Дизайнер декораций сериала Elle Лорин Келси создает реалистичные интерьеры для съемок в Ванкувере

Vancouver production designer delivers the gorgeous goods for Elle TV series Laurin Kelsey's career in TV production began with Stargate SG-1 when she was a 16-year-old student. We independently select everything we recommend. Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work. TV and film production designer Laurin Kelsey’s career started like a Hollywood story. The Salt Spring Island native, whose most recent credits include the hit series Elle and Stick, began her TV/film career at age 16 when a high school counsellor at Gulf Islands Secondary School got her a job experience internship working in the props department for the Vancouver-shot hit sci-fi show Stargate SG-1. “Most people would go with their mom as a dental hygienist or … whatever their parents did,” said Kelsey about that week of job-shadowing that took place 25 years ago. “My counsellor at school said, You’re really artistic, and I have this friend, and he’s a prop master … Do you want to go?’ ” Kelsey jumped at the opportunity and spent a week at Bridge Studios in Burnaby where the show was shooting. When the week ended, Kelsey returned to Salt Spring, but the job continued as prop master David Sinclair kept her in the creative loop. “He was amazing,” said Kelsey about Sinclair. “I would do prop-building, and he would send journals that needed archeological drawings in them … He would send them over by float plane and pay me to fill the notebooks with drawings and art. “He was a very lovely person who cared about mentoring people.” That relationship continued, and whenever Kelsey had a break from school, she headed to Vancouver and worked on the show. “Digital art was still developing in the art department, and so there were still big drafting tables, and it was this big open art department space, and you could look at everything,” said Kelsey, adding Sinclair also took her to production meetings. “I realized these are my people. This is where I belong, which is such a magical thing to find in your life, let alone early.” As she got closer to graduating from high school, she got some good advice. - 15 filmed-in-B.C. movies and TV shows to watch in 2026 - Legally Blonde prequel series Elle introduces world to teen Elle Woods - Advertisement 1Story continues below “They said have a backup plan,” said Kelsey. “Go to university. Get an education because you’ll need something to fall back on when times are tough. You need to have more skills than just this. So, I did. I went to school.” Kelsey earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts based in set and costume design with a minor in film studies at the University of Victoria. After she graduated, she came back to Vancouver and worked at a prop-building shop. But she became allergic to the chemicals and materials used. She left that job and went back to school. But after a semester in Montreal at the National Theatre School, she realized what she wanted to do was work. So, she packed up and moved to Berlin to build her portfolio. “I started working in an unpaid internship at the English Theatre Berlin, but also did things like sold vintage furniture and did small commercials — anything I could get my hands on,” said Kelsey, who did mostly set design and art direction while in Germany between 2011 and 2013. “It was still a cheap city then, so at the time, I could scrape by.” Back in Victoria, she taught theatre design for a few years at Vancouver Island University and did a year at Uvic. Hollywood North called her back and, most notably in 2019 and 2020, she booked art-directing jobs on The Babysitters Club and Midnight Mass. Midnight Mass marked the first of what would become a handful of productions she worked on for modern horror master Mike Flanagan. Most recently, Kelsey has been the production designer on the Vancouver-shot Amazon Prime Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle. The show, which focuses on a 16-year-old Elle Woods, wrapped shooting of Season 2 at the end of June. When Postmedia News toured the Elle set at Bridge Studios last year, what stood out was how realistic the sets were. Faux isn’t a factor here. “One thing that I’ve definitely learned over time is that, as much as there’s things that we can fake, you have to be so judicious about where you put your budget and your money,” said Kelsey when asked about the authenticity of the set. “The real finishes are so worth it in the spaces where you’re going to be up-close and personal with the characters for long periods of time over the run of a whole season … it really does (make) a world of difference when you use real materials. So we do as much as we can.” For Elle, Kelsey said one of her favourite set splurges was fabric and upholstery, including a bench covered in a custom tweed fabric reminiscent of a classic Chanel suit. And, yes, pink is definitely a thing in the design for this show. “There was so much intention with selecting the tones of pink because of how iconic the colour is for Elle,” said Kelsey. “Her signature colour is a very raspberry pink. It’s very saturated and vivid, so it was about being really intentional about getting the tones right in the room, also to help her blend into her room, and also to make her stand out when she needs to. “Elle is such a character-driven show. And a lot of it has to do about making sure her personality and her optimism and the sparkle she brings into a room is the point of attention rather than the world around her.” While Kelsey loves the Elle bedroom suite, complete with a closet that would make a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member envious, she also points to the set for the Rainforest Cafe, built in the bar of the Astoria Hotel on East Hastings Street, as another build she is really proud of. “It was for this memorial that Elle throws for her friend’s mom who passes away, who was a jungle adventurer. We built custom 3D foam elephants and other animals and rock walls and Greens came in and did trees hanging from the ceiling. We sculpted these massive tree trunks everywhere,” said Kelsey about the Rainforest Cafe that was only used for two days of shooting. “That was such a fun build.” All that work for two days of shooting means Kelsey, and her team, must move quickly. A key to pulling off this wildly fluctuating and creative job is the ability to pull the trigger. “You definitely have to be a decision-maker,” said Kelsey. “You still get decision fatigue, but certainly, I find it really funny to then come home in my personal life and shock people with the speed at which I can just move because people are sort of like, ‘Well, don’t you want to think about that a little bit?’ Nope.” When asked about what she loves most about her job, Kelsey pointed to two things. “One is that I get to do something that gives me joy and lights me up and makes me feel like the best version of myself when I’m doing it,” said Kelsey. “Sounds a little cheesy, but I love that, because that’s sort of the best service I can do to people around me. “And then the second is the joy that it brings to other people. So, whether it’s viewers who are watching or other teammates getting to do the things that light them up. “I find it so rewarding to both feel fulfilled through my own actions, but then watch other people be fulfilled by the work.” Looking for more titles to add to your 2026 viewing list? Check out our guide to B.C.-shot movies and shows to watch HERE.