A New Office Coming Together...

The team is working on an office for the final episode of the season.  Not as exciting as Olivia's bathroom....I know people.  But let's give it a try and start with what we know:

* Traditional office space

And...that's about it.  Well we do know who it's for.  But you...well, we don't want to spoil it for you.  New space.  Lot's of decisions to be made and lots of shopping because we're starting from scratch.  Let's do this one in Scandal Pace: 

The Production Designer decides on carpet:
 

A few minutes later she brings in a first round of wall color ideas:

 

What would you choose for blinds in a traditional office?  Wood?  Yes.  2 inch?  Yes.  Dark or light?  We considered the super traditional Coffee colored blinds.  But why not go with...

Yes, you guessed it, we have again selected our favorite Smokey Grey.  But this time it's a wood blind which gives it a completely different feeling.  All of the other woods in the room will be dark so a lighter shade will feel like a nice contrast everyone decides.  Can't seem to go wrong with a nice Smokey Grey blind.  Ok...I hear you, no more about blinds.  Scandal Pace...

Armed with that much info, we can all agree on the furniture that's been spotted across town.  Fast forward to this afternoon and we get word from the crew that a few pieces have arrived on the lot....Hold on, gotta walk over and take a look:

Now that we eye the actual furniture pieces in person, the Production Designer can really hone in on the paint colors.  She gets a paint presentation from our beloved Painter Michael who has done two samples.  He shows them along with a wood shelf from the furniture. 

There is a subtle difference between the two color boards when you look at them here, but the concern is that on camera the difference could be more significant.  See it?  The one on the left is bluer, darker...the one on the right a little lighter, silvery.  We all weigh in. By the way, we love that we can all participate in the process sometimes.  This is after all, a teaching hospital people...or wait...no, that's a different Shondaland show.  Anywho...back to Scandal Pace...Beloved PD patiently listens to us mumble about light reflection, darkness, the green chairs we've picked, blah, blah, blah and then chooses her color.
 
While he has a captive audience, Michael selects a matching wood tone sample to use to paint the trim.  And with that, he's off and running.  He knows what his crew needs to do now to make those walls, doors and trim come to life.
 

The Set Dec crew is off and running too.  All of the main elements (furniture, etc.) are chosen. The next 2 days will be spent looking for:

1) Great nic naks for the desk and bookcases: What is this character like?  Would they have playful things in their office or is it all about work?  Do they have hobbies, like sport teams, etc?  What types of books should there be in the bookcase?  Should they be all work related or would some personal favs make the cut as well? 

2) Lamps: First choices are brass lamps.  Traditional but maybe something with character?   Maybe something with colored glass - like those green glass banker lamps for the desk?

3) Accessories: Would they use fancy high end items?  Maybe a leather desk blotter?  A calendar?  Your run of the mill items like stapler, tape dispenser, phone, in box/paperwork tray, pen set, paperweight, folders, etc. - plain and office supply-ish or fancy?  Or even fun and colorful?

4) Art: Do they have their diplomas or other certificates on the wall from whatever school the writers say they're from?  If so, the Art Dept. will create and print those for us.  Need art pieces that either reflect their personality or are they just an office building generic art kinda person who hasn't personalized?  Do they have any pictures of themselves either personal or work related in the office?

5) Drapes:  Can we use ready made drapes to save time and money and better fit the budget?  Are the windows too tall for anything we'll find in the store?  Should we just go with custom made so we'll get exactly what we want?  The decision:  Went and measured and the height works for ready mades so we'll look around first. Perhaps a little Restoration Hardware...

Questions.  Decisions.  Shopping.

Well, this was the Evelyn Wood Speed Readers version of pulling together just one of the 20 sets we'll have worked on for this episode.  Sorry, but you'll just have to wait til the finale airs to see anything more about this office!