'Lessons in Chemistry' Features an All-Pink 1950s Kitchen That Would Make Barbie Jealous
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Lessons in Chemistry is certain to tug at every viewer’s heartstrings and fascinate all design lovers of bygone eras. Based on a novel of the same name by author Bonnie Garmus, the Apple TV+ series is set in the 1950s. Throughout the eight-episode saga, we’re introduced to varying kitchens. Most notably, a cotton candy-pink kitchen takes center stage. So, we tapped production designer Cat Smith to get insight into how the sets were dreamt up. Plus, we got her go-to source for finding period-specific items and filming location details.
The series follows Elizabeth Zott, played by actress Brie Larson, whose life goal of becoming a scientist is stifled by a patriarchal society. This eventually leads her to accept a job as the host of a cooking show called Supper at Six. Drenched in pink with baby blue accents, the Supper at Six kitchen set was originally designed to be a housewife’s dream as its described in the book. “I went into it with what I thought would be the housewife's dream of the time, which was kind of a colonial kitchen,” Smith tells House Beautiful.
After showing a more understated design to Larson, who is also an executive producer of the show, she switched gears. Smith explains: “Brie was like, Ah, you know, I kind of like this kitchen. So I think we need to do something that I wouldn't like because it's designed by the studio, and the studio is this male producer. He's going to design it, his idea of what the housewife would love."
Smith then took it up several notches. "That's when I really went all out into the pink and a lot of Hollywood Regency style, exaggerated forms, and stuff like that," she says. "And then I thought I needed at least a little relief or contrast to the pink. I picked a blue, which was very iconic in terms of the colors back then."
Pretty much the entire kitchen is bubblegum pink. That includes the ovens, dishwasher, range, cabinetry, counters, and even the flooring. Pops of blue were added through paint on the kitchen island, cookware, and kitchen bar seating. Scalloped details and delicate curtains with ruffled trim enhance the overall feminine energy of the set. Wallpaper featuring plaid stripes and cherry motifs completes the look.
Beyond the pink kitchen, Smith and her team put together a few other period-based kitchens designed for the characters’ homes. Set in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of California, the home exteriors were, in reality, portrayed by a neighborhood in South Pasadena. The interior of Calvin's (played by Lewis Pullman) home was designed as though it was refreshed in the ‘40s, and he didn’t do anything to it when he bought it. Since the kitchen is bare, the materials do the heavy design lifting. It features teal-and-black checkered flooring, a teal square tile backsplash, colored knobs on white cabinets, and a white mosaic tile counter.
Harriet (played by Aja Naomi King) has a more homey kitchen thanks to botanical curtains and a spoon display on the wall. Its 1950s flair shines through green-and-white cabinetry, a green range, red diner-style seating, and laminate counters.
To source period-appropriate items, Smith went on treasure hunts. “I used a lot of Facebook Marketplace because eBay is so, in a way, a lot of it is shopped out,” Smith says, noting that Facebook Marketplace is where you’re more likely to find aged items, like old kitchen cabinets, that have remained intact.
While Lessons in Chemistry delivers a compelling story, its backdrops surely make it a must-watch. It's a cornucopia of simple and over-the-top home inspiration from the past that will leave you ready to take on your own home makeover.
You love set design. So do we. Let’s obsess over it together.
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