Introduction
HBO's late-19th-century drama The Gilded Age is largely set within the well-appointed homes of New York's high society. As the series opens in Central Park, European treasures are transported to fill the Fifth Avenue mansion of newly wealthy couple Bertha and George Russell. The scene signals the gorgeous architecture and interiors to come.
Production Design Approach
A team led by production designer Bob Shaw and set decorator Regina Graves devised the show's many sets, including the Russells' mansion, which flaunts their new money, and the older neighboring brownstone inhabited by sisters Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook, which bespeaks their established wealth and status. Graves studied to be an interior designer and landed at New York City's largest prop house straight out of college.
The Russell Mansion Design
In the Russell mansion, newly designed by Stanford White, everything is grand, large and imported from Europe. Mrs. Russell is trying to impress New York society with a home boasting acres of marble, hundreds of yards of fabric and elaborate crystal chandeliers. The Russells' drawing room includes Louis XV furniture upholstered in ginger bronze-silk, as well as a French Aubusson parlor set.
The Van Rhijn Brownstone
Across the street, the established Mrs. van Rhijn doesn't need to impress. Her station is assured, and her brownstone reflects its older heritage. The team decided to wallpaper and dress the rooms in richer colors. The house is furnished in the traditional American Victorian-era style, with heavily carved ornate furniture covered in damasks, velvets, needlepoint and brocades.
Scale of the Production
When asked how many rooms she devised over the almost two years she worked on the production, Graves laughed, noting she wouldn't be exaggerating if she said over 100. This includes rooms on location in historic mansions like Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York; and the Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer and the Elms, all in Newport, Rhode Island.
Period Accuracy and Continuity
Graves recounts an example of how far the team would go to ensure period accuracy. Several scenes were shot in a hallway at the Elms, used to depict parts of the Russell house. The walls were upholstered in a 100-year-old red Scalamandré fabric no longer in production. Graves worked with Scalamandré to find the discontinued fabric in its archives and produce enough to match the historic location.
Servants' Quarters
The series also provides glimpses of the working areas of the New York mansions. Graves loves, in particular, the servants' area of the van Rhijn household. Those sets lack the rich fabrics and ornate decor of the upstairs rooms, but they are still spectacular, with miles of white subway tile and beautiful built-in cabinetry, decorated as functional spaces with layered details.
Overall Vision
Decorating the rooms of The Gilded Age was a career highlight for Graves. The producers wanted a feast for the eyes, which design-loving viewers have been more than happy to enjoy.
Tags