In this darkly comedic series, a love triangle between three adults experiencing middle-age malaise leads to an untimely death. -HBO
Sets that bring reality to this addictive tale of the 3 M: Marriage, Middle-age, Malaise...and possibly a fourth: Murder? Set Decorator Lance Totten SDSA talks about the approach and collaboration involved in creating the realistic settings that take us into HBO’s darkly comedic limited series.
The Finale is Sunday!
The Forrest house. In this flashback, the place is set up for a barbecue party Clark and his wife are having...the Smernitch family are attending for the first time, and in true Midwest tradition, Floyd brings a cornhole game for all to enjoy. Photo courtesy of HBO.
SET DECOR: Please tell us how you became involved in the project, and your collaboration with Production Designer Laura Fox...your approach, your process...
Set Decorator Lance Totten SDSA: “Laura called me and asked if I wanted to do it! She’d heard good things about me from a couple of people and we had a nice initial conversation, and that was all it took for both of us.”
“I learned a lot from Laura. Her approach to design is intuitive and based on her good taste and a focused sense of what’s right for the project. Having worked with the Showrunner, Steve Conrad, before, she knew exactly what he’d want to see and how things should be presented, both conceptually and in execution. She is also smart and funny and likes to laugh and have fun at work, so we got along well.”
“Laura pushed us all to think more artistically about our approach to the work, and I appreciated that after years of being encouraged to do things practically for the medium. I’ve kept a lot of her ideas about letting things breathe and recede, and I think I’m a better decorator for it now.”
Forrest house, Kitchen/Dining alcove. In this television weatherman’s home, everything is about image and style for this local celebrity...as defined in upper-mid level suburbia. Photo courtesy of HBO.
SET DECOR: Naturally following that, we would like to know about your collaboration with Showrunner Steve Conrad, and also with Director of Photography James Whitaker, as well as your crew!
“With Steve, I followed Laura’s lead and let her do most of the talking with him in prep, unless she wanted me to jump in on something specific. As we moved into shooting, I worked with him more on set as I gained his trust.”
Steve’s an exceptionally nice guy, but as the writer/director on such a nuanced and subtle project, we tried to give him space and not clutter his attention with unnecessary noise. That being said, I managed to crack him up a couple of times and that felt good. While he’s low-key and soft-spoken, he has a very keen sense of humor...as evidenced by his writing!”
Forrest house, Living room. Note that the furnishings have crisp, hard edges. The palette is in the “designer’ hues of the day, but here, the absence of color is a subtle reflection of Clark’s malaise. Photo courtesy of HBO.
“I worked fairly closely with James, the DP, mostly to get him the type of lighting fixtures that bridged the gap between our design style and the practicality of his needs.”
“My crew was top-notch, as always. I couldn’t have done it without them, quite literally!”
Please tell us about where you shot, how long…how long for prep?
“We shot in and around Atlanta, GA and had plenty of prep time, a luxury these days. The shoot itself was longer than most limited series I’ve done, and that allowed us enough time to prep as things evolved during principal photography.”
“As with any project, we researched the area where the story is set and tried to bring in whatever touches we could that were specific to St. Louis for our fictitious suburb, Twyla, Missouri.”
“So, from the menus on the Smernitch’s fridge, to product placement with Annheiser-Busch, to the Cardinals game, to 3-14 Fest, and the brands of milk for sale in a grocery store, we strived for authenticity. Honestly, so much of the story is about the suburbs with big box stores and chain restaurants that Atlanta was a good choice for filming. The story could have been set in almost any large metropolitan area in the USA.”
The Smernitch home, Living room. Floyd Smernitch and his troubled teenage stepson begin to bond. Image: Arlan Ruf as Richard, David Harbour as Floyd © 2026 HBO/Max.
Builds on stage/on location...
“We built on stage all of the interior police station and the Harp & Anvil, the downtown bar where the cops hang out. We also built the Motel room on stage, in conjunction with filming at a real location where we dressed a lobby, the pool area and balconies, and about half of our hero room to match the stage version.”
Editor’s note: Click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below for these stunning sets!
“We shot all of the Forrest house on location, and about half of the Smernitch home was built, with the other half being done at a practical location.
Smernitch home, Living room, BTS. This is a lived-in family home, the earthy beiges, robbed of color by time and choice, reflecting another malaise. At least the pillows and throws, the textiles, and the soft, rounded corners provide a sense of comfort, perhaps of a more welcoming history. Photo courtesy of HBO.
Smernitch home, Living room, Carol Love-Smernitch, Floyd's wife [Linda Cardellini]. Ensconced in the sofa, surrounded by pillows she obviously had chosen at some point for their home, Carol faces a visit from unwanted visitors. Photo courtesy of HBO.
Smernitch home, Living room. Special Crimes Officer for the Twyla Police Department, Jodie Plumb [Joy Sunday] and County Detective Donoghue Homer [Richard Jenkins] question Carol about her husband’s death. Photo courtesy of HBO.
Denny’s and Outback were done at real locations of those corporate restaurants, but we created the Jamba Juice completely from scratch, because there aren’t any stand-alone ones in Atlanta!”
Locations: Pros/cons of location work...
“The selection and use of locations was some of the best I’ve ever experienced in my career. This was not a group of filmmakers who choose locations based solely on schedule or budget. So, what we got were extremely thoughtful locations that look like what they’re supposed to be in the story; we were rarely turning something into a place that it wasn’t, and that was extremely refreshing.”
“The work that went into finding the right places per the script was long and exacting, but it freed us creatively to embellish them as needed, and to focus on the world-building of our stage sets and a handful of “blank canvas” locations. Maria Bierniak and her Locations team were top-notch all the way.”
Smernitch home, Kitchen, BTS. Again the contrast to Clark’s house. The rounded corners, the typical suburban kitchen, the cane and unpainted wood.“The barstools were a last-minute prop house find by Set Decoration Buyer Rachel Bell, SDSA Associate member, when we realized that the ones we planned to use weren’t quite right after all. The funny thing about these is they look like they should’ve been there all along!” Photo courtesy of HBO.
Smernitch home, Kitchen. Carol in her Purina uniform. She also works part-time as a Little League umpire for extra income. The family is in credit card debt, and Floyd’s work provides meager pay. Linda Cardellini. Photo by Tina Rowden/HBO.
Palettes, fabrics & textures...
“Fabric played an outsized role in the design and décor of the show. We ended up doing fabric covered walls for the Motel room sets instead of paint or wallpaper, to give an otherworldly feel to the site of the characters’ ‘dream meetings.’ A slightly different fabric was used for the custom headboards to make them standout a bit from the walls.”
“Metallic silver beanbags were all custom made for the VIP area of the Roller Rink.”
“The banquettes in the Harp & Anvil bar were an inexpensive FB marketplace find that set the layout for the entire bar. They were all painstakingly rebuilt and reupholstered in a beautiful green vinyl that we sourced from multiple options. Assistant Set Decorator Lauren Adams Jones, SDSA Associate member, ran point on all of these projects and worked tirelessly to source sample after sample in an often-painstaking process that at times had us up against strict deadlines. Some might say that fabric is her forte.”
Editor’s note: Be sure to click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below for these stunning sets!
Did you have any personal favorite set and/or set pieces?
“Overall, the Smernitch House was probably my favorite because it was the hardest to achieve in terms of décor. Those kind of unspectacular “bite of banality” environments can be the most difficult to nail down, but the location that was selected had terrific architecture and period detail, so that set the tone for the work we did subsequently on stage.”
“Striking the exact sense of hopefulness and disappointment in this one family’s struggle was challenging to represent through decoration, but based on the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the shooting crew I believe we got it down.”
Smernitch home, Bedroom, BTS. This room speaks volumes. [The plastic floor covering will be removed for the shoot. Imagine all the crew shoeprints & equipment stains on a beige carpet!] Photo courtesy of HBO.
Smernitch home, Richard’s Bedroom, inset: Arlan Ruf as Richard. Photo courtesy of HBO.
Smernitch home, Den. More of the classic faux wood paneling that clads the interior of many suburban homes, particularly the den. Home-made built-ins flank the fireplace. The ubiquitous snifter of matches. Insider note: Art Department challenge: Coordinator Chase Helzer (SDSA Associate member) and the crew came up with humorous “appropriate” names for the collection of The Idiot’s Guide. Photo courtesy of HBO.
Someone mentioned the “simplicity” of the sets being in contrast to the depth of the conversations and actions within...a great framing for the story....
“DTF is a good example of the sets playing a truly supporting role. Normally I’m happy to bring a lot of visual interest and ‘pop’ to the proceedings, but the directive here was much more about receding, so I worked hard to tamp down my natural tendency to blow everyone away with style and swagger! I think the heartfelt nature of what’s being discussed, in spite of how funny the material can be, lent itself to a visual restraint that looks like it just is, no matter how much work went into it making it appear that way.”
Can you tell us about being a set decorator who is based in Atlanta…the pros, the cons – you are one of the rocks of Atlanta’s set decoration sphere!*
Lance: “You’re too kind. I think I’m a pretty good set decorator who has found a way to be very good by staying in the same place most of my career! I can still get the job done somewhere else, but I think knowing different crew and vendors here and having an idea of where to look for things gives me an advantage I wouldn’t have elsewhere.”
And finally, what would you want us to know about the series…
I’m just very proud to have been a part of something as deep and meaningful as DTF, and consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to contribute creatively to an artistic endeavor like this with so many immensely talented people. It truly was a blessing, and an experience that will stand out as one of the most rewarding of my career.
Editor's note:
Set Decorator Lance Totten SDSA, former President of the SDSA, would like to acknowledge the Business members of the organization, a backbone of the industry, particularly those that he worked with for this production: CAPS | Bridge Props | Alpha Medical | 14th Street Modern | Antonio Raimo Gallery | LCW | Made To Measure | Meyers Carpet
Check the SET DECOR Archives. We first covered Lance Totten SDSA’s work for the Tyler Perry film GOOD DEEDS. You will also find articles about his work on films BABY DRIVER and DEAR EVAN HANSEN, miniseries DMZ and FIGHT NIGHT: THE MILLION DOLLAR HEIST...and more!
Don't forget to click on the SHOW MORE PHOTOS button below for many other sets of this addictive mini-series!
