In advance of International Production Design Week, running October 17 through 26, 2025, we asked eight designers to discuss a single prop or piece of scenery from their work and its role in the world of the film. This feature was produced by Javier Irazuzta.
Shiva Baby (Emma Seligman, 2020).
Designing Shiva Baby changed the course of my career, but getting there was anything but straightforward. I was hired, then the dates got pushed, and I was unavailable. Dates shifted again, but they had hired someone else. Then on day three of filming, the designer was no longer able to complete the project. The producers called: “Can you come meet with Emma tonight? We need you to finish decorating the house tomorrow.” Challenge accepted.
The next morning, I ran through estate sales with armfuls of tchotchkes while pointing at art to add to my growing pile in the car. By day’s end, a few areas of the set still felt incomplete. The solution wasn’t at retail stores, so I did what any passionate but reckless designer would do: I pulled from my prized possessions at home.
Specifically, I turned to the few beloved objects I’d collected as a decorator and held onto even through my minimalist years. In 2017, while decorating another film, I visited a woman’s apartment on the Upper West Side. Her mother had just passed, and she was eager to part with her “junk,” a treasure trove of vintage furniture and art. I exchanged $50 for a pair of stunning 1920s chandelier table lamps. In 2019, they were preserved on screen out of frenzied necessity. Today, they sit on my dresser, the crystals casting shadows across my wall.
Shiva Baby (Emma Seligman, 2020).
Continue reading “The Prop and the Production Designer.”