If you’ve recently binged Hulu’s Chad Powers or caught the chaos and comedy in Jackpot!, you’ve likely seen the work of Lance Totten - even if you didn’t realize it.
Lance has spent more than two decades building visual worlds for film and television. Before becoming an established Set Decorator in Southeastern U.S., he spent 13 years dressing sets and assisting on prop teams, eventually finding his niche in the subtle, detail-driven work of shaping lived-in environments on screen. Today, he’s not only a working decorator - he’s also the President of the Set Decorator’s Society of America, the international Hollywood-based organization representing the craft.
For Lance, every object on set is a character cue. “Everything that goes into the set should be intentional,“ he says. “It should tell the viewer everything they need to know at a glance.”
Because in modern set decoration, nothing is random. The radios on a credenza, the books on a nightstand, the technology on a desk - these aren’t mere accessories. They’re narrative. Mood. Personality. Income level. Taste. Time period. Emotional world.
That intentionality is what brings Lance back to Tivoli Audio. While Lance sources from a mix of brick-and-mortar retailers, and specialty rentals, Tivoli Audio has become a brand he comes back to for contemporary projects. “I enjoy the look of Tivoli’s products and find that they integrate well into many of the sets I decorate,” he says. “Tivoli looks like an intentional part of the overall design aesthetic.”
One of Lance’s most satisfying recent sets was for Head Coach Jake Hudson’s office in Disney/Hulu’s Chad Powers. In this fictional southern SEC-style college environment, the Coach Hudson character (played by Steve Zahn) needed an office that felt expensive, traditional, rooted in old-school football culture, but with an appreciation for the “right” modern gear.
That’s where Tivoli came in. “I selected the Model One BT here because of its classic lines and walnut accents,” Lance explains. “Perfect for traditionally minded (and highly paid) southern football coach who would admire its contemporary functionality and handsome retro aesthetic.”
Lance thinks deeply about the media and entertainment his characters surround themselves with. Not just furniture or art. But what they listen to, what they watch, and what they use.
Because in his world, a speaker isn’t a speaker. It’s a signal. It’s taste. It’s a piece of dialogue without anyone speaking at all.
This is the work of set decorating - and the world of Tivoli. Where design meets storytelling.