STUDIO SESSION

With the help of an MVP art director, Decor Demon tackles the redesign of a TV studio set

Produced, co-designed, written and styled by Brian Patrick Flynn with photography by Sarah Dorio

Between production schedules, lighting issues, day-long installations and logistics galore, interior design and television studio production have an awful lot in common. When the self-taught decorator that I am was asked to give a glamorous overhaul to the set of Movie & a Makeover, I was one part flattered and two parts freaked out. Decorators and designers create spaces for people; art directors and production designers create spaces for cameras. A lovely shade of turquoise may be stunning in person, yet once illuminated by TV studio lights..SHAZAM!..a dark-skinned host becomes more of an Avatar character. Certain metallic fabrics may look the part but when a sound engineer hears a scratchy texture, you quickly find yourself re-casting.

Every step of the way, my team collaborated with production designer/art director, Rick Morganelli. The straight shooting New Yorker drafted the spaces and provided all the answers: too shiny, not heavy enough, gets lost, too busy, absorbs too much light or a simple “don’t like it”. In each case, he was totally right — and I learned A LOT. Movie & a Makeover‘s existing set was the brainchild of brilliant/legendary Los Angeles production designer, Scott Storey, who created the lofty look back in 2005. Although the hardscape of the set was to remain true to Storey’s vision, it now called for a dressing room as well as two intimate seating spaces. In addition to these three main elements, we needed a fresh color palette and custom glam furniture.

Our objective was to create something both glamorous and contemporary — Hollywood meets SoHo. Mirror? Can’t use it — cameras and crew members show up in the reflection. Lots of black and white? Nope – the white will be blinding and black upholstery will devour those seated on set. There is an exception to that; dark-skinned people are captured better affront a black background. Designing the set of a long-running television series was a fish-out-of-water experience but the result has me ready to dive right back in any chance I get.

Fashion statement

Movie & a Makeover is heavily fashion-based. Host Mia Butler chats with top experts in the field for new trends, tips and tricks so pop art of a hot pink stiletto seemed the perfect fit. Once our palette of violet, silver and charcoal was approved, we strategically kept the platinum tones near Mia’s face and upper body whereas the purple hues were kept a good distance away. Why? Silver casts beautiful reflective light; however, the purple could cast a blue shadow — not so flattering. Every glamorous space needs mirror and in this case we kept it on the surface of the coffee table to cast an ambient glow onto Mia from below. The vintage black side tables were snagged at pieces, inc. and the ebony wood and antique mirror coffee table was picked up at Armour & Company. FLOR tiles in “All Square” Purple helped break up the tone-on-tone look of our dominant grey hue.

Being shallow

It’s okay to be shallow — when you’re furniture built for a TV set. In our own living rooms, sofas invite us to recline and take a load off; in TV studios, seating is meant to keep talent upright and astute. Most sofas average a seat depth of 20 to 22 inches but our glam re-interpretation of the Chesterfield boasts a much shorter version at only 17.5 inches. We diamond tufted the piece using a cut velvet from Kravet.

Placing platinum

Baby got back — but she got no arm rest. When a person is shot from the side, the camera needs to capture their entire body or else they appear closed off. Good to know, right? Originally, I pitched a horse shoe shaped chair which quickly got the axe. My second option was green lit for being glamorous AND open-minded. Kravet was our source for the pleated metallic fabric. The legs were finished in ebony stain to tie in with the dark grain of the vinyl wood-look floors.

Putting baby in a corner

It’s okay to put baby in a corner if she’s simply going to introduce someone else’s segment. Since Scott Storey designed the upper deck area of the set with lofty, mid-century flair, it made sense for our star to perch upon it via a glamorous 1950′s-inspired chaise. Unlike the stuffy velvet wonder downstairs, Mia is encouraged to recline on this hot momma. Think Marlene Dietrich sans the foot-long cigarette. NOTE: smoking is prohibited when reading Decor Demon.

Spinning vinyl

Although I pined for a chaise upholstered in leather, vinyl was a more practical option. Leather runs about $500 per hide; this chaise would have needed three of them. A metallic vinyl from Kravet was significantly less in comparison plus the material is super durable and easy to wipe clean. Pointy lavalier microphone packs stabbing the cushions through jean pockets? That’s another story — doh!

In the closet

With our economy going through a major suckfest, makeovers based on fashion are a cost-saving alternative to pricy home renovation-style before and afters. So for the time being, you’ll find most people in the closet. Art director Rick Morganelli drafted the space for try-on’s and show-and-tell via the granite-topped kiosk. Walls covered in Benjamin Moore’s Yukon Sky look much more lavender when used in a residential space; as you see here, the purple tone reads pretty grey with TV studio lighting. FLOR tiles are always the way to go in a studio since both installation and breakdown take merely minutes. Our budget saver here was the DIY white crystal chandelier picked up online at Great Chandeliers.

Purple haze

To showcase fashion accessories, Rick designed white Plexiglas backlit alcoves. I brought in limed Louis chairs upholstered in violet mohair with chrome nail heads to break up the grey tones and dark wood finishes. Do I have any clue who makes the heels sitting pretty on the shelves? No. Do I secretly wish the entire closet was propped like a design studio with Jonathan Adler sculptures gracing every shelf? Maybe.

Going in circles

To break up the vertical and horizontal lines of the closet, we designed a simple ottoman to be used as needed. When a makeover recipient is trying on shoes, they sit pretty on the ottoman while the expert guides them through try-on’s. The silver-grey tone of the Kravet fabric was used on purpose; its neutral hue won’t detract from colorful heels as they slip on and off fancy lady feet. Pattern is a major obstacle when designing for the camera. You know that flickering/dancing thing TV monitors sometimes do? It’s called moray — the result of super tight patterns which the lens can’t read properly. After dozens of options, I found that prints with repeats four inches and larger worked the best. Now that myself, Rick and the Decor Demon team are done with the set redesign, it’s time for me to hit up the wardrobe department and get back on set to talk about high gloss spray paint.

Tune into Movie & a Makeover Saturday mornings on tbs.