a few weeks before preparations began on the L.A. sets. For all the
Mode sets, we let our imaginations ramp up a bit more than usual. We
thought of everything in terms of bigger, bolder, fun and exaggerated.
The black chandelier in ilhelmina’W s apartment seems to em-
body her personality. erW e there any furnishings or décor that
you selected specifically to capture a character’s personality?
Everything is selected to bring out the character’s personality. Bet-
ty’s would be her colorful picture frames with pictures of her family,
her little burro planter and cactus and the fantasy watercolor painting
of an idealized New York City skyline over her bed. Wilhelmina’s
things were seen in terms of black and white, like Dorothy Drap-
er’s style. Besides her black chandelier, there is the silver deco lady
sculpture behind her desk, the silver Mylar shade diffusing a crystal
chandelier and the stylized heads on her credenza. Betty’s things are
chosen because they are practical, young, fun and within her means,
while Wilhelmina strives for things that are beautiful, status-enriching
and exclusive.
Color seems to play an important role in determining the mood
of each scene and in characterization. What is the process for
choosing specific colors for the set?
In his initial concepts, Mark came up with a color palette for each
set. I would shop for furniture, fabrics and art that complemented that
style and palette. Sometimes we would find a great piece, such as a
sofa or chair, that would dictate what the palette would be and then
we would go with that. There is not enough time to mull things over
and you have to be ready to shift gears quickly to adapt to changes in
script, locations or set.
There are so many patterns throughout the Suarez home in wall
coverings, drapery and flooring, and yet everything seems to go so
well together. How difficult was it to achieve this look?
For the Suarez home, we kept everything within a warm color pal-
ette, consisting of brown wood with orange, turquoise and yellow
accents. Mark gave us samples of the wallpaper choices and paint
finishes. I sent the drapery specialist Terry Sheffield to Anna’s Lin-
ens, where the Suarez family might shop, and they had the pale peach
shears with lace trim that were a perfect match for the Suarez style. I
found that in a set like the Suarez house, my background in painting
was useful because doing a whole set like that was similar to a large
painting in that they both involve rearranging color, space and objects
until it feels right. The whole Ugly Betty project was difficult and
stressful, but most importantly it was exciting and fun.
I have read on several fan sites that people wish their offices
looked more like those on the Mode set. People feel the boldness
and colors would improve morale and the orange cubicle parti-
tions inspire envy in cubicle-dwellers across America. What can
www
you tell us about the design concept of the office set?
.designtrade.net
© ABC, Inc.
The design and decorating concept of the set was to make it as fabu-
lous as we could within the confines of the script and the budget. Ev-
ery bit of the set built for the series is built like a real office. It was
built by two crews working around the clock for three weeks. We were
given about a day and a half to dress it before the cameras and actors
walked in. Some of that modern furniture is the best, most beauti-
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