Top Set Designs of 2012

If you couldn’t tell, I have been having so much fun with set designs lately……

First was True Blood and the fascinating set design evolution between seasons and next was chandeliers from some of my favorite shows and movies. Now on to the top set designs of 2012!

Art imitates life and visa versa and we can especially see this in the sets from some of our favorite TV shows and movies. From the ever-classic vintage look we all cherish and embrace to futuristic designs fit for teenage tributes- interiors of all sorts grace the small and big screens and understandably have influenced interior design trends. In my own backyard, a client recently emailed me to say that her master bedroom chandelier was in the train scene of The Hunger Games!

PAST BLASTS
Mad Men has been an innovator in interior design since it corrupted its way into our hearts in 2007. Low-slung modern office designs of the ’60s accented with flashes of space-age chrome and colorful mosaic art takes us back to a time when smoking and drinking at work was hip and cool.


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Will Schuester’s living room on Glee sings the mid-century modern blues, only in pops of orange against earthy tones. It looks like Mr. Scheu digs the Mad Men vibe, too!
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PRESENT PERFECT
2 1/2 Men had quite the challenge- killing off their main character and bringing in a new guy mid season. They managed to pull it off successfully, and while they were at it they gave the iconic Malibu beach house a makeover. Charlie Harper’s Tuscan-style bachelor pad was successfully made to fit the environmentally nerdy taste of Walden Schmidt.


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Modern Family makes us feel good about our lives because theirs are so quirky and messed up. But nothing’s messy about this clean white ultra-modern kitchen gone wild with safari savvy bar stools.
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A remake of Dallas with some of the original stars rides back onto Southfork Ranch with Texas oil baron opulence. There’s nothing country about the ornate wrought-ironwork staircase that takes center stage against elegant neutrals and a glimmering chandelier dripping with grand style.


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FAB FUTURE
The Hunger Games hammers home the frivolity and excess of the Capitol to Peeta and Katniss with a sumptuous and unique leather sectional on a rich plum shag and accented with gray geometric shapes and sparks of metallic. I already made mention of my love for the movie sets lighting 🙂
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Men in Black 3 is set in the present, but the headquarters look out of this world, mixing pure cream with sculptural gray structures and fabulous zesty orange on the futuristic sinewy upholstered pieces.
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THE DARKER SIDE OF DESIGN
We’ve already taken a look at some dark and edgy decor featured in True Blood, but another great vampire-esq set that definitely deserves some kuddos is Dark Shadows, a campy remake of the ’60s daytime soap. The interiors take us back to a simpler time, when bean bag chairs, shag rugs and black light posters make anyone (especially an ancient Vampire) feel young again.


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The Dark Knight brings us another grand view of Wayne Manor in the mythical city of Gotham. Pendant lights ornate Greek-inspired columns and a filigree staircase worthy of Bat royalty reminds us that Batman is more than just a pretty masked face.


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Do you agree with my top set design picks from this year? Which is your favorite? Leave a comment and share some of your favorite set designs that you absolutely adore!