Decorating Pages

Production Designer Alexandra Schaller joins me to talk about crafting the haunting world of TRAIN DREAMS, the Netflix adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella.We unpack how the cabin became a full character, why the fire tower and logging camp were such ambitious builds, and how shooting almost entirely with natural light and candles shaped every design choice. Alexandra shares how she worked with the director, DP, set decorator, props, greens, and scenic teams to make Washington’s landscape feel intimate, mythic, and deeply emotional. Topics include:Turning landscape into storyBuilding and rebuilding the cabin across timeDesigning the fire tower and logging environmentsColor as emotion, especially Gladys’s yellowPlanes, trains, and giant trees on an indie budgetThe reality of remote locations, weather, and limited resourcesListen if you love production design, set decoration, indie films, Netflix originals, and craft-forward conversationswith the people who build the worlds on screen.

Let's take a quick look back at the top episodes of 2025, best reads and much gratitude for making the podcast top of the charts in many counties. A deep dive into Avatar: Fire and Ash with Production Designers Dylan Cole and Ben Procter and Set Decorator Vanessa Cole. This episode breaks down why Avatar is “live action by other means,” how practical builds and reference testing support performance capture, and how story + design influence each other throughout the process.Topics include the Ash People (volcanic wasteland inspiration, a bold black/white/red palette, and the idea of a village inside a burnt Great Tree trunk), the intricate craftsmanship of the Wind Traders (including 3,500+ feet of braided rope), and the evolving visual culture of the RDA. If you love production design, set decoration, worldbuilding, and behind-the-scenes filmmaking — this one’s for you.

Today’s episode is a double-feature for design nerds. First, I’m sharing Production Designer Loo Sung He on Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice—in a first-ever translator format where I’m reading her responses. Then we switch to TV with my full audio interview on Overcompensating with Production Designer Shayne Fox and Set Decorator Erika Lobko. Film first, TV second—two deep dives, one episode.First, Production Designer Ryu Seong-hie (Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice) answers Kim Wannop’s questions in a unique format: the interview was conducted through a translator, and Kim reads Ryu’s translated responses on the show. Ryu breaks down how the film’s spaces carry character and pressure—especially Man-su’s home, built around a 1970s Korean “French House” ideal (mid-century suburban planning with French Provincial influence), plus the way greenery and color shift as the story darkens.Then the episode switches to TV with the full audio interview on Overcompensating featuring Production Designer Shayne Fox and Set

Sinners is the kind of movie where you can pause any frame and feel the history.Ryan Coogler’s 1932 Mississippi Delta vampire epic follows twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who open a juke joint in an old sawmill, only to collide with vampires, the Klan, and a century of American sins. The film has become one of 2025’s most acclaimed releases, with strong box office, critics’ scores, and early awards – putting it squarely in Best Picture conversations. (Wikipedia)In this episode of Decorating Pages, Emmy-winning set decorator Kim Wannop sits down with Oscar-winning Production Designer Hannah Beachler (Black Panther) and Set Decorator Monique Champagne (Nickel Boys, Sinners) to talk about how they built the film’s world from the ground up:Churches, houses, and stores placed like tiny islands on vast plantation landscapesAnnie’s house as a warm, healing, hoodoo-and-capitalism space, one of the emotional hearts of the movieA downtown resurrected from empty, moldy buildings into a living 1930s Blac

In this episode of Decorating Pages, Emmy-winning set decorator Kim Wannop sits down with Production Designer Cara Brower to talk about designing Hedda, Amazon MGM Studios’ new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler—now streaming on Prime Video. Brower—whose credits include Candyman, The Marvels, Twin Peaks: The Return, Us, and Hail, Caesar!—explains how she found and transformed a single English country estate into Hedda’s entire universe: grand staircase, dark entry hall, sensual bedroom, secret telephone nook, glass conservatory with a deadly chandelier, and a lakeside bonfire that bookends the story. The conversation digs into:How Ibsen’s original themes of power, boredom, control, and societal constraints on women informed the design choicesLayering Victorian architecture with Art Deco curves, 1960s-inspired pattern, and bold modern art so Hedda’s home feels like a socialite’s act of rebellionDesigning Hedda’s bedroom as a cold, sensual, almost Hollywood-boudoir space that belongs entirely to herThe e

In this episode of Decorating Pages, I’m talking with costume designer Jennifer Johnson about the wild, layered costume design of Bugonia, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone.We start with Michelle’s single, unforgettable look: a McQueen-inspired power suit, custom skirt and burgundy overcoat all chosen to telegraph power, control, and a character who always feels slightly out of step with the people around her.Jennifer and I dive into:shaving Emma Stone’s head on camera and designing the basement sequence so Michelle stays powerful, not sexualizedputting her into Teddy’s mother’s pink floral dress and how that small costume change completely shifts the emotional balancebuilding Teddy’s world from a real beekeeper’s aged, smoke-stained suit and letting that grime drive both costume and set choicescustom-making Teddy and Don’s suits with vintage fabrics so they feel like real, lived-in “dad suits” on VistaVisioncollaborating with production designer James Price on the film’s climactic council

Black Friday sale! Use code BLKFRI50 for 50% everything on the Decorating Pages Shop site on Black Friday through Cyber Monday. In this Thanksgiving edition of Decorating Pages, I’m giving thanks for the prop houses and vendors that keep film and TV sets alive.I’m joined first by Fausto from Hollywood Studio Gallery, one of Los Angeles’ most important art rental houses. He shares the history of HSG, how he went from “shipping and receiving” to 35 years in the gallery, what changed when clearance rules tightened, and how they curate artwork for everything from kids rooms and hospitals to the White House.Then I talk with Set Decorator Rich Murray (Only Murders in the Building, The Penguin, The Diplomat). Rich breaks down his favorite New York and East Coast prop resources – Newel, Eclectic Encore, Prop N Spoon, State Supply, Gotham Props, Fennec Props – plus the auction houses and antique warehouses in Connecticut, New Jersey, Philly, Hudson and beyond. We talk about sending trucks out for estate sales, using m

Production Designer Kasra Farahani breaks down Fantastic Four’- First Steps's retro-futurist language: the Baxter Lab’s white-with-primaries palette, dimensional-printed mosaics, and a New York that’s two-thirds period, one-third future. We cover Yancy Street’s realism (40 storefronts), early-color playback graphics, and how the art department’s graphics threaded into marketing. Perfect for designers and cine-nerds hunting practical methods and color/finish logic.

Class One of The Art of Influence opens with The Wizard of Oz—how Production Designer Cedric Gibbons and Set Decorator Edwin B. Willis built Oz from the ground up. I unpack the sepia-to-color switch, Munchkinland’s circular plan, the Yellow Brick Road as a story spine, Emerald City’s Art Deco vocabulary, the Wizard’s forced-perspective corridor, and why the sets still feel alive today. This episode is free; the full masterclass—covering MGM’s greatest builds and their ripple effect on modern film and TV—is available on my site.Keywords: Wizard of Oz, production design, set decoration, Cedric Gibbons, Edwin B. Willis, MGM, Technicolor, Emerald City, Yellow Brick Road, Munchkinland, classic Hollywood, film design, set decorator, art direction, film history, visual storytelling.

Production Designer Kelly Van Wagoner Hogan and Set Decorator Emily Dawson-Trent unpack how Wizards Beyond Waverly Place turns a tight multicam schedule into maximal, magical sets—glittering cave builds, a kinetic wizard lab, and Alex’s grown-up apartment that Selena Gomez called “so Alex.” We talk about overnight portals, clearance battles, and why balloons are both budget-friendly and terrifying.

Production Designer Kathrin Eder takes us inside the making of The Man in My Basement (Walter Mosley). We cover transforming Wales into 1994 Sag Harbor, building a house exterior in a swamp, staging interiors at Dragon Studios, and how a stained-glass front door became the set’s emotional center. Plus: a real-home-turned-quilt shop, Arts & Crafts details, UK prop-house treasure hunts, and subtle Moby-Dick/whaling references that root the story in place. Perfect for fans of production design, set decoration, and grounded period world-building.

Production Designer Brandon Tonner-Connolly and Set Decorator Tafv Sampson take us inside FX’s The Lowdown—a grounded Tulsa world built with real locations, a rebuilt diner, and a bookstore layered with 5,000 hand-picked titles and an apartment above it. We unpack color choices, hero props for investigative storytelling, and the small, invisible decisions that make the sets feel lived-in. Perfect for set decorators, production designers, art directors, and anyone who loves craft-driven TV design.Topics: bookstore layout, apartment-over-shop, diner counter/booths, Tulsa ephemera, practical vs. VFX, color language, continuity, prop strategy, Easter eggs.The Lowdown FX, Ethan Hawke, production design podcast, set decoration podcast, art department, TV set design, behind the scenes.

On Decorating Pages Podcast, Emmy-winning host Kim Wannop talks with Production Designer Jean-François Campeau about AppleTV+’s epic series Chief of War, starring Jason Momoa. From hand-lashed huts and carved canoes to sacred tiki sculptures and cliffside temples, Jean-François explains how the team honored Hawaiian culture while shooting across Hawaii and New Zealand. Hear how cultural blessings, natural lighting, and meticulous craftsmanship brought authenticity and scale to this groundbreaking production.Perfect for fans of production design, set decoration, Hawaiian history, Jason Momoa, and epic filmmaking.

Step inside the haunting design of Eddington with Production Designer Elliott Hostetter. In this episode of Decorating Pages Podcast, host Kim Wannop explores how small-town New Mexico shaped the film’s unsettling world. Elliott reveals how abandoned restaurants became police stations, how Ari Aster personally designed the creepy dolls, and how clutter, hoarding, and character history shaped the sets.Listeners will get behind-the-scenes details on:Scouting Truth or Consequences, NMBuilding layered, claustrophobic interiorsDesigning Pedro Pascal’s homeReal-life inspired sheriff’s office detailsCollaborating with Set Decorator Adam WillisPerfect for fans of Ari Aster, Eddington, Pedro Pascal, and anyone fascinated by production design and set decoration.Get the FREE Quick Reference Set Decorating Template: www.decoratingpagespodcast.comDiscover the Art of TV & Film Design with Decorating Pages PodcastHosted by Emmy-winning Set Decorator Kim Wannop, this podcast takes you behind the scenes of your favorite s

In this solo episode of Decorating Pages Podcast, Emmy-winning Set Decorator Kim Wannop reveals her best tips for staying organized in the fast-paced world of film and TV production. From apps like Notability and Scriptation to Google filters, shared notes, and her favorite old-school notebooks, Kim shares the systems that actually save time and keep the art department aligned. Perfect for film students, aspiring designers, and anyone curious about the behind-the-scenes process of set decorating and production design.

Production Designer Beth Mickle joins Kim Wannop on Decorating Pages to reveal the artistry behind James Gunn’s Superman. From constructing 200+ glowing Fortress of Solitude crystals, to designing the Daily Planet with bold orange tones, to uncovering the Hall of Justice location—Beth gives an insider’s look at the craftsmanship, nostalgia, and innovation that shaped this iconic reboot.Listeners will hear about Easter eggs hidden throughout Metropolis, the collaboration with Set Decorator Rosemary Brandenburg, and how design choices gave the film its timeless, emotional feel.Perfect for fans of film design, Superman lore, and anyone who loves learning how production design brings stories to life.