Set design is more than just arranging objects – it is the art of telling stories through staging and storytelling . In conversation with the set designer duo photographer Katy Otto and stylist Holger Senft, we learn how their path led them from their beginnings in the field of photography to opulent productions, where a sensitivity for harmony and the courage to contradict are crucial. They also reveal where you can get the most beautiful soiled vegetable props early in the morning and discuss the importance of analogue creation in an increasingly digitalized world and the "competition" from AI.
Tell us a bit about yourselves! How did you get into set design and what inspired you?
Katy: We were already doing set design when we weren't even aware that we were doing set design. Even the first photo shoots we did together 10 years ago were creative processes that had their origins in the creation of interior landscapes. At the time, Holger was very successful in selling furniture knobs and home accessories. In addition to the classic product shots, we took image photos in which we presented the knobs in backdrops made by Holger himself, made of vintage furniture, walls, flowers and props. From 2021 onwards, the focus shifted more to telling entire stories using staged products. This is how the first opulent and stylized works on various topics were created.
What does a typical day at work as a set designer look like? We want to know everything, from the first ideas to the finished set!
Holger: You want to know everything! Haha. There is no such thing as a typical working day, simply because the process can take weeks and sometimes months. The first idea usually comes from Katy. She has an inspiration in mind, a story that we implement as a reference project, or we have an order from the customer that automatically brings with it certain specifications. Until the set was finished, we consulted extensively in long phone calls and sent mood photos. What one person can't think of inspires another. That's what makes the results so harmonious and creative.
Katy: There are nights that we have to sleep on until we have decided on all the props. In the past, we made Pola's for the first visual coordination, but we now create digital mood boards. In the same way, we get the props from flea markets, trade fairs, vintage shops or from rental companies.
Holger: The location plays a big role in the implementation. Once the idea is in place, Katy books the technology and assistants. We usually spend eight hours setting up, arranging flowers, ironing, polishing, gluing, and draping all the props millimeter by millimeter until everything has come together to form a harmonious image.
Katy: In times when AI is becoming increasingly popular, you might ask yourself whether it can remain economically viable. For us, this is also a philosophical matter. In our view, the seductive AI in competition with analogue creation is definitely losing important skills. It robs people of the process of creating "with your own hands" that drives them and makes them feel useful.
What skills do you think are particularly important for aspiring set designers?
Holger: The urge I just mentioned to create something creative through composition, an eye for detail, imagination, a predisposition to aesthetic feeling, an interest in beautiful things, a sensitivity for harmony and the courage to contradict. Of course, anyone who wants to can also polarize. Oh yes, craftsmanship!
Come on, which projects were your absolute favorites? We want to hear the juicy details!
Katy: It's really funny when everything is finally standing or tied down, like the self-made mosaic tile table top that formed the foundation of the "GOLIGHTLY" project while floating on the water in an indoor pool in Werder. Or when all the other props, tied up or not, still float away and Holger rows everything back again with his fishing trousers and landing net.
Holger: It's also great when the high-end cakes already have the first dents after being transported to the location or when they melt when they are served on the pretty and long-researched vintage plates.
Katy: It's amusing when we're at the organic market at eight in the morning, picking out vegetable props, and the traders ask why we're meticulously picking out the dirtiest potatoes or what we're going to cook with twenty red onions. But a "GARDEN RUN WILD" project like this can only be wild and lush if you have to fill whole ammunition boxes with it.
"We usually spend eight hours setting up, arranging flowers, ironing, polishing, gluing, draping all the props millimeter by millimeter until everything has come together to form a harmonious picture."
Holger: We love it when we don't dare to tear apart the flower arrangement we've just put together with such meticulous care because a flower is nestled against the wrong tuft of grass, and then we tear it apart anyway. We also love it when we're not allowed to smoke thanks to the smoke detectors in the location, but the cigar in the "GOLDEN AGE" picture is supposed to smoke in real life, so we light and blow out a candle a thousand times. On all fours, of course.
What insider tips do you have for us to create the perfect atmosphere with set design?
Katy: Well, that depends on the purpose: For photo shoots or film, the view from the camera perspective is important. That requires years of training, the "trained eye" so to speak. For sets for trade fairs or pop-up stores, you have to have a feel for the whole room. A talent for improvisation can't hurt in general, and having the right tools with you is also...
Do you have any particular design tricks that you use again and again? We're curious!
Holger: We actually don't use tricks. Our installations are 99% original and genuine. No scams, no jokes.
Okay, how do you make your sets look so real? Give us a glimpse into your magic!
Holger: We always research original furnishings from the respective period, use real flowers or food instead of the artificial version, even if this makes our work more difficult because flowers wilt quickly and cakes melt. Good organization is required here, but the higher financial effort is worth it in view of the result.
Katy: There are also props that look weak in real life, but this is not visible in photos. This allows us to produce smaller productions with high quality.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far in set design?
Holger: The music video KALEIDOSCOPE was produced in a really crazy way. Katy managed to shoot 4 scenes in 4 different locations with 6 main extras in one day. For the whole video we went to the cinema, ice cream parlor, ballet studio, swimming pool, studio, club and variety show. Then there was the styling for the extras, which was put together weeks beforehand for each scene. For another project we shot on the Baltic Sea with elaborate flower arrangements on the model's head and positioned a huge tarpaulin with a boat on the beach as a backdrop. When everything was finally ready, it started to rain and we only had a few minutes left for the great pictures.
Katy: The shooting for the MARILYN project was no less exciting. Holger built a "Dinner for One" backdrop in the garden in front of his house for a scene with the senior model. It was logical that he came up with the idea of complementing the story with a white horse.
How do you decide what colors and textures to use on a set to make it visually appealing?
Katy: Oh, that's a matter of taste and luckily we have the same taste. For our GARDEN RUN WILD project, as reported, we chose rustic vegetables and real moss to let grow wild. It was clear that we wanted to tell the story of the 1940s in the colors of sports equipment and reduce it to 2 colors and rough materials.
Holger: For our latest project MARIE ANTOINETTE, it was important to us to align it closely with the French Rococo. Here we chose porcelain, antique furniture, pompously decorated cakes and pastel-colored props. We bought the feudally designed dress with a magnificent floral print for our ballerina model from the costume department of the Komische Oper Berlin, an Eldorado with professional expertise.
How do you keep up with the latest trends in set design?
Holger: We definitely use social media with countless interior design accounts. On our city trips, however, we discover some really cool window display designs with the latest trends. Magazines are also one of our favorites when it comes to staying up to date. Nevertheless We also read about our “competitor” – AI – and deal with these trends.
Social media has turned us all into a bit of a set designer, hasn't it? What 3 tips do you have for us to create the perfect picture?
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Accuracy and time take
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Spare no effort
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Make a lot out of a little, it's all about composition.
Last but not least, can you recommend some inspiring designs, films or other projects that we should definitely keep an eye on?
Katy: Oh dear, how many can we name? Mama Shelter Hotel Prague has an incredibly inspiring design by Philippe Starck. And definitely films too: the latest: "Poor Things", a dream! Barbie, Asteroid City, The Lives of Others, Eternal Youth, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Marie Antoinette. Books like 1913 by Florian Illies or biographies from the Bauhaus era are exciting sources of inspiration for stories.
Holger: We discover gems at the Arkonaplatz flea market in Berlin. However, if you keep your eyes peeled and expand your own sphere of influence on your forays, whether in the city or the country, the things you find will become creative plans, dreams and eventually reality.
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Do you want to find out more about the set design dream team? Then be sure to check out Instagram:
Katy Otto @katy_otto_photographer
Katy took the first conscious photo of her sister in 1988 in the garage of her parents' house in front of an old wall. She dressed her up as a model with a black oversized coat and combed her hair neatly. At the time, Katy had a pink analogue plastic camera from Beirette SL 100N. Color film was too expensive, so she photographed in black and white.
The decision to become a photographer came later: in 1996. After her training, she worked as an assistant at various studios in Berlin. Katy has been working as a freelance photographer since 2004 and as a set designer since 2021.
Holger Senft @_durchgeliebt_
Holger's affinity for interior design and styling probably stems from his parents' home. The house was designed by an architect in the 1970s. His training as a retail salesman began in a fashion company.
He had the perfect match with his boyfriend at the time to set up his own company in Berlin in 2006. At that time, the product range changed from equestrian supplies to home accessories and furniture refurbishment. The center of his life is now back in his hometown of Cologne. Since 2021, Holger has also been working as a stylist throughout Germany.
Photos: Copyright by Katy Otto
