As part of the Showtime Channel’s marketing for the 2009 season of shows, studioMDA was enlisted to design a space that encapsulates the aura of a determined Showtime show. On Showtime’s ‘Californication’ main character Hank Moody never takes anything too seriously and too often succumbs to hedonism. Hank struggles with his inner demons, but he tries to be good to the people he loves, while dealing with his addictions. The bedroom we designed for him is a perfect room for one of his trysts – a place where pleasure and fetishism are tangible and the boundaries between desire and reality are blurred.

Beyond the show, our inspiration came from a series of artists, such as Nancy Goldin and Malcolm McLaren, who have tackled the popular subjects of fantasy and eroticism and inspired us to create a room that would take a peek into the controversial and fascinating world of Hank Moody. Just as Showtime has done with Californication, these artists are taking a peek into the controversial and fascinating world of our private desires. This space is our way of joining that conversation. As Helmut Newton said, “ART is a dirty word.”

The mirrored ceiling and its relationship to the platform bed are the most important pieces in the room. The lacquered bed should be seen as a place of constant activity, rather than a space of rest. The mirror on the ceiling, called “Positions,” is made of several planes of mirrored Plexiglas, all tilted at different angles. It makes the space weightless, luminous and imaginative and gives a sense of motion to the bed and the entire room. Among the other pieces studioMDA custom designed for the show house is the Swarovski crystal light fixture in the hallway.