‘The Patient’ Set Decorator Shares 4 Killer Details You May Have Missed

Son explained that before his abusive father left, the basement was Candace’s sanctuary. But what exactly did she do down there? And what items should you keep your eyes peeled for?

“It’s a place where she did arts and crafts. It would be a place where she did home workouts like Abs of Steel, so we had videos of Abs of Steel. We had gym equipment down there. We had her favorite rom-com movies, her favorite novels (some of them were smut novels), self-help books, you know, just things that she would do to kind of feel like she was in control of her life, which my buyer and I felt were important.” Son explained.

When asked about her favorite part of the set, Son said she found building the space to reflect Candace most fulfilling. “There’s so much focus on Sam and Alan throughout the show, because, you know, the show is about them and their relationship,” Son said. “So I would say my favorite part was was making the space for Candace.”

And for those wondering what Candace Fortner’s go-to basement rom-com is, Son revealed Sam’s mom is a sucker for Sleepless in Seattle.

When asked if there were any hidden windows into Sam’s personality scattered around the basement, Son discussed the board games and puzzles that are visible on shelves throughout the room.

“There are board games in there. And there are also little mind games, like a Rubik’s Cube or one of those, you know, locked-in chains where you have to try to figure out how to unlock them,” Son said. If you pause and scope out the cluttered pieces of furniture, you’ll find everything from Othello, Boggle, and Solitaire to Risk, Strategy, puzzles, and a chess set. It’s clear Sam’s been playing games for years, but the stakes are much higher now.

The Patient‘s use of lighting is phenomenal, and the various lamps, windows, and unique sources of brightness help give the main set different vibes throughout each episode. The basement features several ceiling fixtures, natural light seeps in through the windows and sliding glass door, Sam’s headlights beam through the room to signal his arrival, and a number of lamps scattered throughout the room give off warm glows at night.

Son shared that her team provided all the practicals seen on camera and assembled nearly 40 options before filming. “I think my buyer and I probably sourced 35 table lamps. And from that 35, we took a look at what would work for this space color-wise and character wise. And so from there, we narrowed it down to probably 10. And then we took that 10, we put what was appropriate to put on the set. And then we had other lamps on standby, just in case the DP felt that they needed another source somewhere,” she said.

“I think the one that was called out for by Chris [Long, EP/director] and Patricio [Farrell, Production Designer] was the pole lamp in the corner of the room, right next to the bookcase and the artwork by Sam’s room,” she continued. “That was something they called out for I think since the beginning of time. That was something they really wanted to see in the space, because it felt appropriate in showing transition of time in this house. It’s mid-century modern. And so it just kind of defined that this house and this space has existed for a long time. It’s implied that there’s history to be told.”

Speaking of lighting, my favorite part of The Patient set is the mysterious cloud lamp on the wall behind Alan’s bed. We first see the lamp in the pilot, and whether it’s on or off, once you start noticing it you can’t stop. The cloud lamp is the a whimsical delight that’s just never addressed, even though Carell might share more scenes with it than he does with Gleeson. So I had to get the backstory.

“I think story wise, the cloud lamp it’s more of a metaphor, or something to reflect the juxtapositions that happened throughout the whole show, which is seen in the dialogue and seen in specific scenes. For example, in Episode 2 Sam drinks a giant Dunkin’ coffee, and after their first serious therapy session he goes to use the restroom. And all you see is Alan sitting on the bed hearing Sam pee for an infinite amount of time. So it’s funny, right?” Son said. “It’s a dark and dramatic series. But The Js were very keen on injecting comedy into it so it doesn’t feel too heavy. And they wanted that in the set dressing as well.”

The bedside light options sparked a crucial discussion on set with the DP, creators, and director. “They said, ‘Rather than going the standard route, can we do something a little bit more playful and a little bit more joyful?'” Son recalled. “Knowing that, and knowing another big thing about the set was that anything that could be touched or handled could not be utilized as a weapon, that’s when my buyer and I [decided to] look for children’s bedside lamps… I think it’s also important to remember that Sam doesn’t want to do harm. He’s trying to not do harm. And so he wanted to make this situation comfortable for Alan as much as he could while still having control.”

After scouring Etsy, eBay, and prop houses, they settled on four options: A red plastic heart, a blue plastic star, a vintage conical lamp with clouds around it, and the cute kid’s cloud lamp in the show. I needed to know where the cloud lamp came from, so I did some digging, asked Son if The Patient features this children’s LED wall lamp from IKEA, and she confirmed. Now I can finally sleep. Just not after watching new episodes of this dark, unpredictable thriller.

New episodes of The Patient stream on Hulu, Tuesdays at 3am ET/12am PT.