Decorating Pages

Dancing with the Stars has to deliver a brand-new world every week — live — with choreography, cameras, lighting, and set changes happening at full speed. In this episode of Decorating Pages, Emmy-winning set decorator and host Kim Wannop talks with Production Designer James Yarnell, a 20-year DWTS veteran and ADG-nominated for the show’s “Wicked” episode.James breaks down how the DWTS ballroom is designed around the true priority: the dance floor — including how camera movement is choreographed alongside the dancers, how theme weeks are executed on a brutal weekly timeline, and how scenic builds, props, screens, and projection all have to work together without slowing down a live broadcast.Plus: the iconic detail you didn’t know you needed — James literally designed the Mirrorball trophy, and later redesigned it into the Len Goodman Trophy.If you love production design, set decoration, live television, and behind-the-scenes craft stories, this one’s a must.