Set design isn’t just about building something beautiful—it’s about building something that works. Gwendolyn First, one of TRG’s Set Designers, bridges the creative vision with the nuts-and-bolts side of things. She partners closely with Art Directors and our construction team to help turn ideas into actual, tangible sets.
With a background in interior design, environmental studies, landscaping, and even industrial design, Gwendolyn brings a deep understanding of how people experience space. Whether she’s helping build a kitchen set from the ground up or making sure CGI renderings match real-world details, she’s thinking about every step—start to finish, vision to execution.
We sat down with her to talk about what she does and how she does it.
“I want people to have an emotional attachment to any space that we’re creating.”
TRG: Hey Gwen - can you tell us about what a Set Designer at TRG does, and how is that different from an Art Director or Set Stylist?
GF: A Set Designer is almost the person that stands in between the Art Director and the construction team. We work really closely with our Art Directors to help close the gap in the vision.
We’re sourcing the doors and the windows and the physical elements that are going into the set. We have a lot of conversations with our construction team. We work on set renders that are presented to the client, as well as the floor plan. We send the estimates that go to construction.
TRG: Why would a brand want an expert Set Designer on their project?
GF: If a brand is smart, they would have an expert Set Designer on their project. We take the dreams and imaginations they might have, look at them really closely, and try to make them feasible—and align with their budget.
Oftentimes, our clients will find something on the internet or from another high-end magazine, and they’ll say, “This is it. This is what we want.” But it just doesn’t align with the demographic they’re trying to sell to, or the budget that they’ve allowed TRG to work with.
TRG: Walk us through your process from brief to execution.
GF: When we get a brief from a client, we start walking the sets to see what’s available. We talk with construction early in the process. Usually, I grab a photographer and tell them what our vision is.
Then we work with the Art Director. They’re usually sending us images of what they’re hoping the space might look like, colors they really need to see in the space, that kind of stuff.
Then we start working on the render. We start pulling input from construction, from photography, and the Art Director. We get to a place where we’ve got an initial layout. We send that to construction and we start talking more into money and budgets. Then we send out to the client.
Hopefully the client loves it the first round. If not, we do a couple of renditions. Once we get approval, we start working on the construction drawings. And then we just monitor on a daily basis as things are getting built out, answer any questions that the construction team has. Pretty much baby it from infancy and onward.
TRG: You work with both physical and CGI sets. How do you approach each one?
GF: The fun side of CGI is that you can build with as grand of material as you want to. Most of the props that we’re purchasing are the same price, but we still try to think of the set as if it is for an actual person, a real demographic.
It’s still for that mother of two, whether it’s live or whether it’s something built out in CGI. We try not to extend our CGI sets too far beyond reality just because we can.
The fun side is, like I said, you can go a little crazy on your finishes because it doesn’t cost anything. When it comes to propping, we try to be mindful of how we design our initial Foyr renders. Because they have to build that in Blender, and we want to make sure the project we send out initially looks as close as possible to the final render.
That way clients aren’t confused if we weren’t able to build something to look like what we’re actually putting in the space.
TRG: Tell us about your background. How did you get here?
GF: Oh, long story. My background is in interior design and environmental studies. Prior to coming to TRG, I worked for Gojo. I did commercial and industrial design for them. And prior to that, I did some landscaping and civil design.
I’ve worked in residential and retail. I’ve been designing and thinking about spaces and environments, and how spaces affect the environment and how the environment affects the space, since 2005.
TRG: How do you balance creativity with logistical or budget constraints?
GF: I’ve always told my clients in the past that I can create a beautiful space for you that meets your needs and is functional, regardless of your budget. Don’t let what you don’t have stop you from having what you want.
So I try to encourage that when we work on spaces. We look at who that person is, and where they might be in their life—financially, emotionally, physically—and try to create the space to match the person, as opposed to making the space and then hoping the person fits.
That’s the part of the creative side that you can really kind of dig into.
And then the numbers... sometimes we wish they were higher. But you work with it, and you still put out something that you’re really proud of.
TRG: How do you make sure a set feels authentic or aspirational to the client’s audience?
GF: I think those little touches of architectural detail, in addition to all the beautiful props that are pulled for the set, really help personalize it and allow people to see themselves and feel the space. I want you to have an emotional attachment to any space we’re creating.
TRG: What’s something people might not realize about what goes into set design?
GF: Understanding your demographic, and understanding just how numbers work in the real world versus our kind of make-believe stage world.
You can kind of bend them a little bit. And knowing when you can and can’t bend those—that’s important.
Let’s put it this way: you definitely want to make sure the set stands. But you know, if it leans a little…
Those are the two biggest things: still understanding your demographic, because you really want to make sure that you’re not just making a beautiful space, but that it’s hitting the audience properly. And understanding how you can manipulate your budget to make it work.
TRG: Do you have a favorite set you’ve worked on?
GF: I have so many. But I think some of my favorite spaces have been the kitchens we’ve worked on. I’ve been able to create kitchens that have a little bit of a cottage element to them, and then the next week, we’re working on a space that’s very broad and big.
We recently did a kitchen with a wood-planked ceiling, and I was just... I was obnoxious. A little obnoxious. I was going over there every day, talking to the guys like, “Isn’t this beautiful?” And they’re like, “Yeah, we told you that yesterday.”
It was earthy and modern and beautiful and big, and it was just a pleasure to work on.
Whether she’s designing something aspirational, practical, or a bit of both, Gwendolyn’s goal is always to make spaces feel thoughtful, functional, and completely aligned with the people who use them.
Want to see her work in action? Reach out to start your next custom set design with TRG.
