The hit musical drama 'Empire' from Fox has gained a huge fan base since its first season. The series follows the powerful but dysfunctional 'Lyon' family and their record company aptly named 'Empire.' Earlier this week, its mid-season 2 finale has aired and has left viewers madly anticipating for what is in store for the Lyon family.
Veteran set designer Caroline Perzan takes us into the set design of the hit show to see what it is like to be in the 'Empire.'
Perzan has worked with a number of hit series like 'Breaking Bad,' 'CSI' and 'The Horse Whisperer.' For the musical drama, she made it a point that the set is consistent with the contemporary hiphop theme of the show. For the receiving area of the record company, she played with colors grey, white and black. She accented the room with LED lights that looked like curtains, and a black and white geometrically printed rug.
For the Empire Records' green room where recording artists usually hang out, Perzan integrated the contemporary floors and walls with vintage furniture like the office chairs dressed with alligator leather, and a midcentury avocado green sofa. She upgraded the look with gorgeous lighting contributing to the thug meets classy look that matches with the theme of the drama.
One of Lucious and Cookie's sons, Jamal, is often seen composing music in his upscale bachelor's pad. To match Jamal's style and personality, Perzan opted to put a subtly printed rug from Surya, and a custom chandelier composed of handcrafted lampshades from recycled paper. The star of the room is a grand piano designed by the only African-American piano maker in the country, Warren Shadd.
Art is vital in each set according to the set designer. There is a wide variety of art pieces that can be found in the set of Empire. Perzan shares, "We brought in collections of high-end African-American art as well as pieces from newcomers."
