In the world of Bridgerton, the grandeur of its balls is a testament to the creativity and vision of its production designer, Alison Gartshore. This article delves into the intricate design process behind these opulent gatherings, revealing the magic that brings them to life.
Crafting Moments of Magic in Bridgerton’s Opulent Balls
“Balls are always very difficult to fit everything in – you have to have space for the dancing, you have to have the food and drink elements, you have to have a space for the queen, which has to be elevated. So, bringing all those elements together into one set and allowing all the interactions that need to happen between all the characters is quite a tall feat,” Emmy-nominated production designer Alison Gartshore says about designing Bridgerton‘s lavish high-society soirees. On the back of her first career nomination, the designer gratefully declares during Gold Derby’s Meet the Experts: TV Production Designers panel that, “with a wing and a prayer and you hope for the best and hope that the work speaks for itself.” (Watch our full interview above.)
Transporting Viewers to Regency-Era London
Netflix’s lavish period drama Bridgerton transports viewers to an alternate Regency-era London, where glittering ballrooms, salacious gossip, and secret affairs unfold under the watchful eye of the enigmatic gossip columnist Lady Whistledown (narrated by Emmy-nominated Julie Andrews). Adapted from Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels and created by Chris Van Dusen, the Shondaland-produced series stars Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, and Jonathan Bailey, blending sumptuous production design, a modern sensibility, and an irresistible mix of romance and intrigue. Writer and supervising producer Jess Brownell took over as showrunner for Season 3, which centers on the long-awaited love story between Penelope Featherington (Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Newton), delivering a new wave of passion, secrets, and social upheaval.
Creating a Magical Ball Theme
Gartshore is nominated for Best Narrative Period or Fantasy (One Hour or More) Production Design alongside supervising art director Antony Cartlidge and set decorator Natalie Papageorgiadis for their work on the sixth episode of Season 3, “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” directed by Billie Woodruff and written by Annabelle Wood. The episode culminates with a lavish ball, where secrets unravel and Colin discovers Penelope’s closely guarded identity as Lady Whistledown.
Gartshore recalls that, late in the planning process, showrunner Brownell called to say the ball’s original theme had to change as it was being saved for later in the season. She instead suggested creating a fresh and visually striking concept, something like a folding garden. “She needed a moment of magic,” Gartshore reveals about the last-minute change, and the daunting task of creating an intimate “folding garden”-themed ball. “We thought about what the shape could be and how if it unfolded what the shape would end up being, and we happened upon the star shape as it folds out from the top, so it would look like a flower opening. We liked that idea, so we ran with that and then the engineering of all the box interior and the mechanics; it was really complicated, lots of technicalities that we had to overcome that took a few weeks to get through,” she explains.
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Floral Language of Love
“The actual theme of the ball, all the botanics, we thought that actually the floral language of love of the 19th century was very important back then. People used to send each other secret messages in the flowers that they would choose to gift to each other. And so we looked at what the flowers meant, and we chose the six that we thought were representative of the Will and Alice love story and their relationship. So we had things like Rose and Tulip for true love. Amaryllis for pride, because Will is a very proud person. We’ve got geranium for sincerity, rhododendron for strength, hollyhock for ambition, and lily for beauty,” she reveals. “It had a magical air with all the florals hanging from the chandeliers and the beautiful oranges dripping down. It was just beautiful. And then this spectacular opening garden in the middle of it; it was one of my favorites, I have to say.”
This article and video are presented by Netflix.
