The Stories Behind Severance’s Eerie Office Design

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In the TV series Severance, when you accept a job at the enigmatic corporation Lumon, your workweek begins in an impersonal, eerily familiar office setting each morning. As Jeremy Hindle, the production designer, explains, the employees are called “Innies” and have no recollection of their lives beyond work (the reverse is true for their “Outies”). He describes this windowless office as akin to a playground, given that the Innies are essentially two-year-olds in a sense. Hindle notes that the managers effectively nurture them within this workplace environment. The visual design of Severance maintains the feeling of “office as haunted playground,” incorporating influences from mid-century American office design by architects such as Eero Saarinen and Kevin Roche, along with accessories that appear to transcend time. This creates a puzzling yet amusing steel-hued work environment that perplexes the characters while subtly acknowledging the audience.

In collaboration with set decorator Andrew Baseman, Hindle carefully crafted the sets for Severance, taking guidance from writer Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller to reflect the unique eeriness of Lumon’s design. Together, they explained the reasoning behind the ominous objects and furniture that permeate the world of Severance, with further insights expected as we explore more mysterious aspects of the Lumon office. (This article will be updated as additional intriguing details from the Lumon office come to light.)

A Mid-Century Idea of Work

In the pilot episode of the series, Britt Lower’s character Helly awakens to her fresh existence as an Innie on a sizable table shaped around her body contours. “I asked, ‘What is this table?'” Hindle stated. “And Dan replied, ‘It’s the origin. It’s the office’s womb.’” The table, along with most of the office building’s furniture, symbolically reflects a subconscious, almost nostalgic feeling about the concept of work, dating back to mid-20th-century design. To prepare for his initial meeting with Stiller, Hindle compiled a style guide featuring significant symbols of corporate might such as the John Deere headquarters designed by Eero Saarinen and Kevin Roche, the Saarinen-designed Bell Labs Holmdel complex (its parking lot resembling a brain serves as the exterior for Lumon’s), as well as Jacques Tati’s 1967 film Playtime, set within an enormous concrete, steel, and glass structure. “If Lumon is designing a space solely for people to work,” Hindle explained, “you’d look back to the ’60s and ’70s.” By examining these references, it becomes clear that they scream ‘work.’ They’re so powerful and dominating.” Essentially, the office seems to be instructing the Innies about what an office truly is.

The Desk Cluster

When Helly steps out from the table’s womb-like space into her department, she encounters a peculiar assortment of items that are somewhat familiar but not quite. Baseman explained that the items within the Innies’ “macrodata-refinement” office were purposely chosen to avoid immediate recognition. The intention was to perplex the viewer about whether this setting is historical, modern, or futuristic. The lamps, chairs, and other items were either produced or sourced from distant regions so that viewers wouldn’t instantly recognize them as an Eames chair, for example.

The script of the show depicted the principal characters occupying a set of interconnected desks, custom-made for the series by Hindle. Hindle expressed concerns about the dividers, stating they were problematic because employees couldn’t see each other. However, an idea struck him that the characters could manipulate them, allowing them to raise and lower the partitions as if on a playground.

A Computer Like No Other

Hindle and Baseman discovered the challenging truth that any specific computer brand would stand out too clearly for audiences. “We gathered every conceivable desktop computer,” Hindle explained. “We created a computer that, if it ever appeared in reality and the engineers explained its features, no one would believe them. It’s a cathode-ray tube, but it’s also a touchscreen with a trackball. Some elements of it are familiar, while others are completely foreign.” The unusual characteristics were intended to be puzzling yet humorous. “It doesn’t resemble a sophisticated high-tech computer,” Baseman said. “It looks like a toy.

The Prized Incentives

If the Inner circle members excel in their enigmatic numerical tasks, they are rewarded with various incentives – from carnival trinkets to a festive “waffle gathering” at the close of each quarter. Baseman pointed out that many of these were explicitly detailed in the script, such as the Chinese finger trap. The props were also carefully selected by our prop master Cat Miller. To maintain consistency with Lumon’s unique aesthetic, everything within the office was either manufactured by Lumon or chosen to fit its style. This principle extended to food rewards as well; throughout the series, we see unusual treats like deviled eggs and intricately carved watermelons being served to employees. Baseman explained that they presented Ben with every conceivable shape of melon, and after discarding the common ones, the peculiar shapes seemed fitting.

The Tools of Brain Surgery

The method shown in episode two involves a device akin to a nail gun being inserted into the back of a patient’s head to install a severance chip, as described by a skilled neurosurgeon. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team behind “Severance” constructed their own operating room and replicated all necessary equipment, including ketamine vials, which their consultant suggested would serve both as a tranquilizer and means of causing memory loss.

Capturing the Heroic Kier on Canvas

The corridors of Lumon’s offices showcase a collection of paintings that depict its founder, Kier Eagan, in diverse scenarios emphasizing his heroic deeds. One painting mimics the stance of the Romantic hero in Caspar David Friedrich’s “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog”; another, positioned above, portrays Eagan as a neoclassical figure resembling Christ casting out sinners; a third, which unsettles character Irving, illustrates an assault from Optics and Design in a dark, grotesque style reminiscent of Goya. Erickson’s scripts provided detailed descriptions for each painting, and the production team collaborated with digital artist Hugh Sicotte to conceptualize how each piece would appear based on these references. The series hired actor Marc Geller to embody Kier in various situations and poses as stated by Baseman, and they explored numerous potential artworks centered around this revered figure. “The paintings had to look classical yet authentic,” Hindle said. “For some, we considered up to 50 alternatives. Then we printed them out and hand-painted over them.

Mark’s Couch Back Home

When Adam Scott’s character, Mark, isn’t at work, he withdraws into a melancholic existence in reality, grieving the loss of his wife and residing in a bleak, suburban corporate apartment complex. As Hindle remarked, “The design of his living space is incredibly ill-suited.” Neighboring Mark is Mrs. Selvig, portrayed by Patricia Arquette, who appears to be a kindly aunt figure to the audience, but in truth, she’s a chilly Lumon executive named Cobel. The interiors of Mark and Mrs. Selvig’s houses were constructed adjacent to each other, with her half slightly raised so she could observe his life from above.

Ever since Mark’s wife passed away, almost everything in his home is kept in the basement. Baseman, who was on the hunt for a suitable orange sofa after a prolonged search, commented, “It’s been quite challenging to achieve minimal aesthetics.” He had found this vintage piece at a local New York shop, wanting a subtly somber couch that wasn’t overly brown or too vibrant. Hindle added, “It serves as a comforting spark in an otherwise cold and blue environment. Mark is alone and feeling down, and there’s a small, red fish symbol.

The Wellness Room

In the Lumon offices, one of the most enigmatic spaces is surprisingly minimalist – the Wellness Room. Here, character Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) interacts with the Innies, providing them with information about their Outies as a form of solace, though they are forbidden to respond. Somewhere between an office and a yoga studio in design, it features a basic table, mid-century chairs, a tree, and what appears to be a camera-bearing driftwood. “As a decorator,” Baseman admitted, “I always yearn for more lively elements, but in this case, I had to tone things down significantly. Ben would often visit the set and ask, ‘Have I overdone it again?’ To which I’d reply, ‘Yes,’ so we’d simplify the room. Originally, the design was more elaborate, but we eventually reduced it to its most essential elements.

Ricken’s Book

Inside Lumon’s office space, shades of red and yellow can be glimpsed from the outside, but the interior predominantly leans towards blues and greens. This contrast makes it startling when Ricken’s book intrudes into Mark’s Innie’s world. The show’s graphic designer, Tansy Michaud, created the cover of the book, which was intentionally designed to be visually jarring with its bold red-and-yellow color scheme and text focusing on self-actualization. According to Hindle, design trends from the 1960s to just before the 1980s were ideal, but now it seems like “how much can I yell at you to notice me?” Hindle said. Ricken’s character is also quite eccentric, making it simple for his face to be featured on the cover.

The Mysteries of Optics and Design

As MDR Innies venture beyond their department into the expansive and intricate Lumon underground office network, it becomes evident just how vast and convoluted these subterranean offices are. This network encompasses the Optics and Design sector overseen by Burt, portrayed by Christopher Walken. To make these workspaces appear modern and technologically advanced, Hindle equipped them with 3-D printers – a convenient method for mass-producing various tools. The O&D department is segmented into different areas, one of which is a conservation room containing easels and art restoration tools. According to Hindle, the character and ambiance of each room are heavily influenced by the script’s descriptions, and as they delve deeper, the spaces grow larger – hallways widen because, when asked about the extent of these underground offices, Dan replied, “Miles.

The Waffle Party

Towards the closing stages of the season, Zach Cherry’s character Dylan has the opportunity to attend an extravagant waffle gathering, which is more akin to an enigmatic, masked performance art event reminiscent of “Eyes Wide Shut,” held within a replica Victorian Kier house. As Baseman explained, they aimed to make it feel like a museum. After Dylan finishes his waffles, a note on the plate instructs him to visit Kier’s bed, where he witnesses an unusual, sensual dance presentation. The message on the plate was part of the script, but locating the right plate and printing the nontoxic ink were challenges in themselves.

2025-01-17 18:57