HBO’s Emmy-nominated comedy-drama is back again for season two, as aging patriarch Logan Roy (masterfully played by Brian Cox), head of the family-controlled global media conglomerate Waystar Royco, battles his family for power in the boardroom. Production designer Stephen Carter and set decorator George DeTitta Jr. return to design the sets that reflect the lifestyles of the dysfunctional family members vying to be modern-day Masters of the Universe.

With the second season primarily set in Manhattan, Carter notes it “involves a lot more work outside of New York City. At times it really started to feel like a road show. Some of these new sets include a Roy family 'Summer Palace' in the Hamptons—in winter, of course—a boar hunting estate in Hungary, a billionaires’ media conference in Lake Placid, [New York,] a return to England, a tribute party at the new V&A in Dundee, Scotland, congressional work in Washington, D.C., and a final episode on the Aegean that will likely knock some socks off.” And audiences will no doubt recognize Roy’s magnificent Fifth Avenue mansion, shot on a soundstage, and the wood- and glass-paneled World Trade Center offices from last season.

The elegant portrait-filled hallway of the Pierce Estate, aka the Salutation mansion, in Glen Cove, New York. Photo: Courtesy of HBO

DeTitta mixed authentic horns purchased from a taxidermist with antlers designed by the show’s scenic artists for a focal point in the dining room of a Hungarian boar-hunting lodge. Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Designing for the fictitious Upper One Percent involves just the right echelon of detail and taste. “The quality of craftsmanship, the level of decor, and even simple access to mind-numbing square footages are all really important in showing the world of the uber-rich,” says Carter. “If you look at the two seasons to date, there are not many sets we return to for substantial amounts of time. So we’re constantly trying to strike the right balance between building lavish sets—Logan and Marsha’s apartment and the Waystar Royco offices, for example—and keeping our financial powder dry to find great locations that serve the story for an episode or two but that we may never return to.”

Historical stately mansions played a big part in this season’s environs. For Roy’s summer home, the designers chose Henry Ford II’s 1960 estate, heralded as the Hamptons most expensive at a mere $175 million. The house’s owners were more than happy to give the 20-room, 20,000-square-foot home its close-up. As Emmy-nominated set decorator Carter details: “We changed all the artwork, added furniture, and dressed five rooms. For the office, we placed a desk from Newell Antiques and kept the homeowner’s rug; we used a palette of white and blues and tried to keep the integrity of the house.”