Do not adjust your television set. The barware in the living room may have come from Revivals. That vase in the kitchen could be a rare find from Misty’s Consignments. The pillows in the den were probably purchased from Reside Palm Springs. While the new desert-set Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern was filmed on a Burbank soundstage, the show’s crew was determined to create a Coachella Valley home that appeared absolutely authentic.
“I did a massive deep dive into the various styles of Palm Springs,” says Peter Gurski, the show’s Los Angeles–based set decorator whose television credits include the reboots of Will & Grace, Full House, and Night Court. “I drove my little pickup truck out to Palm Springs and did some serious shopping. I filled it up with all sorts of treasures. A couple of times, actually.”
The production team was challenged with capturing the essence of Palm Springs without actually being there, drawing inspiration from the city’s present and past. It went surprisingly smooth for the crew. “As a Los Angeles–based gay, as we like to say, I’ve been going out to Palm Springs for years and enjoying the pleasures of the desert,” Gurski shares. With his décor choices, he sought to convey the “resort living” vibe that Palm Springs epitomizes.
This dining alcove on a set at Walt Disney Studios looks out on a faux vista of Canyon View Estates.
PHOTO BY Christopher Willard, courtesy disney
Meanwhile, production designer Greg J. Grande was tasked with capturing the Palm Springs spirit while adhering to the practicalities of a TV set. “When you’re designing a multicam show,” Grande explains, “you want to bring in as much architecture into a small space as possible.” He incorporated familiar elements — terrazzo flooring, floor-to-ceiling windows, sunken and raised spaces — while ensuring the set fully functioned for both the camera operators and actors.
Mid-Century Modern features Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham as three gay besties living, laughing, and loving in Palm Springs. After the death of their friend, lovelorn lingerie mogul Bunny Schneiderman (Lane), flighty flight attendant Jerry Frank (Bomer), and fierce former Vogue editor Arthur Broussard (Graham) decide to live together in the posh pad Bunny shares with his snappy mother, Sybil, played by the late Linda Lavin in her final role.
“We never discussed setting the show in any other location,” says Max Mutchnick, who created, wrote, and executive produced the series with David Kohan. (Ryan Murphy is also an executive producer.) “From the beginning, it felt right. It was instinctive. We just know too many guys who live there and are these guys.”
Mutchnick and Kohan are no strangers to pushing boundaries and tackling complex themes with humor and sensitivity in the sitcom format, as evidenced by their groundbreaking work as the creators of Will & Grace. Now, they’re bringing their signature wit and warmth to Palm Springs, exploring the complexities of aging, friendship, and dating in a one-of-a-kind community.
The real-life Old Las Palmas estate famously owned by Dinah Shore and designed by Donald Wexler serves as the exterior of Bunny’s home on screen, while the interior purely existed as a series of sets at Walt Disney Studios. In the same vein of The Golden Girls, the show’s characters spend much of their time swapping stories and trading barbs in their fabulous haven.
“In the script, [Bunny’s house] was originally referred to as a white-on-white extravaganza with diamonds — or something along those lines,” Mutchnick says. “We didn’t ultimately do the white thing because that’s not good for camera, but we did do the expansive terrazzo floors and the gracious, big ranch living where everything exists on one level — and it just goes on and on.”
Despite the show’s title, the crew was not beholden to midcentury modernism. In fact, Mutchnick and Kohan pushed the team to incorporate other styles found in the desert, such as the Hollywood Regency flair that much of Bunny’s personal aesthetic exemplifies.
The late Linda Lavin and Lane as Bunny, her son.
PHOTO BY Christopher Willard, courtesy disney
Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham star in Mid-Century Modern.
Photo by Christopher Willard, courtesy disney
“I’m married to a woman who grew up in a midcentury modern house,” Kohan says. “There’s a clean, uncluttered way she has of living and approaching her life.” On the other hand, Kohan was raised in a home he jokingly describes as having a “Jewish Sanford and Son” style.
Tensions between order and abundance, and curated minimalism and the joyful chaos of collecting, became a driving force in the set design. The crew of Mid-Century Modern did not want their star sanctuary to feel like a hollow vacation rental. The result is a TV set that’s both familiar and aspirational, a place where viewers can imagine themselves relaxing with a cocktail alongside Bunny and his pals while surrounded by the sumptuous treasures of a life well lived.
One of the project’s most difficult undertakings was creating a set piece known as “the grotto,” a space that simulates an outdoor patio with a working hot tub. Because he was unable to drill into the soundstage floor, Grande crafted a raised platform to accommodate the basin where the characters can lounge. “We did have to make one big adjustment with the hot tub,” Mutchnick acknowledges. “From the first time you see [the cast] in the jacuzzi to the second time, they’re at a much better height for the bubbles to hit their bodies.”
Beyond the residence of Bunny and his chosen family, the production team constructed other locales for the first season of Mid-Century Modern, including a gathering spot inspired by Marrakesh Country Club, a downtown department store recalling the illustrious Bullock’s and Desmond’s department stores, and a seedy motel cheekily known as Chauvette Inn. Each set was designed to evoke specific eras and atmospheres, contributing to the show’s overall sense of place.
For viewers who watch closely enough, there are a few Easter eggs, too. After the passing of Lavin, whose character’s death was written into the show during production, Gurski added personal touches: A portrait created by her husband was hung on the living room wall, and a container with multiple pairs of reading glasses — similar to one that Gurski noticed Lavin had on her own desk at home — was added in the den as an on-camera homage to the Alice and Barney Miller legend.
A moody alcove in the living room area features a grand piano.
PHOTO BY Christopher Willard, courtesy disney
The team is already planning what they’d want to visualize in a second season. Gurski and Grande hope to reveal a dramatic fireplace on the living room’s unseen fourth wall. Kohan and Mutchnick would love to go on location in Palm Springs — in the right temperature. “We don’t want to see actors sweating,” Mutchnick teases. “I mean, we want to see Matt Bomer sweating, you know, in a controlled way. But we’ll eventually get to Palm Springs. It’s just up the road.”
The Rooms Where It Happens
The Mid-Century Modern crew lead a VIP tour.
Living Room
A bar with pink biscuit tufting and brass highlights topped with a variety of tchotchkes serves as the centerpiece of the house’s largest gathering space. “We knew we wanted a bar,” Mutchnick says, “because we knew these guys would have drinks at the end of every day.” The sunken living room also leads to the bedrooms, a small dining room, and an alcove with a grand piano.
The centerpiece bar with pink biscuit tufting.
Photo by Christopher Willard, courtesy disney
Kitchen
When imagining the kitchen, the production team not only desired a bold palette but a vintage 1960s appliance that would evoke nostalgia, landing on an O’Keefe and Merritt oven. “My grandmother had one of those back in the day in that exact same color,” says Grande, who notes that Bunny’s stove was acquired (not stolen!) from a set decorator friend’s home.
Den
In the first episode, Lavin’s character is introduced as she eavesdrops from a large butler’s pantry. In subsequent episodes, however, the area was transformed into a moody but comfy den with a desk and deep couch accented with mod-patterned pillows. “We wanted to give the characters another place to play that was more than just a butler’s pantry,” Grande says.
