“Lecter’s kitchen is his performance space,” production designer Patti Podesta said, “and while he may be performing for himself much of the time, it had to be a space that reflects his orderly, highly visceral aesthetic.” (Brooke Palmer / NBC)
Production designer Patti Podesta’s rendering of Hannibal’s dining room shows a series of planter boxes set against a wallpapered background. The other wall, with textured horizontal lines, was conceived by series creator Bryan Fuller. (Patti Podesta)
The dining room table was purchased new in Toronto from the Art Shoppe. The chairs from Modern Sense in Toronto. The chandelier is black Murano glass. For the centerpiece, set decorator Jaro Dick placed ostrich eggs in African feather headdresses. On the right wall: The tiered shelves for herbs. Along the back wall and at left: the wall effect created with molding. (Matthew Davies)
A close-up of the walls made of moldings. The painting is “Leda and the Swan” by Boucher. “It leapt to mind when I first imagined the perverse nature of Lecter. I found that it is in the public domain and its whereabouts unknown, so a little narrative developed: Hannibal secretly owns the painting and stares at it during supper.” (Matthew Davies)
Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) entertains a guest (Gina Torres) in his dining room, which has one wall lined with shelves of live herbs. (Brooke Palmer / NBC)
Lecter’s kitchen features a rolling prep table in stainless steel, a nod to medical labs and autopsy tables. The butcher block was purchased at an antique mart in Toronto. The appliance wall is covered in unpainted barn wood. The countertops are travertine. The floor is covered in ceramic tile. “I thought Lecter would need a non-porous surface he could sanitize so no forensic evidence would remain,” production designer Podesta said. (Matthew Davies)
Another view of the Lecter laboratory -- er, kitchen. The armchair belongs to set decorator Jaro Dick’s father. “I imagined that Lecter might sit facing his kitchen, his studio, meditating on his acts and subsequent meals,” Podesta said. (Matthew Davies)
From a stack of images, series creator Bryan Fuller singled out a photo of the old library room in a North Carolina state building and told Podesta: “I always thought it should look like this.” This is her rendering of the space. (Patti Podesta)
Production designer Podesta’s specification sheets for the Lecter office included antiques and a dramatic pair of drapes that are 13 feet high and made from red cotton and mushroom-color linen. “They were risky, too bold for a psychiatrist’s office,” Podesta said, “but not for Lecter, who challenges whomever walks in the room.” (Patti Podesta)
Podesta’s specifications for paint and architectural trim: The wood was painted a Benjamin Moore color called Durango; the accent walls were Benjamin Moore Heritage Red. (Patti Podesta)
Psychiatrist and serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen, left) and FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) talk in the doctor’s chambers, based on an old library room in a North Carolina state building. (Brooke Palmer / NBC)
Lecter’s desk chair, which has a tightly channeled leather back, was bought from Kennedy Gallery in Toronto. “It’s a strange traditional leather chair with wood arms,” set decorator Jaro Dick said. “It looks like it might have originally been an old English sports car seat, repurposed.” (Brooke Palmer / NBC)
By contrast, FBI profiler Will Graham lives in a homey farmhouse. “Will chooses to be set in nature, with his dogs and his motorboat parts. He needs solitude,” production designer Podesta said. “We found a brilliant untouched farmhouse location. Some of the furniture and paintings belong to the owners. It’s tender and calming.” (Brooke Palmer / NBC)
Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) in a pensive moment at a crime scene, a room designed by Matthew Davies, who took over for Podesta after the pilot was shot. “The malachite paper was actually printed from a high-resolution sample we found and tiled into a wallpaper design,” Davies said by email. “The surface was then lacquered to give the depth of a polished finish.” (Brooke Palmer / NBC)
The layout of the crime scene -- a hotel suite -- is a faithful reproduction of Room 237 from “The Shining,” with some adjustments. On the far wall, in the bedroom, is wallpaper obtained from Astek in Van Nuys. “I love wallpaper,” production designer Davies said. I grew up in the U.K. and I’m obsessed with it.” (Matthew Davies) (Matthew Davies)
