Go Inside the World of Succession 's Season Two on HBO

Cathy Whitlock

HBO’s Emmy-nominated comedy-drama is back again for season two, as aging patriarch Logan Roy (masterfully played by Brian Cox), head of the family-controlled global media conglomerate Waystar Royco, battles his family for power in the boardroom. Production designer Stephen Carter and set decorator George DeTitta Jr. return to design the sets that reflect the lifestyles of the dysfunctional family members vying to be modern-day Masters of the Universe.

With the second season primarily set in Manhattan, Carter notes it “involves a lot more work outside of New York City. At times it really started to feel like a road show. Some of these new sets include a Roy family 'Summer Palace' in the Hamptons—in winter, of course—a boar hunting estate in Hungary, a billionaires’ media conference in Lake Placid, [New York,] a return to England, a tribute party at the new V&A in Dundee, Scotland, congressional work in Washington, D.C., and a final episode on the Aegean that will likely knock some socks off.” And audiences will no doubt recognize Roy’s magnificent Fifth Avenue mansion, shot on a soundstage, and the wood- and glass-paneled World Trade Center offices from last season.

The elegant portrait-filled hallway of the Pierce Estate, aka the Salutation mansion, in Glen Cove, New York.
The elegant portrait-filled hallway of the Pierce Estate, aka the Salutation mansion, in Glen Cove, New York.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO
DeTitta mixed authentic horns purchased from a taxidermist with antlers designed by the show’s scenic artists for a focal point in the dining room of a Hungarian boar-hunting lodge.
DeTitta mixed authentic horns purchased from a taxidermist with antlers designed by the show’s scenic artists for a focal point in the dining room of a Hungarian boar-hunting lodge.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Designing for the fictitious Upper One Percent involves just the right echelon of detail and taste. “The quality of craftsmanship, the level of decor, and even simple access to mind-numbing square footages are all really important in showing the world of the uber-rich,” says Carter. “If you look at the two seasons to date, there are not many sets we return to for substantial amounts of time. So we’re constantly trying to strike the right balance between building lavish sets—Logan and Marsha’s apartment and the Waystar Royco offices, for example—and keeping our financial powder dry to find great locations that serve the story for an episode or two but that we may never return to.”

Historical stately mansions played a big part in this season’s environs. For Roy’s summer home, the designers chose Henry Ford II’s 1960 estate, heralded as the Hamptons most expensive at a mere $175 million. The house’s owners were more than happy to give the 20-room, 20,000-square-foot home its close-up. As Emmy-nominated set decorator Carter details: “We changed all the artwork, added furniture, and dressed five rooms. For the office, we placed a desk from Newell Antiques and kept the homeowner’s rug; we used a palette of white and blues and tried to keep the integrity of the house.”

The owner’s original area rug anchors the show’s custom furnishings in the summerhouse den.
The owner’s original area rug anchors the show’s custom furnishings in the summerhouse den.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO
Coastal blues and whites form the color palette for Roy’s master bedroom in Southampton, New York.
Coastal blues and whites form the color palette for Roy’s master bedroom in Southampton, New York.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO
Shiv and Tom’s new three-story apartment boasts a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Shiv and Tom’s new three-story apartment boasts a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Built by J.P. Morgan’s grandson on an idyllic 85-plus-acre island, the Salutation manor in Glen Cove, New York, doubles as the fictitious Pierce Estate where the Roy family gathers for dinner at the home of a potential corporate buyer. In a moment of synchronicity and déjà vu, DeTitta realized he spent a year working at the Georgian colonial some 18 years ago. “We shot the film Sabrina (the Harrison Ford remake of the 1954 Billy Wilder original), and it’s the same now as it was in 1995,” says DeTitta. “The production company, in an effort to probably get out of the location fast, decided to leave the custom-made furniture to the owner of the house. The designer of Sabrina had me make a particular sofa that he was fond of and when I scouted it for Succession, the sofa was still in the living room, along with the ottoman in the attic!"

A hunting lodge in Hungary—via the Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York—proved to be the perfect setting for yet another Roy family dinner. “We scouted numerous estate like settings, and in the end, it was a combination of the architecture and availability along with the exquisite surrounding grounds, where we had numerous exterior shots of our group hunting wild boars, that determined it was the right location for the story,” says DeTitta.

The designers had to reassemble and relay the marble flooring of Roy’s Fifth Avenue mansion.
The designers had to reassemble and relay the marble flooring of Roy’s Fifth Avenue mansion.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO
The Salutation estate’s living room was also used in the 1995 remake of the classic film Sabrina.
The Salutation estate’s living room was also used in the 1995 remake of the classic film Sabrina.
Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Roy’s only daughter, newlywed Shiv (Sarah Snook), and her husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) get new digs in an existing Manhattan penthouse with a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall. Filmed in a contemporary three-story apartment, the set decorator says the setting “was an entirely different environment; we brought in some décor and used an existing table and lighting, and decided we would go with the feeling already established [in the interiors].”

The designers also built private jets and a yacht (useful to the characters who were visiting exotic locations), representing the ultimate essential accoutrements in the life of an Upper One Percenter. As Logan Roy would say, “Money wins—here’s to us.”

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest