Decorating Pages

Stanley Kubrick’s films are known for their unmistakable visual style — but who actually designed the sets?Emmy-winning Set Decorator Kim Wannop examines the production design and set decoration of five Stanley Kubrick films: The Killing, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon and The Shining.Go inside Ruth Sobotka’s stark noir environments for The Killing, the Oscar-winning art direction and set decoration of Spartacus, Ken Adam’s legendary Dr. Strangelove War Room, the historic locations and candlelit interiors of Barry Lyndon, and Roy Walker’s unforgettable Overlook Hotel for The Shining.Kim breaks down the impossible architecture of the Overlook, Room 237, the red bathroom, the truth about Barry Lyndonbeing shot by candlelight, Kubrick’s use of negative space and architecture, and how production designers, art directors, set decorators and cinematographers helped create what we now think of as the “Kubrick” look.A production design deep dive into five classic films — and the designers whose work deserve

What did Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Punky Brewster, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Full House, Scooby-Doo, Rainbow Brite and Jem teach us about design before we even knew what production design was?In this episode of Decorating Pages, Emmy-winning set decorator Kim Wannop goes back to the television worlds that shaped a generation of kids growing up in the late 1970s and 1980s.Why did the Sesame Street neighborhood feel so real? Why does Mister Rogers’ set still feel remarkably calm? Why did Punky Brewster’s bedroom make so many kids want control over their own rooms? And how did the extraordinary visual world of Pee-wee’s Playhouse prove that objects, colors, patterns and furniture don't have to match when they share a strong point of view?Kim also revisits early Nickelodeon favorites including Pinwheel and Today’s Special, the evolving bedrooms of Full House and Clarissa Explains It All, and the animated worlds of Scooby-Doo, Rainbow Brite and Jem and the Holograms.It’s a nostalgic look at 1980s

I spent both nights of the 2026 Emmys inside the Peacock Theater, and this week I’m taking you with me — from a Decorating Pages point of view.We’re talking about this year’s Production Design Emmy winners, including The Muppet Show, The Traitors, Fallout, Widow’s Bay and Pluribus, and an extraordinary weekend for Production Designer Denise Pizzini, who walked away with Emmys for two completely different shows.But this isn’t just a winners recap. I wanted to talk about what these nights actually feel like when you work in the crafts: sitting in a theater surrounded by editors, costume designers, sound teams, production designers, set decorators and hundreds of other artists whose names usually live in the end credits.I’ll take you inside the Peacock Theater, talk about this year’s Emmy stage, the speeches, seeing past Decorating Pages guests become Emmy winners — and then walk into the Governors Gala with me before anyone else gets there.As one of this year’s Gala Committee Chairs, I got to see the finished “

How do you design a modern Los Angeles noir without simply recreating the past?In this episode of Decorating Pages, I talk with Production Designer Meghan C. Rogers about creating the visual world of Season 2 of Apple TV’s Sugar, starring Colin Farrell. Meghan joined the series for its second season and pushed the show’s established noir language further, using architecture, texture, lighting and locations to make Los Angeles itself part of John Sugar’s story.We get into the massive Indonesia sequence built at the Paramount water tank, including the engineering, water-safety and fire requirements behind a set that had to work both inside and outside. Meghan also takes us through the Hotel Del Corazon and its Casablanca-inspired circular bar, Sugar’s mid-century hideaway in the Hollywood Hills, the boxing gym, K-Town locations, homeless encampments created beneath some of LA’s incredible concrete architecture, and a vintage trailer the art department found on Facebook Marketplace.We also talk about the less gl

Presented by HBO Max | For Your ConsiderationIn this special Emmy® season episode of Decorating Pages, I’m joined by five HBO Max Emmy-nominated production designers whose shows could not look more different: Nina Ruscio of The Pitt, Bob Shaw of The Gilded Age, François Audouy of Euphoria, Rob Tokarz of Hacks, and Tom McCullagh of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.We get into what production design actually does for storytelling — from making a 25,000-square-foot emergency department disappear into reality on The Pitt, to transforming existing locations into the extravagant world of The Gilded Age. Rob Tokarz breaks down creating an entire fictional 1970s television history for Hacks, François Audouy talks about shooting Euphoria on film and building a practical miniature Los Angeles for its giant Cassie sequence, and Tom McCullagh takes us inside the enormous Ashford tournament build for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.We also talk about something every production designer understands: finding the location you d

How do you bring back one of television’s most beloved environments when almost none of the original scenery or plans still exists?Emmy-nominated Production Designer Denise Pizzini and Set Decorator Bethany Barton reveal how their team recreated the original Muppet Theatre for the Disney+ special The Muppet Show.Using screenshots, extensive research and one surviving drawing of Kermit’s backstage office, they reconstructed the theatre’s architecture, auditorium, backstage spaces, practical lighting and decades of beautifully controlled clutter.Denise and Bethany explain the hidden engineering required to design simultaneously for Muppets, puppeteers and human performers—from elevated stages and hollow counters to removable chair backs, adjustable furniture and performer pits.They also take us inside Sabrina Carpenter’s glittering cowboy bar, Miss Piggy’s Bridgerton-inspired ballroom, the Bayou musical number and Gonzo’s practical stunt set with real fire and sparks.It’s a detailed look at nostalgia, scale, fa

Production Designer Laurin Kelsey joins Decorating Pages to discuss designing Elle, the new Prime Video series from Amazon MGM Studios.Laurin takes us inside the visual world of a younger Elle Woods and explains how production design helped build her backstory through color, contrast, nostalgia, and character. We talk about finding Elle’s signature pink, creating the difference between Beverly Hills and Seattle, and designing the spaces that shape her world before UCLA and Harvard.In this episode, we discuss Elle’s bedroom, the Woods family house, the Seattle high school, the Cosmo office, Blockbuster, and how the design team balanced 90s authenticity with a fresh visual style for today’s audience.This conversation is a thoughtful look at how production design and set decoration can reveal who a character is becoming through palette, texture, space, and detail.Listen to Decorating Pages for more interviews with the production designers, set decorators, and art department teams behind your favorite shows and f

In this episode of Decorating Pages, Emmy-winning Set Decorator Kim Wannop takes a design-forward look at the production design of summer blockbusters.From Jaws and Star Wars to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Top Gun: Maverick, Inside Out 2, and Barbie, this episode explores how production design and set decoration helped turn summer movies into cultural events.Kim breaks down how blockbuster worlds are built to read instantly, create emotion, support story, and stay in the audience’s memory long after the credits roll. From beach towns and spaceships to suburban homes, dinosaur parks, pirate ships, and dream houses, these are the sets that helped define generations of moviegoing.A must-listen for fans of production design, set decoration, filmmaking, movie history, summer movies, and behind-the-scenes film craft.Hosted by Emmy-winning Set Decorator Kim Wannop.

Production Designer Cabot McMullen, Art Director Raf Lydon, and Set Decoration Buyer Susan Chooljian join Decorating Pages Podcast to discuss the production design of HBO’s Rooster.Host Kim Wannop talks with the team about designing Ludlow College, creating an East Coast campus world in California, and building half-hour comedy sets with scale, texture, history, and character. Cabot shares his long creative history with Bill Lawrence, from Spin City and Scrubs to Shrinking and Rooster, and explains how authenticity drives the design of the show.The conversation covers the Warner Bros. stage builds, University of the Pacific exteriors, neo-Gothic architecture, the Elizabeth Stoddard Student Center, Walt’s office, the diner, the bar, the steam room, custom wallpaper, aging, plaster work, sourcing, graphics, and the layered design details that make Rooster feel like a real college town.For Your Emmy Consideration: RoosterOutstanding Production Design for a Half-Hour ProgramProduction Designer: Cabot McMullenArt

Presented by HBO Max | For Your Consideration – HALF MAN – Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More)Production Designer Emer O’Sullivan joins Decorating Pages to discuss the production design of the HBO/BBC limited series Half Man, created by Emmy-winning Richard Gadd and starring Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell.Emer breaks down the design of Half Man, including Laurie’s house, the boys’ bedroom, the kitchen, the hospital room, the prison visiting room, the wedding locations, and the Glasgow architecture that grounds the story across multiple decades.In this conversation, Emer talks about using social realism photography, fashion photography, mood boards, hand drawings, wallpaper, pattern, color, and Scottish municipal architecture to create a world that feels emotionally truthful. She also discusses the responsibility of portraying working-class homes with warmth, pride, and specificity, rather than reducing them to gray or downtrodden spaces.Kim and Emer also discuss

Presented by Disney/MarvelFor Your Consideration — Wonder ManOutstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program — Half-HourProduction Designers Cindy Chao and Michele Yu and Set Decorator Lizzie Boyle join Decorating Pages to talk about the production design and set decoration of Marvel’s Wonder Man.Host Kim Wannop discusses how the team built a grounded Hollywood story inside the Marvel universe, using real Los Angeles locations, character-driven sets, old apartments, theaters, bars, trailers, offices, practical destruction, and behind-the-scenes filmmaking spaces.The conversation explores Simon’s East Hollywood apartment, Trevor’s faded-glory LA home, Marvel’s DODC prison, the black-and-white episode, and how Wonder Man uses production design and set decoration to tell a superhero story that feels personal, funny, human, and rooted in Los Angeles.Emmy voters, please consider Wonder Man for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program — Half-Hour.Official FYC page:https://debut.disney.com/fyc/dis

Today on Decorating Pages, this Emmy FYC episode is presented by HBO Max in celebration of Hacks for Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program, Half-Hour.Host Kim Wannop talks with Emmy-nominated Production Designer Rob Tokarz about the final season of Hacks and the detailed production design behind Deborah Vance’s world.Rob breaks down the submitted Emmy episode, including the 1970s sitcom set created for Deborah’s fictional television history, the custom wallpaper, the Paley tribute, shooting at the Academy Museum, Deborah’s mansion and closet, the Las Vegas cube sequence, and the massive design work behind the final season.He also shares how the Hacks team created around 158 sets across 75 shooting days, built part of the Las Vegas Strip on stage, and used locations, graphics, set decoration, and period detail to support the comedy and emotional story of the series.This episode is a must-listen for fans of Hacks, Emmy voters, production designers, set decorators, art directors, film students, t

This episode of Decorating Pages is presented by HBO Max in celebration of The Pitt Season 2 for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour Or More)Production Designer Nina Ruscio and Set Decorator Matt Callahan join Kim Wannop to discuss the Emmy-winning HBO Max medical drama The Pitt. After Season 1 earned 13 Emmy nominations and five Emmy wins, including Outstanding Drama Series, Season 2 returned to Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center with another 15-hour real-time emergency room shift set during Fourth of July weekend.In this interview, Nina and Matt break down the immersive production design of The Pitt Season 2, including the expanded triage area, the 360-degree ER set, the ambulance bay, medical equipment, hospital continuity, practical lighting, dressed drawers, background storytelling, and the enormous challenge of creating a hospital world that feels completely real from every angle.This is a deep dive into production design, set decoration, medical drama design, HBO

Production Designer Alex DiGerlando joins Decorating Pages to discuss the production design of FX’s Love Story and Netflix’s Black Rabbit.Alex breaks down the sleek 90s-inspired world of Love Story, including Carolyn Bessette’s apartment, the Calvin Klein offices, Jackie Kennedy’s home, the George magazine offices, real New York locations, period magazines, and the challenge of designing a version of the 90s that feels specific, emotional, and cinematic.Then the conversation moves into Netflix’s Black Rabbit, where Alex talks about designing the layered, textured, three-level restaurant set, working with Set Decorator Lydia Marks, using virtual walkthroughs, and creating a New York space filled with history, character, and tension.This episode is a craft-focused deep dive into production design, set decoration, research, restraint, maximalism, and how environments shape story.

Set Decorator Kim Leonard joins Decorating Pages to talk about her work on High Potential, including Morgan’s layered character house, the fast-moving “Morgan Visions,” and the real process of decorating a one-hour network television series in Los Angeles.Kim also shares the story behind her Palm Springs restoration of a 1958 Palmer & Krisel house with original Steve Chase details, now connected to Modernism Week and Atomic Ranch. From textured plaster walls and restored vintage lamps to desert modern restraint and character-driven design, this episode is a deep dive into how Set Decorators see potential in spaces, objects, and stories.Host Kim Wannop and Kim Leonard discuss production design, set decoration, sourcing, local shopping, architectural preservation, character details, and the creative problem-solving that goes into building worlds for television.A must-listen for fans of High Potential, production design, set decoration, Palm Springs modernism, Steve Chase interiors, and behind-the-scenes tel

With The Late Show with Stephen Colbert coming to an end, Emmy-winning Set Decorator Kim Wannop looks at the design history of late-night television through the rooms we know so well: the desk, the guest chair, the skyline, the curtains, the bandstand, and the host’s chair.In this episode of Decorating Pages, Kim breaks down late-night TV set design from Johnny Carson to David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers. She looks at Carson’s iconic command-center set, Letterman’s strange and brilliant NBC office energy, his move to CBS and the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, Colbert’s grand restoration of that theater, Kimmel’s Hollywood-after-dark lounge, Fallon’s warm New York variety show, and Seth Meyers’ writer’s room with a view.This is a set decorator’s look at how late-night shows use similar design staples but create completely different identities for each host. Because in late night, the desk is not just furniture. The room tells us what kind of night we’re about to have.

Production Designer Loren Weeks and Set Decorator Michael Nallan join Decorating Pages to discuss the production design and set decoration of Netflix’s psychological thriller The Beast in Me, starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys.Host Kim Wannop talks with Loren and Michael about how Aggie’s house became a character in the series, from the rich wallpaper and cluttered writing room to the unfinished renovation details that quietly reveal a life interrupted by grief. They also discuss the contrast between Aggie’s warm, layered fixer-upper and Niall’s sleek, controlled mansion, plus the gallery artwork, murder-scene logistics, child’s bedroom, and the unforgettable safari birthday party.This episode is a deep dive into how production design and set decoration support character, psychology, class, grief, and suspense in The Beast in Me on Netflix.

Kim Wannop talks with Production Designer Martha Sparrow and Set Decorator Patricia Cuccia about the production design and set decoration of Hulu’s The Testaments. They discuss Agnes’s bedroom, the dollhouse motif, Gilead’s plum color palette, giant school sets, handmade tile, wallpaper, custom mirrors, and how the design expands the world of The Handmaid’s Tale through a younger generation. A must-listen for fans of production design, set decoration, The Testaments, Hulu series design, and behind-the-scenes TV craft.

On this episode of Decorating Pages, Kim Wannop talks with Production Designer Howard Cummings and Set Decorator Julie Ochipinti about the incredible worldbuilding behind Fallout Season 2 on Prime Video.Howard, known for Behind the Candelabra, Westworld, and Fallout, and Julie, Oscar nominated for The Prestige and Emmy nominated for Westworld, discuss moving the production to Los Angeles, rebuilding the vault, creating Freeside and New Vegas, and designing a world that blends 1950s retro-future style, western grit, atomic weirdness, and post-apocalyptic survival.This episode is packed with behind-the-scenes insight on Production Design, Set Decoration, large-scale TV builds, practical locations, pre-war glamour, post-war destruction, neon signage, fan expectations from the video game, and how design choices support character and story.If you love Fallout, Production Design, Set Decoration, TV craft, or behind-the-scenes conversations about how worlds get built, this episode is for you.

In this solo episode of Decorating Pages, Kim Wannop shares 15 movies every production design student and new set decorator should watch — not just the obvious staples, but the films that teach real lessons in character, mood, atmosphere, restraint, clutter, glamour, symbolism, and storytelling through space. The episode is built around the idea that a room can tell you who a person is before the actor even opens their mouth, and Kim walks through what to look for in films from Our Dancing Daughters and Great Expectations to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Barry Lyndon, Rocky, All the President’s Men, The Wiz, Pulp Fiction, Romeo + Juliet, Gattaca, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. It’s a craft-forward episode for film students, art department assistants, decorators, and anyone who wants to train their eye and look at movies a little deeper.