Back in the Office for "The Other Two"
Still a pandemic, but back in the office to finish decorating “The Other Two.” Much like when we were working on “The Flight Attendant,” “The Other Two” was in the middle of filming when NYC was shut down with the initial outbreak of COVID-19.
Maggie Ruder, the production designer reached out to join her to decorate the remainder of the season and I happily agreed as a fan of the show myself and eager to work with Maggie.
Because of COVID compliance, this room was slated for just an occupancy of 1, whereas in pre-VOID days easily a whole department would have been squeezed into this space.
Ok before you start wondering why I’m totally fetishizing this office I need you to know what production offices are usually like: whatever random suite of available offices happen to be empty at any given moment in New York City, a bunch of people crammed into a makeshift small space on folding tables and folding chairs sort of like a traveling caravan that sprouted overnight since most production offices are only occupied by the crew for a few months. Often windowless.
I’ve worked in so many weird and strange spots around NYC ranging from nice studio offices above the soundstage in Queens, to three rooms above a dentist’s office and liquor store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to lofts slated for destruction in Tribeca, to some producer’s family connection offices that are mostly empty in Rockefeller Center, to a WeWork office, to the bowels of an old decaying neglected floor in an office building in downtown Brooklyn…the list goes on but you get the idea.
For a bunch of people focused on beautifying and decorating interior spaces we are usually working out of the most uninspiring interior spaces you can think of. Luckily we are not usually in the office that much—part of what makes set decorating so fun: we are always out and about around the city.
So when I walked into my new office in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, my jaw dropped and pretty much knew this will probably the best office I will ever get. Also in large part because Maggie gave me this amazing office instead of taking it for herself which tells you almost everything you need to know about Maggie.
This is the view. !!!!!!!
As someone who basically gets paid to think about re-arranging furniture, obviously the first thing I did was move the desk so that when I was sitting I was looking out of the window not away from it (DUH).
This is how I my desk was oriented and how the wall behind me looked while we were in the thick of things in furniture selection and option
Since we were still very much in the thick of COVID and had regulations of the distance we were supposed to keep, I thought I could capitalize on all those big empty white walls and get a projectioner so we could look at photos and options large and sit a distance from each other to discuss some creative decision making.
the window sill became a handy place to consider fabric swatches for the plane set.
Hah some moody little winter shots while I was still smitten and in disbelief I got this wonderful huge office all to myself—which oddly is maybe one of the very few upsides of working through a pandemic.