We’re fascinated in the production design, art direction and set decoration of the movies here at Film and Furniture and as you’re here, we know you are too! The look, the atmosphere and the hidden narrative revealed by the film sets, locations and furniture is what floats our boat. It is therefore an honour to present our highlights of the design and art department nominations and winners in 2022’s Art Directors Guild Awards and the SDSA Awards in the USA, together with the British Film Designers Guild Awards here in the UK. Part 2 takes a close look at the 2022 BAFTAs and Oscars.

Dune performed particularly well in these three craft-focused awards, with other notable wins from No Time To Die, Nightmare Alley, The French Dispatch, Being The Ricardos, The Father, Cruella and Last Night in Soho.

Let’s shine a spotlight on the super-talented creatives of the film industry…

The ADG Awards 

The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) announced winners of its 26th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in 13 categories of film, television, commercials, music videos and animation features, on March 5, 2022.

Dune (production design by Patrice Vernette) won the Fantasy Feature Film category with other nominees being Cruella (Fiona Crombie), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Francois Audouy), Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings (Sue Chan) and The Green Knight (Jade Healy).

Nightmare Alley (production design by Tamara Deverell) took home the Period Feature Film award with other nominees being Licorice Pizza (Florencia Martin), The French Dispatch (Adam Stockhausen), The Tragedy Of Macbeth (Stefan Dechant) and West Side Story (Adam Stockhausen).

The Contemporary Feature Film winner was No Time To Die (Production Designer: Mark Tildesley). Other nominees in this category were Candyman (Cara Brower), Don’t Look Up (Clayton Hartley), In The Heights (Nelson Coates) and The Lost Daughter (Inbal Weinberg).

You can find some key furniture pieces which featured in No Time To Die in our store >

The winner of Animated Feature Film was Encanto (Production Designer: Ian Gooding) with other nominees being Luca (Daniela Strijleva), Raya and The Last Dragon (Paul Felix), Sing 2 (Olivier Adam) and The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (Lindsey Olivares).

Winners in the television categories included Loki (Production Designer: Kasra Farahani), Squid Games (Chae Kyoung-Sun), Wandavision (Mark Worthington), What We Do In The Shadows (Kate Bunch), Family Reunion (Aiyana Trotter) and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament Of Houses (John Janavs).

See the full list of ADG Awards nominees and winners here.

The SDSA Awards

The Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) second-ever Awards were announced on March 22, 2022. These awards celebrate excellence in the art of set decoration for film and the nominations celebrate decor/design in feature films released in 2021 and are voted on by members of the SDSA. These awards focus on four categories: contemporary film, period film, fantasy or science fiction film and musical or comedy film.

The Award for Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film went to No Time To Die (Set Decoration by Véronique Melery SDSA, Production Design by Mark Tildesley).
Other nominations in this category were Coda (Set Decoration by Vanessa Knoll, Production Design by Diane Lederman), Don’t Look Up (Set Decoration by Tara Pavoni, Production Design by Clayton Hartley), The Hand of God (Set Decoration by Iole Autero, Production Design by Carmine Guarino) and The Lost Daughter (Set Decoration by Christine-Athina Vlachos, Production Design by Inbal Weinberg). 

Being The Ricardos (Set Decoration by Ellen Brill SDSA, Production Design by Jon Hutman) took home the Award for Best Achievement in Decor/Design
of a Period Feature Film.
Other nominees were House of Gucci (Set Decoration by Letizia Santucci SDSA, Production Design by Arthur Max), Licorice Pizza (Set Decoration by Ryan Watson SDSA, Production Design by Florencia Martin SDSA), Nightmare Alley (Set Decoration by Shane Vieau, Production Design by Tamara Deverell) and The Power of The Dog (Set Decoration by Amber Richards, Production Design by Grant Major).

Read about Lucille’s Dressing Room in Being The Ricardos here >

Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Fantasy or Science Fiction Feature Film was won by Dune (Set Decoration by Zsuzsanna Sipos, Production Design by Patrice Vermette).
The King’s Man (Set Decoration by Dominic Capon, Production Design by Darren Gilford), The Matrix Ressurections (Set Decoration by Lisa Brennan & Barbara Munch SDSA, Production Design by Hugh Bateup & Peter Wapole), Spider-Man: No Way Home (Set Decoration by Rosemary Brandenburg SDSA, Production Design by Darren Gilford) and The Tragedy of Macbeth (Set Decoration by Nancy Haigh, Production Design by Stefan Dechant) were all well worthy nominees.

The winner of Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Musical or Comedy Feature Film was The French Dispatch (Set Decoration by Rena DeAngelo SDSA, Production Design by Adam Stockhausen).
Other nominees were Cruella (Set Decoration by Alice Felton, Production Design by Fiona Crombie), Cyrano (Set Decoration by Katie Spencer SDSA, Production Design by Sarah Greenwood), Tick, Tick, Boom! (Set Decoration by Lydia Marks SDSA, Production Design by Alex DiGerlando) and West Side Story (Set Decoration by Rena DeAngelo SDSA, Production Design by Adam Stockhausen).

British Film Designers Guild Awards

 

The winners of British Film Designers Guild Production Design Awards for 2021 films were announced at a ceremony in London on 12th March 2022.

 

The Award for Best Production Design – Light Entertainment TV Programme was won by Sex Education – Series 3 (Production Designer: Samantha Harley, Supervising Art Director – Samantha Jay Cliff, Set Decorators: Alexandra Slade & Elizabeth Marcussen).

Big Age (Production Designer: Angel Parmar, Supervising Art Director: Tom Watson, Set Decorator: Shean Caisley) and Code 404 – Season 2 (Production Designer: Julian Nagel, Supervising Art Director: Jo White, Set Decorator: Bethan Edwards-Wilson) were also nominated.

Best Production Design – Independent TV Drama Including Mini Series, TV Movie Or Limited Series was won by A Very British Scandal: The Duchess of Argyll (Production Designer: Christina Moore, Supervising Art Director: Iain White, Set Decorator: Philippa Hart).
The other nominees were All Creatures Great and Small (Production Designer: Jacqueline Smith, Supervising Art Director: Tom Goodwin, Set Decorator: James Gray) and It’s A Sin (Production Designer: Luana Hanson, Supervising Art Directors: Tom Akins & Gavin Lewis, Set Decorator: Craig Menzies). 

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  Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference Turntable as seen in A Clockwork Orange

  As seen in:

  • A Clockwork Orange
  • The Look of Love

  Designer: David Gammon

  Director: Stanley Kubrick

  In Alex’s (Malcolm McDowell) bedroom in A Clockwork Orange we find a turntable on which he plays his beloved Beethoven records. This, the Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference Turntable, is a stunning award-winning piece first produced in the 1960s and was selected by Kubrick himself to appear in the film.

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Best Production Design – International TV Drama Including Mini Series, TV Movie Or Limited Series was won by The Nevers (Production Designer: Gemma Jackson, Supervising Art Director: Peter Russell, Set Decorator: Tina Jones).
The other nominees were Cowboy Bebop (Production Designers: Gary Mackay & Grant Majors, Supervising Art Director: Alistair Kay, Set Decorator: Anneke Botha) and Landscapers (Production Designer: Cristina Casali, Supervising Art Director: Fabrice Spelta, Set Decorator: Robert Wischhusen-Hayes).

Best Production Design – Independent Feature Film – Period was won by The Electric Life of Louis Wan (Production Designer: Suzie Davies, Supervising Art Director: Caroline Barclay, Set Decorator: Charlotte Dirickx).
The other nominees were Mothering Sunday (Production Designer: Helen Scott, Supervising Art Director: Adam Marshall, Set Decorator: Hannah Spice) and Oslo (Production Designer: Michael Carlin, Supervising Art Director: Guy Bradley, Set Decorator: Tonja Schurmann).

Best Production Design – Independent Feature Film – Contemporary was won by The Father (Production Designer: Peter Francis, Supervising Art Director: Astrid Sieban, Set Decorator: Cathy Featherstone).
The other nominees were Falling For Figaro (Production Designer: Luciana Arrighi, Supervising Art Director: Laurel Wear, Set Decorator: Natalie Astridge) and People Just Do Nothing: Big in Japan (Production Designer: Anna Sheldrake, Art Director: Sophie Lockwood, Set Decorator: Emily Meech).

You can read an interview with production designer Peter Francis about about the deliberately disorientating decor of The Father here >

Best Production Design – International Studio Feature Film – Period was won by Cruella (Production Designer: Fiona Crombie, Supervising Art Director: Martin Foley, Set Decorator: Alice Felton).
The other nominees were Belfast (Production Designer: Jim Clay, Supervising Art Director: Dominic Masters , Set Decorator: Claire Nia Richards) and House of Gucci
(Production Designer: Arthur Max, Supervising Art Director: Cristina Onori, Set Decorator: Letizia Santucci).

Best Production Design – International Studio Feature Film – Contemporary was won by Last Night in Soho (Production Designer: Marcus Rowland, Supervising Art Director: Tim Blake, Set Decorator: Jude Farr).
The other nominees were Cherry (Production Designer: Phillip Ivey, Supervising Art Director: Marco Trentini, Set Decorators: Letizia Santucci & Adam Willis) and Kate (Production Designer: Dominic Watkins, Supervising Art Director: Charlie Reval, Set Decorator: Daniel Birt).

Best Production Design – International Studio Feature Film – Fantasy was won by Dune (Production Designer: Patrice Vermette, Supervising Art Director: Tom Brown).
The other nominees were Cinderella (Production Designer: Paul Kirby, Supervising Art Director: Nigel Evans, Set Decorator: Kathryn Pyle) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (Production Designer: Darren Gilford, Supervising Art Director: Dave Scott, Set Decorator: Rosemary Brandenburg).

 

We salute them all!

Take a look at Film awards 2022 Part 2 – the BAFTAs and Oscars.