it’s reflective of society, but in another way, it’s aspirational,” she said.
    “There’s an element of freedom and fantasy-building to playing The Sims,” she continued. “Homeownership is a thing that a lot of us will not get to do.”
    As in real life, everything you build or buy in The Sims has a cost.
    However, unlike in real life, punching “motherlode” into The Sims cheat-code bar will immediately add a healthy 50,000 simoleons to your sim’s bank account, putting that luxury sofa easily within reach.
    The game offers people “the opportunity to get a feel for design”That possibility remains central to Robertson’s nostalgia for playing The Sims as a young would-be interior designer.
    “Once you double-clicked The Sims graphic on your Microsoft desktop, a multi-roomed mansion cost nothing to design,” he said.
    This aspirational element has become an increasingly large part of The Sims’ commercial model over the years.
    The Sims 4, as an example, is accompanied by 19 purchasable “Stuff Packs” that expand the options of items available to buy, including “Perfect Patio”, “Cool Kitchen” and one based on the products of Milan fashion label Moschino.
    And the latest of the more extensive expansion packs is For Rent, which allows players to build rental houses where some sims are landlords and others are tenants.
    Within the game, landlords encounter various true-to-life issues, including the potential for toxic mould build-up in their properties – although, unlike in the real world, the mould feature can be toggled on and off.

    Gaming technology can help architects “engage people in a more dynamic and inclusive way”

    Inclusivity has also become an increasing focus of The Sims, with integral features now including options to choose sims’ sexual orientation, for instance.
    For Nielsen, that traces back to a significant foundational element of the game’s widespread appeal – as well as being one of the reasons it has had such strong interior-design influence.
    “It didn’t feel like it was aiming for anyone,” she explained. “One of the things that people bring up a lot is that it has a very female player base.”
    “For me, it was a big turning point – it was getting to create the spaces but also play around with the people inside them. It felt like a socially acceptable way to play dollhouses.”
    The images are courtesy of Electronic Arts.
    Dezeen In DepthIf you enjoy reading Dezeen’s interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.

    Read more: More

    More stories

    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Maximalism to make way for “quiet refinement” in 2024 say interior designers

      by

      Interior design in 2024 will have a focus on individualism and see a backlash to the rise in AI design while colours will be informed by global warming, interior designers across the globe told Dezeen.

      While the trend for locally sourced materials and sustainable biomaterials looks set to become more pronounced, designers also believe that interiors will move away from the earthy hues and soft shapes seen during the pandemic years.
      However, the maximalist trend predicted by many to take off in 2023 appears to have given way to a more individualist take on interiors, with a focus on simplicity recalling the designs of US fashion pioneer Halston.
      Studio Becky Carter designed the interior of Cecchi’s restaurant. Photo by Joseph Kramm”I’m seeing a growing interest in post-industrial aesthetic and quiet refinement,” said Becky Carter, founder of the eponymous US studio.
      “Maximalism now seems out of touch,” she added. “Even the womb-like softness of the 1970s inspiration we’ve seen so much of is starting to feel heavy and overdone.”

      “There’s a refreshing air to Halston-esque modernity: simple, unfussy materials, elegantly arranged, detailed, but without excess.”
      “We foresee a shift in direction”
      Yohei Terui and Hiromu Yuyama from Japanese studio I IN also believe we will see a move away from earthy hues in interiors.
      “Over the past couple of years, the theme has revolved around earthy colour and simplicity through the use of natural materials,” the duo told Dezeen.

      Dezeen readers name Casa Tres Árboles best home interior of 2023

      “However, we foresee a shift in direction, trending towards a more ‘decorative’ approach, in contrast to the previous style,” they added.
      “We believe that this shift is driven by the prevailing desire of self-expression and individuality in today’s culture.”
      New Delhi-based interior designer Iram Sultan echoed the preference for more individual designs, saying we will see: “Emotional design, personalized spaces, a fresh approach towards materials, finishes and textures, and interiors that are easy, warm, comfortable and sustainable.”
      Interiors to focus on “real places” rather than AI-generated designs
      The rise in artificial intelligence (AI) in 2022 and 2023 was also on people’s minds, with several designers mentioning a backlash against digital designs.
      “Memorable and customised spaces that are not Pinterest- and AI-generated will be preferable, as the race against interior design and AI technology grows,” said UK-based designer Tola Ojuolape.
      The Standard in Ibiza was designed by Oskar Kohnen. Photo by Salva LopezIn 2024, interior design will be more about creating tangible spaces, according to London-based Oskar Kohnen Studio.
      “We want to see less digital dream houses of pandemic years, and go back to real places,” studio founder Oskar Kohnen said. “Forward-thinking conceptual interiors that create long-term value rather than effects.”
      Julien Sebban of French studio Uchronia agreed, saying: “The biggest trend will be very textured materials, cosy and comforting such as shearling or thick wool. As people need an antidote to digital they need to feel the physical world.”
      2024 may see “resurgence of the arts and crafts style”
      When it comes to material trends for 2024, designers are choosing to work with natural and local materials.
      “For me, natural materials with a strong connection to their placement have a profound bond with today’s design,” said Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar, co-founder of Mexican studio RA!
      “I believe materials such as wood and natural plasters play a crucial role in creating a sense of grounding.”
      Spacon & X designed Noma spinoff POPL. Photo by Bjørn BertheussenDanish studio Spacon & X partner Malene Hvidt argued that the materials used also affect the colours chosen for interiors, saying: “We also try to use colours that emphasise the natural appearance of the material itself, such as treating wood with tinted linseed to preserve the pattern of the grain.”
      This sentiment was echoed by Tim Greer, director at Australian studio TZG. “I’m hoping that we will see more natural materials with fewer complex and unsustainable finishes,” he said.
      “I think the drive towards sustainability will see the use of more natural materials and a resurgence of the arts and crafts style,” Sultan added.
      “There is a genuine return to solid bold colours”
      The colours of our interiors next year will range from pale fresh hues, such as pistachio, to stronger shades.
      “Palette-wise, I feel there is a genuine return to solid bold colours – be it a punch of emerald green, mustard yellow or Yves Klein-blue to provoke the visual energy. The expression of materiality and tactility is also a key focus for my studio this coming year,” said Hong Kong designer André Fu.
      “Customers are thriving for experiences to express their own personality and values – this has led to a greater awareness for the role design plays in the realms of hospitality.”

      Interior design trends for 2023 reflect “anger in the world” and post-covid community focus

      “I’m loving seeing light, lemon-lime yellow being utilized. I also think pistachio has yet to peak,” said Carter, while Ojuolape believes in “rich, pigmented and plaster colours”.
      “The colour and material trends will be very warm colours and more specifically orange as we need joy and to warm things up,” said Sebban. “With global warming more important than ever, that will be the colour we get used to.”
      “Embrace a bold departure from the ordinary as the world adopts warm, earthy tones inspired by landscapes and eclectic hues drawn from various cultural expressions, all crafted with sustainably sourced materials,” added Nigeria-based designer Titi Ogufere.
      Biophilia will continue to “be a staple”
      The designers Dezeen spoke to all said they were taking the subject of sustainability seriously. There is a need to create “lasting design,” said US-based designer Giancarlo Valle.
      “Sustainability cannot be separated from the world of building,” he argued. “The most sustainable thing one can do as a designer is to create something that someone will not want to take down after a short period of time.”
      Nordic Knots in Stockholm has an interior by Studio Giancarlo Valle. Photo courtesy of Nordic KnotsSpacon & X’s Hvidt added that customers are also increasingly demanding when it comes to sustainability.
      “Sustainability is fast becoming a key consideration when it comes to interior design,” she said.
      “Studios such as ours are always looking for new ways to become increasingly responsible – this is also what clients are expecting as we collectively become more aware of our impact on the planet, especially for future generations.”
      This focus is seen in the use of plants and trees indoors as well as outdoors to create biophilic designs – interiors that are more connected to the natural environment.
      “Biophilia will continue to be a staple in the design aesthetic as well as beautiful, natural and healthy surface finishes,” said Ojuolape.
      “The biophilic movement will remain strong,” agreed Sultan.
      “In the future, ‘high-end’ may mean local artisan work” 
      Ogufere added that sustainable design will draw on local communities.
      “Sustainability takes a global stage, with collaborative projects empowering local communities and embracing circular design principles, reflecting a collective commitment to environmentally conscious practices worldwide,” she said.
      “Personally, I believe that sustainability is about building with a local hand, using local materials to create a profound sense of community and reduce carbon emissions,” agreed RA!’s Ramírez de Aguilar.
      “Architects are becoming more aware of their immediate context and are losing the fear of only using ‘high-end materials.’ In the near future, ‘high-end’ may mean local artisan work.”
      Uchronia believes we will see warm colours like in its Paris coffee shop. Photo by Félix Dol MaillotFinally, designers were also planning to include technology in their interiors next year.
      “Technology will be used to enhance the quality of living,” said Sultan.
      Terui and Yayama from I IN, who see textiles as a strong trend next year, said: “Collaboration between the interior design and fashion industries can contribute to the development of new technology which in turn allows innovative spaces to be created.”
      Fu believes this can also help make projects more sustainable, saying: “I think considerations for sustainability is an integral aspect of my design approach, it’s all an organic and subconscious act – from the selection of materials to the integration of technology into the design without undermining the overall experience in mind.”
      Dezeen In DepthIf you enjoy reading Dezeen’s interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.

      Read more: More

    • 75 Shares129 Views

      in Rooms

      Dezeen's top 10 hotels of 2021

      by

      With the year drawing to a close, some of us are already thinking about where to holiday in 2022. As part of our review of 2021, Dezeen rounds up 10 impressive new hotels, including Pharrell Williams’ Goodtime Hotel, a 17th-century monastery conversion and clifftop villas on the Jurassic Coast. Photo is by Guo Zhe Grotto Retreat […] More

    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Life Meets Art book offers glimpse inside homes of leading creatives

      by

      Norman Foster’s lofty dining room and the tactile living space of Faye Toogood are among the home interiors revealed in author Sam Lubell’s new book, Life Meets Art.Life Meets Art was curated by Lubell to “reveal a new side” to over 200 of the world’s best-loved creatives by offering a glimpse inside their private spaces.
      The homes of both notable and lesser-known architects, designers, musicians, poets and artists from across six different centuries and more than thirty countries are also shown – many for the first time.

      Top: Richard Neutra’s former home features in the book. Above: Life Meets Art by Sam Lubell

      “It started with the people, the world’s most talented, interesting, original, and in some cases strange artists, architects, writers, musicians, and more,” Lubell told Dezeen.
      “We knew we wanted to reveal a new side to these creatives, but we also wanted a lot of surprises, people and places that people might not have heard of.”
      “All the spaces are reflections of their owners”
      According to Lubell, one of the most significant discoveries in the book is how “all the spaces are reflections of their owners”.
      “There’s this phenomenal feedback loop between a creative person and their living space,” he explained.

      John Pawson offers a look inside his minimalist home and studio

      “Their experience inspires their art, which inspires their home, which inspires their art, which inspires their experience, and so on,” he continued.
      “Every square inch is fueled with a creative vision that manifests in entirely different ways. We learn how they’ve shaped their homes, and how their homes have shaped them. It’s almost like peeking inside someone’s body.”
      “The homes of designers have most influence on residential design trends”
      Lubell believes Life Meets Art also encapsulates the extent of the influence that architects and designers have had on residential interiors.
      According to Lubell, this “trend rolls through history”, and is evident in homes ranging all the way from Charles Moore postmodernist dwelling in Texas to the minimalist London residence of John Pawson.
      “I think the homes of architects and designers had the most influence on residential design trends,” Lubell explained.
      “This makes sense because that’s their speciality, and in many cases, their homes were opportunities to experiment with and advocate for entirely new design philosophies.”
      Read on for Dezeen’s pick of 10 designer homes in the book:

      La Voile, France
      One of the most notable contemporary architects to feature in the book is Pritzker Prize-winning architect Foster, with his La Voile residence that he created within a 1950s tower on the French Riviera.
      The building was carved out to create an open, futuristic interior, with a series of balconies overlooking a white-walled dining room and a living room at its heart.

      Toogood/Gibberd Residence, UK
      Toogood’s minimalist home, which she shares with Modern House co-founder Matt Gibberd, is located in a 1960s house in London by Swiss architect Walter Segal.
      In her living room, pale bricks are used as a tactile backdrop to a number of pared-back furnishings that range from her own pill-shaped coffee table to playful geometric tapestries.

      Cabin at Longbranch, USA
      American architect Jim Olsen created this stilted woodland house for himself at the age of 18 and remodelled it several times since.
      The dwelling is characterised by its exposed-wood framework and large windows, captured here in this seating area, which is designed to retain focus on the home’s natural surroundings.

      Rainbow Penthouse, UK
      The vibrant and colourful home of Zandra Rhodes, aptly named Rainbow Penthouse, is an embodiment of the fashion designer’s trademark style.
      Located on top of London’s Fashion and Textile Museum, which she also owns, the penthouse apartment is filled with colour-blocked surfaces and adorned with her personal art collection.

      Finn Juhls Hus, Denmark
      Modernist furniture and artwork fill every space of Finn Juhl’s former home in Ordrup. This includes the living room, photographed above, within which his Chieftan lounge chair takes centre stage.
      In the book, Lubell describes the dwelling as a “perfect example of how Juhl weighed interior design and architecture equally”.

      Moore/Andersson Compound, USA
      The final home of late Charles Moore, which he created for himself was in Texas, perfectly captures the bold postmodernist style for which he is best known.
      Life Meets Art spotlights the dwelling’s main living area, which is crammed full with decorative pilasters, a collection of toys, colourful ceramics and statues of kachina dolls.

      Villa E-1027, France
      Furniture is the focus throughout Villa E-1027, the former clifftop home of modernist designer Eileen Gray that is now open to the public in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
      Life Meets Art homes in on its main living room, which features her the iconic Bibendium chair and the glass and steel E-1027 side table.

      Rashid Residence, USA
      This gallery-like kitchen and dining room forms part of industrial designer Karim Rashid’s four-bedroom townhouse in Manhattan.
      White walls and floors form a backdrop to bright finishes that range from a luminous lime-hued backsplash to a multi-coloured carpet that echoes Rashid’s joyful approach to design.

      Juan O’Gorman House-Studio, Mexico
      Located just outside Mexico City is the home of the late architect, painter and muralist Juan O’Gorman, which he built for himself in 1933. It is positioned close to La Casa Azul, the dwelling he created for Diego Riviera and Frida Kahlo.
      Today it is owned by artist Paulina Parlange, who has teamed its bright, light-filled finishes with an eclectic mix of furnishings, murals and patterned textiles.

      Neutra VDFL Research House, USA
      Large glazed walls that frame views of a neighbouring reservoir line the Neutra VDFL Research House – the former home of modernist architect Richard Neutra.
      Lubell selected the dwelling for the book in recognition of its innovative, mid-century design, which he describes as “strikingly ahead of its time”.
      Photography is courtesy of Phaidon.

      Read more: More

    • 188 Shares159 Views

      in Rooms

      Asylum in Ratched designed to look like “a beautiful person with a really dark secret”

      by

      Production designer Judy Becker treated Lucia State Hospital like a character in its own right to ensure that the gruesome psychiatric institution takes centre stage in Netflix thriller Ratched.The asylum is rich with unexpected architectural details – undulating glass-block walls or vast panoramic windows hidden behind floor-to-ceiling curtains – that are begging to be noticed.
      This is a stark contrast to much of Becker’s Oscar-nominated work, in which sets generally act as backdrops that merely complement the characters and action on screen.
      “I haven’t done this often but in the case of Ratched, I really wanted the building to draw attention to itself as a character,” Becker told Dezeen. “It’s a bit of a misdirect when you see this gorgeous building and the well-dressed patients but then the most horrible things are happening in this place.”
      “It’s like a beautiful person that’s got a really dark secret,” she added.

      Above: Doctor Hanover’s office has panoramic windows. Top image: The hydrotherapy room has a glass-block wall

      The show tells the origin story of Mildred Ratched, the antagonist of Ken Kesey’s classic American novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and head nurse at Salem State Hospital.
      But while the book and subsequent 1975 film adaptation depict their setting as a bleak, clinical place with whitewashed walls, Ratched’s Lucia State Hospital tells a very different story.

      The asylum’s lobby is an almost exact replica of that at Arrowhead Springs Hotel
      That’s because Ryan Murphy, the series’ creator who is known for spearheading hyper-stylised shows such as American Horror Story, Scream Queens and The Politician, wanted the set to look less like an institution and more like a fancy resort that had been converted into a hospital.
      “I threw away all my research on the grim asylums of the 1940s,” said Becker. “Sometimes it’s really warranted to do a very frightening-looking set design for a very frightening story. But the horror in Ratched is a little over the top, so you can balance it with all this beauty and that dichotomy works really well.”
      The show went on to become one of the most successful Netflix shows of the last year and was watched by 48 million people within the first month.
      Ratched’s set replicates a real grand hotel
      Set in northern California in 1947, the series follows young Mildred Ratched as she weasels her way into working at Lucia State Hospital.
      Through her story, the series explores some of the questionable approaches to mental healthcare at the time – from lobotomising patients by drilling a hole into their skull, to “curing” their homosexuality by locking them in a near-boiling bathtub in the name of hydrotherapy.

      Dorothy Draper often incorporated white stucco features and black and white checked flooring into her interiors
      To ground the show in reality despite its stylised depiction of these horrors, Becker originally planned to shoot on location at Arrowhead Springs Hotel near San Bernadino, California.
      Designed by Los Angeles architect Paul Williams in 1939, the complex features sprawling rooms and Hollywood Regency-style interiors by Dorothy Draper – one of the period’s most notable designers.

      Less exclusive buildings “are actually some of the most interesting” says Devs production designer

      But the hotel’s owners refused to allow any filming to take place on-site, so Becker and her team ended up erecting a near replica of its interiors on the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angles.
      Over the course of three months, the team reproduced Draper’s trademark stucco features and checked, monochrome flooring, as well as entire rooms based photos and measurements.

      Lucia State Hospital’s exterior was filmed at the Gillette Ranch near Malibu
      The lobby with its thick columns and chandelier reflected in the lacquered, black flooring was replicated almost entirely, while the inbuilt hexagonal shelves and sinuous fireplace mantel Draper designed for the hotel lounge were transposed into the patients’ recreational area (below).
      “It was a huge set,” explained Becker. “It looks like one place on screen but we had to build it over two different sound stages, which are these big hangars. There were so many rooms and so many elements and we would keep adding new ones as new episodes got filmed,” she continued.
      “Finally, there was no more space to build anything and we had to move the paint shop and some of the little dressing rooms outside to make more space because we just needed every inch of it.”
      “I like to work with a very deliberate colour palette”
      Since the set had to be furnished from the ground up, Becker worked with decorator Matthew Ferguson to source real period pieces from the time. To fill the huge rooms, these were bought in multiples where possible or otherwise, matching pieces were fabricated from scratch.
      “Everything was custom upholstered. I tend to do that because I like to work with a very deliberate colour palette and it’s impossible to find exactly what you need just lying around,” said Becker.

      The patients’ lounge features inbuilt shelves and a sinuous fireplace inspired by Draper’s interiors
      Green is perhaps the most prominent colour in the show and features liberally throughout the asylum, as well as in the cliffside motel where Mildred Ratched makes her temporary home while working at the hospital.
      “Green is a great colour because it’s very period-correct of the late 40s. And it can be a very unsettling colour or a pleasant one, depending on the shade,” said Becker.
      “If you use a green with more yellow in it, it tends to feel anxiety-inducing while one with blue undertones is more relaxing and makes you think of swimming pools.”
      Each shade that made it into the final show was painstakingly tested on different furniture pieces and in various lighting conditions, to ensure that it was conveying the right effect.

      Each patient’s room features different floral wallpaper
      Becker also added warm hues of coral and peach to keep the hospital feeling inviting and deceptively “non-horrific”, while the tiled floors and walls were held in neutral black and white so as not to clash with the costumes.
      “I think if you had green walls and green nurses uniforms and this and that, it just would have just been too much,” said Becker. “It probably would have won an Oscar if it was eligible because too much design tends to.”
      Fake foliage and curtains made windows look real
      According to Becker, perhaps the biggest downside to shooting on a set is the fact that the view out of the windows has to be created completely artificially.
      Often, directors will work with a Translight – a transparent polyester sheet that is printed with an image of the desired setting and lit from behind to create the appearance of a real exterior scene. But Murphy and Becker agreed that this fell short of the realism they were hoping to accomplish.
      “They pretty much always look fake,” she said. “Nothing is moving and the lighting doesn’t change like it would in real life.”

      Curtains and fake foliage created the impression of real windows
      Instead, she hid most of the windows behind semi-translucent curtains and set up a veritable greenhouse of real and fake plants on the other side to create the appearance of foliage.
      “We had someone on set tweaking them to camera so that the shadows and reflections looked real and not always the same,” Becker remembered.
      “There were fans blowing on the foliage and fans blowing on the curtains, so it was a very elaborate process to get the light coming through the window to look appropriate on camera. I designated an art director to be in charge of just this process because it was so important to Ryan.”
      All images are courtesy of Netflix.

      Read more: More

    • 200 Shares99 Views

      Creating sets for Normal People took a mixture of intuition and second-hand gems says production designer

      by

      Using second-hand finds to create “clinical but tasteful” spaces reflective of protagonist Marianne Sheridan’s family life drove the set design of hit series Normal People, says production designer Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.Van Lonkhuyzen aimed to create a sense of realism when designing the show, which is set in the small, fictional town of Carricklea in Sligo, Ireland and later in Dublin.
      Making the sets look “lived-in” was one of Van Lonkhuyzen’s main objectives in production design, which she achieved by sourcing all props and details second-hand, from online marketplace Gumtree as well as charity, antique and vintage shops.
      “Finding these things is completely down to chance,” the designer told Dezeen. “That’s why I hoard!”
      “I hate to work with anything new,” she continued. “So I didn’t want to go to any big, major furniture places. I don’t do it and I never will.”
      “I wanted every set to be unique, and for the viewer to see that character in that set. I wanted everything on screen to look the best it possibly could be without looking like a set.”

      Top image and above: The Sheridan house in Sligo. Images by Suzie Lavelle.
      The 12-part production, which first aired in the UK in April 2020, is an adaptation of the best-selling book Normal People by Sally Rooney.

      Along with finding the right props from second-hand sources, the main challenge for Van Lonkhuyzen was forming the sets from the limited visual prompts in Rooney’s original narrative.
      “From a location perspective, Sally Rooney isn’t very descriptive in her books – she lets you kind of do the thinking on it. So it was really tricky,” she said.
      Cold colour palettes emulate Marianne’s family life
      The drama series follows the turbulent relationship between Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron – played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal – as they grow from teenagers to adults.
      Both the novel and TV series centre around Marianne’s complicated home life. Her father, who is deceased, is revealed to have been a domestic abuser, while her brother Alan is portrayed to carry many of the same traits, and is abusive to Marianne throughout the series.

      Connell’s bedroom in Sligo. Image by Suzie Lavelle.
      Van Lonkhuyzen wanted the sets to feed into this difficult dynamic. The Sheridan household is a large country-style estate featuring a “sedatory” interior colour palette of muted blue and grey tones.
      “I wanted the character of Marianne’s mother to be reflected in her [family] house,” Van Lonkhuyzen told Dezeen. “[Denise] is a solicitor who was born in Dublin but now lives in Sligo. She’s not a nice character, but she has taste.”
      “So, inherently, I wanted the Sheridan household to be quite cold, but yet there’s still little pockets of taste in there,” she continued.
      “By doing that, we literally didn’t buy anything new; everything was from auctions or from Gumtree. I didn’t want the house to look like anything else.”
      “If people notice that [the set] was designed… I haven’t done my job”
      The subdued colour palette provides the backdrop for tasteful pieces of art and furniture that Van Lonkhuyzen imagines to have been inherited from parents and grandparents, which she used to convey a sense of controlled sophistication.
      “It’s even in the way the house is laid out – she’d be quite progressive putting the kitchen in the front room, but yet she still has her traditional dining room across the hallway,” said the designer.

      Marianne’s bedroom in Sligo. Image by Suzie Lavelle.
      According to Van Lonkhuyzen, it was important to contrast Marianne’s cold, and at times dark, upbringing to the love-filled relationship that fellow protagonist Connell has with his mother, Lorraine, who works as a cleaner for the wealthy Sheridan family.
      The two characters live in a terraced house in the suburbs, which features warm tones and walls covered with worn wallpaper that is dotted with framed photographs of the mother and son.
      “Lorraine, even though she’s a single mom and money is tight, she has pride in her house,” said Van Lonkhuyzen. “So I wanted to give her a bit of design as well – the kind that didn’t jump out at you, but where everything just blended in.”
      “I’m not talking about colours or palettes here, I’m talking about look,” she continued. “Because, for me, if people notice that it was designed… well then I haven’t done my job.”
      “With shoots like Normal People, your first instinct needs to be right”
      The process of creating realistic sets was made easier by working with the location manager Eoin Holohan, who also happens to be Van Lonkhuyzen’s husband.
      “Locations are so important in anything like this. But also it was mainly just intuition. As soon as you step into place, you think, yeah, this is right,” she said.

      The kitchen in Marianne’s university house in Dublin. Image by Suzie Lavelle.
      “With shoots like Normal People you don’t really have time to think; your first instinct needs to be right, and if it’s not then you’re in trouble,” she continued.
      “I was lucky in that, instinctively, myself and my team got it correct eight or nine times out of 10. Once the Sheridan house was nailed, it made everything a lot easier because you had a basis to work from.”

      Marianne’s Wellington Road house. Image by Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.
      Later in the series, Marianne and Connell leave Sligo to attend university at Trinity College Dublin.
      For Marianne’s university accommodation, which is located on Wellington Road, Van Lonkhuyzen wanted to bring in some of the same design elements seen in her mother’s home, but with a more vibrant and less constrained touch.
      Marianne’s university flat reflects her freedom from hometown
      While the set conveys her new-found independence and freedom that was granted by moving out of her family home, it still shows that she hasn’t quite been able to let go of the style that formed her, said the designer.
      “She’s come from such a cold and clinical, but tasteful, environment, so I wanted to bring a sense of warmth and security into Wellington road.”
      This was formed with the help of colourful, “bourgeois-style” furniture and “much looser” artworks than was seen in the Sheridan home, which hang on pistachio green walls alongside shelves full of random objects and trinkets.

      The living room in Marianne’s Wellington Road house. Image by Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.
      While Marianne’s family home and Wellington road flat were filmed in-situ, other settings were built from scratch in a studio to better host some of the show’s more intimate sex scenes. This included Connell’s bedroom at his family home in Sligo.
      “Connell’s [family] house was tiny, and the bedroom was even smaller. So because of the nature of the scenes, it made complete sense to put it into a studio,” explained van Lonkhuyzen.
      “We built it so we could have a slightly bigger space that was better for camera angles and lighting and privacy, in order to get the right atmosphere for the scene that they needed to get.”

      Connell’s bedroom in Sligo. Image by Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.
      This room was one that Van Lonkhuyzen worried about the most, she explained, as it was important to make it effortlessly seem like any other ordinary bedroom belonging to a boy in his late-teens.
      The room is characterised by its messy, mismatched bedding and posters taped to the wall, which Van Lonkhuyzen confesses she “hates for various reasons”. However, she still managed to get one of her favourite pieces in – a simple yellow and red lamp from the 1980s, found in a nearby charity shop.
      “I was petrified of getting it wrong,” she said. “But then two women with sons in their late teens visited the set one day, and said ‘oh my god this looks exactly like my boy’s bedroom!’, so it turned out perfect.”

      Dressing scenes for Killing Eve was “like finding treasure” says set decorator

      Normal People was first released in the UK online on BBC Three on 26 April 2020, before premiering on RTÉ One in Ireland on 28 April and in the US on Hulu on 29 April. The full series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
      Images courtesy of Suzie Lavelle and Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.

      Read more: More

    • 175 Shares189 Views

      Less exclusive buildings “are actually some of the most interesting” says Devs production designer

      by

      Production designer Mark Digby explains why he selected an inconspicuous 1960s university library as the location for sci-fi series Devs, which was created by Ex Machina and 28 Days Later writer Alex Garland, instead of ultra-futuristic buildings in Silicon Valley like the Apple Park. Devs explores the sinister goings-on at a fictional quantum computing company […] More