NYWIFT Blog

By Kate Dolan

Welcome to NYWIFT, Diana Rehnlund!

Diana Rehnlund is a set designer working on a diverse variety of projects, including The Girl from Plainville, The Fabulous Four, Fear the Walking Dead, and Clean Slate.

Diana holds a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Philadelphia University (2010) and a Master of Fine Arts in Production Design from SCAD (2018). After moving to Savannah, Georgia for graduate school, she began working in the film industry as a PA, Art Department Coordinator, and then as a Set Designer (IATSE Local 491). Diana’s background includes designing custom food trucks, millwork, and cabinetry, and mentoring students.

Diana’s most recent projects include working as a set designer in the art department of the hit TV series The Hunting Wives and The Righteous Gemstones. Having recently returned to New Jersey, she enjoys the creative, collaborative pace of film and television and brings flexibility, detail, and strong problem-solving skills to every project. 

 

 

Welcome to NYWIFT! Please introduce yourself briefly to our readers.

Hi! I’m Diana Rehnlund, a Set Designer with a background in both interior design and set design. Born and raised in New Jersey, I earned my B.S. in Interior Design from Philadelphia University and later moved to Savannah, Georgia, to complete my M.F.A. in Production Design at Savannah College of Art and Design. After several years working in the Southeast on film and television projects, I recently moved back home to New Jersey and am excited to continue growing my career here.

 

What inspired you to join NYWIFT?

I am a member of the Savannah chapter of WIFT (SWIFT) and really love the community we have, and I am hoping to find something similar in NYWIFT, to connect with other women in the film and television industry, and to be part of a community that supports and uplifts creatives. I admire NYWIFT’s mission and the platform it provides for advocacy, mentorship, and professional development.

 

 

How did you become a set designer?

My path to set design started with interior design, a love for film, and an attention to detail. After studying interior design and working in millwork and custom vehicle fabrication, I realized I wanted to create environments that told stories, and I found a connection between the design world I was in and production design. That led me to SCAD’s Production Design program, where I focused on set design and art direction. Since then, I’ve worked on a wide range of film and television productions, blending storytelling with design.

My background has only enhanced my experience in film and television, and it has been inspiring as I’ve seen worlds collide. I worked my way up within the Art Department, and once I had my first project as a set designer, thankfully, the jobs kept coming. My years of drafting experience and knowledge of multiple computer programs gave me the boost I needed to really kick-start my career. Being able to be versatile and available to work with many different file types was a benefit that I found helped advance me in my career and continue my work as a set designer.

 

 

Two of your most recent projects, Clean Slate and Juror #2, have very different themes. How do you adapt your style to conceptually diverse projects?

Every project begins with script analysis and research. On most projects, the production designer lays out their vision for the project in a visual manner, whether it’s mood boards, sketches, or other forms of concept art; there are usually references to go off of when doing research, knowing what the end vision should encompass. With Clean Slate and Juror #2, they both had very different scripts and overall tones, so it wasn’t hard to adapt when you submerge yourself in each story. When you’re “all in” on the project, it helps to focus on the end goal, always referring back to the original references.

As an art department, with the production designer, we collaborate closely with the director, always anchoring design choices in the script and characters. When a direction is chosen visually, it is our job to make sure we stay on track with what this individual project’s story and style ultimately is. I have had the privilege of working with many different production designers, all with different styles and methods of working, and I have learned so much from them all, including how to adapt to different themes – keeping story first.

 

 

Are there specific projects you’ve worked on that have been especially rewarding or challenging?

In film, the most rewarding experiences are the ones where the team dynamic is strong, and everyone’s invested in the story. Starting my career in Savannah, Georgia, I was able to see some amazing places that most people only dream of. When we’re doing research or when I’m surveying a location, I often get to see spaces in unique settings, before all the crew comes, before the sets are built and dressed, I often get a first look at the spaces we’re about to transform. I find these moments incredibly rewarding.

I specifically remember a lot of these moments working on the film Devotion. Based on a true story during the Korean War, we had access to a lot of places and resources to help in our research and designs, and I count these among some of my favorites. It is also very rewarding when you recreate an existing space for a show and the audience can’t tell if the real space was used or not. We had created a courtroom for a show, and someone who worked at the real courthouse reached out to our locations team asking if we shot there after hours because he thought it was the real location, but it was a set we recreated on stage.

Some of the most challenging projects involved fast turnarounds and evolving scripts, but they pushed me to become more adaptable and efficient under pressure.

 

Are there any projects you are currently working on or would like to work on in the future?

I’m currently exploring new opportunities in the New York and New Jersey film scenes. In the future, I’d love to work on projects that highlight underrepresented voices or that involve world-building—whether period pieces, fantasy, or sci-fi. I’m always excited by the challenge of bringing new environments to life.

Learn more about Diana Rehnlund’s work on IMDB and on her website www.dianarehnlund.com.

(All images courtesy of Diana Rehnlund)