We’ve looked at the new series and chosen the ones where everything is perfect: the plots, the characters and, of course, the setting. We have collected for you not only beautiful pictures, but also objects, which can be used to recreate series interiors at home.
“The Morning Show”
From Apple
The second season of The Morning Show was almost entirely written when the pandemic struck. It was decided to reflect the new realities in the series as well, so the script was completely redone (and that’s a whole year’s work!) to reflect the events. In the new season, the main characters are still the same: Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston), Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon), Corey Ellison (Billy Crudup) and Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell). We won’t reveal the plot twists, but we can’t help but mention the sets.
The show’s production designer, John Paineau, has previously worked on projects such as Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. Here he was tasked with creating a ‘show within a show’. For the set of The Morning Show itself, the director was inspired by the sets of The Today America and Good Morning America. Absolutely every detail of the set was real: all the LED screens, controls, microphones, etc., all worked as if the real show was being filmed, no props. Even the green chroma key in these locations was almost non-existent – the details and mechanisms of the backdrops were exactly matched. Perhaps the only significant deviation from reality here were the volumes and filming locations: additional openings were made in the walls and the corridors were widened to accommodate the filming equipment.
Alex Levy’s house is the second important location in the series and definitely the most appealing to us. If in season one we see her New York home, in season two we find out how the famous presenter lives, having quit the show and secluded herself in Maine. Alex’s flat is a quintessential example of what New York City represents to John Paineau. “For me, it’s a city of verticals,” says the artist. – I wanted to portray Alex as if she were living in a glass tower, as if she were hiding behind glass and big screens.” A skyscraper designed by Richard Meyer was the perfect embodiment of such a location. The furnishings in Alex’s flat are American classics, where the interior is detailed and filled with only expensive objects. There is no excess of small decor: if vases, then large ones, if art, then half the wall.
Home in Maine, which we see in season two, is a logical extension of Alex’s image. She’s stepped away from showbiz, but the essence hasn’t changed much. It’s all the same verticals, just a little more squat. And it’s still the same big glass windows-screens behind which she hides. The American classic is still here, but in a different, suburban reading: plenty of wood and natural materials, no shiny metal elements, cosy textiles – everything to dispose you to contemplation, long walks and writing a book, which is what Alex does.
“Nine perfect strangers”
By HULU
A new series from HULU about nine characters who decide to spend time in a very expensive spa called Tranquillum. How the Marconi family, spouses Ben and Jessica, writer Frances (played by Melissa McCarthy), lawyer Lars (Luke Evans), divorced housewife Carmel (Regina Hall) and middle-aged man of as yet unclear employment Tony (Bobby Cannavale) are related and connected at all, you can learn from eight episodes – all already out. The key message of the spa visit (apart from general relaxation) is total healing. That’s exactly what the owner, Russian Masha Dmitrichenko (played by Nicole Kidman), promises. Expect plenty of plot flashbacks and an unexpected means of healing.
Artist-director Glenn Johnson chose New South Wales in Australia to shoot the series. The episodes were filmed at two locations: Lune de Sang, a private residence, and Soma, a wellness and yoga centre. These were chosen for their mid-century spirit and the stunning gardens laid out around them. The artist had an easy task this time – most of the furniture was taken from what was already there, some was just rearranged and the linen was replaced everywhere.
All the accessories were bought there too: the New South Wales city area is rich with spa retreats and small shops with cozy home goods – it wasn’t hard to put together cozy plaids and accessories. The aim was to create a luxurious spa atmosphere, where only natural materials are used and the whole house and everyday life is arranged in the most technologically clever way possible.
Despite its apparent simplicity, the series is full of details which help to convey the setting and the characters’ personalities. For instance, the drink served to each of the guests is strictly a specific colour. Each colour corresponds to a particular chakra. Let’s say lawyer Lars (Luke Evans) has a green drink. This suggests that the plot twists will eventually lead to some kind of change involving the heart, love (green symbolises just that).
The flower bouquets arranged in the interiors are also transformed as we move towards the end of the series: unexpected objects appear in them from episode to episode – the closer to the end, the stranger the bouquets were collected by the florist.
Interestingly, the owner of Lune de Sang is passionate about glass art. This passion of his has led the production designer to use a lot of glass accessories in the decoration. Also, this approach perfectly reflected the main idea of the series: reflection, meditation and the desire to look inside yourself.
Masha’s office stands out from the rest of the set: the dark colours and the huge painting on the wall, which shows an eagle spreading its wings, help to look at this character more closely and sense its complexity, ambiguity and underlying darkness.
“Only Murders in the Building”
By HULU
A series about three lonely New Yorkers. Charles-Hayden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putman (Martin Short) and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) live in a luxurious house on the Upper West Side. The characters are all passionate about one detective podcast. The series begins with a murder happening in the house they all live in. The characters get to know each other and decide to create their own investigative podcast about it.
The Arconia (that’s the name of the house where all the characters in the series live) is not a real building. But all the filming took place in New York – the facades of The Belnord apartment building were shot, and the flats themselves were built in a studio in the Bronx. Of course, you can’t buy a flat like the ones the show’s characters live in, but a few apartments in The Belnord are for sale – prices start at $2.5 million.
The Belnord building is ideally suited for the location of the film – such houses-wells, which have their own large courtyard, in New York City is not so much. In the meantime, this building perfectly creates the atmosphere of a small commune inside a huge city.
The artist Kurt Beech wanted to create an environment of luxury and wealth of old New York and he succeeded. The interiors of the characters can be seen as jewel boxes and be inspired by different fragments. Each interior, of course, reflects the character of the character.
Oliver Putman’s flat is the home of a former theatre entrepreneur. Redundancy reigns here – the same quality that obviously led Oliver himself to his career failure. The flat looks more like the setting for a classical theatre production: velvet, heavy curtains, an antique piano, lamps and, of course, lots of theatre posters.
The dining room in this flat has a very special interior. Oliver’s father worked at La Scala in Milan, and there are pictures of the hall and the stage on the walls as a reminder. It was in this room that Oliver (at the zenith of his fame) gathered theatrical producers and directors and voiced his grandiose ideas to them.
Charles-Hayden Savage’s life was a little more successful, although all his achievements are obviously in the past. He was once a famous actor, but became a hostage to one role. As can be seen from the setting, Charles disposed of his fortune more wisely than Oliver did. His flat is the home of a wealthy bachelor with good taste. The furniture is by Ralph Lauren Baker and art by Joseph Olbers and Alex Katz. Charles is a cheerful man. This is evidenced by the bright colours in the interior – the upholstery on the sofa in Paul Smith’s trademark multicoloured stripes alone is a testament to this.
Selena Gomez’s character’s flat is an interior in progress, which also reflects the character’s personality. You can take inspiration from her if you’re a fan of ‘shabby chic’, but we’d still recommend settling on the interiors of the first two characters.
