severance: a closer look into the mid-century, brutalist, and retro-futuristic universe of lumon

the RETRO-FUTURISTIC universe of ‘SEVERANCE’

With Severance Season 2 now wrapped, we’re all left to ‘hang in there’ while waiting for the next one. Apple TV+’s series could be a masterclass in world-building through design. Directed by Ben Stiller and created by Dan Erickson, the show curates an environment that combines mid-century modernism, brutalist corporate aesthetics, and retro-futuristic technology to craft a sleek and unsettling world. Every architectural detail, furniture choice, and object reinforces the eerie duality of Lumon Industries—a workplace that feels familiar yet alien.

Through this deep dive, we explore how Severance uses design as a psychological tool, shaping its retro-futuristic dystopia. From the sterile, symmetrical corridors of the Severed floor to the warm yet curated domestic spaces outside its walls, every element serves a purpose. We’ll examine how mid-century modern architecture is warped into a mechanism of control, how Dieter Rams’ minimalist industrial designs contribute to the company’s unsettling aesthetic, and how color, typography, and art shape the hypnotic world of Lumon Industries.

all images courtesy of Apple TV+ | Eero Saarinen’s Bell Labs Holmdel Complex houses Lumon Industries

MID-CENTURY MODERNISM through a dystopian lens

Filmed primarily at the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex in New Jersey, designed in 1962 by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, Lumon Industries headquarters is a corporate labyrinth that distorts the idealism of mid-century modernism into something ominous. The symmetrical layouts and smooth curves, typically symbols of innovation, here create an atmosphere of cold uniformity.

In the sixth episode of season 2 of the Apple TV+ show, the Gerald Luss House, a modernist residence in upstate New York, is introduced as the home of ‘Outie’ Burt and his husband Fields. Built in 1955 as the first residential project of architect, sculptor, and furniture designer Gerald Luss, the home, located in a region renowned for mid-century architecture, brings postwar corporate modernism into a domestic setting, complete with original Luss-designed furniture, like the iconic Time-Life couch.

Taghkanic House by Thomas Phifer and Partner

the diverging architectural narratives of timber and glass

The After Hours episode opens at the home of the Lumon CEO Jame Eagan, and his daughter Helena, filmed at the Taghkanic House by Thomas Phifer and Partners. Tucked within a pine forest in rural upstate New York, the residence unfolds as two volumes with panoramic views of the Hudson River Valley and the distant mountains. The house’s glass and steel pavilion, perched above the landscape, creates a striking contrast with the solid lower level built into the hillside.

In contrast, the Bier House—home to Mark’s sister Devon and her husband Ricken Hale—offers warmth and natural materials, yet still feels oddly staged. Designed by American-Japanese architect Kaneji Domoto in 1949, the Usonian home reflects his teacher Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architecture principles, with a cantilevered living room, skylights, and a dining terrace wrapped around a tree.

Lumon Industries headquarters is a corporate labyrinth

The Cold Precision of Dieter Rams inside lumon industries

The Severance production design team, led by Jeremy Hindle, curates furniture and objects that heighten the unsettling tone of the show. Pieces by Dieter Rams, a pioneer of minimalist industrial design, appear throughout Lumon, reinforcing the company’s clinical, function-over-form aesthetic. In the Chikhai Bardo episode, we visit the testing floor of Lumon Industries. There, we find Ms. Casey, Mark S.’s deceased wife, seated in the Fauteuil 620 armchair by Dieter Rams. In the same episode, more iconic designs by the German industrial designer make their appearance. Among them are the Braun FS-80 television, the Braun Wandanlage audio system, the HUV 1 Cosmolux lamp in collaboration with Reinhold Weiss, and the Bureau RZ-57, which contribute to the distinctive retro-futuristic aesthetic of Severance.

Beyond Rams, other furniture choices deepen the corporate sterility. The Fauteuil Nimrod by Marc Newson, the Fauteuil Fardos by Ricardo Fasanello, and Joe Colombo’s Chaise Universale and Vanity Dilly Dally all contribute to the eerie, hyper-controlled environment.

fluorescent-lit, linoleum-floored hallways evoke an institutional setting akin to hospitals

muted tones and stark typography

The color palette within Lumon is a crucial storytelling device. The soft greens of the office carpeting contrast against the stark white corridors, creating a hypnotic, almost hospital-like sterility. This choice is not accidental—green is often associated with focus and calmness, yet in Lumon’s context, it amplifies the unnatural stillness of the space.

Materiality plays an equally important role. Wood veneer paneling and muted earth tones in executive spaces suggest authority, while the fluorescent-lit, linoleum-floored hallways evoke an institutional setting akin to government facilities. The absence of natural light throughout the Severed Floor makes the workplace feel like an endless loop where employees exist in a world without time.

Typography and branding follow suit. Sans-serif fonts, minimalist icons, and corporate paperwork draw from mid-century government and business design, reinforcing Lumon’s faceless bureaucracy.

the Testing floor looks like an endless corridor

Art as Corporate Propaganda

At Lumon, even art serves as a tool of psychological control. The paintings that line the halls of the company—particularly the bizarre depictions of employees engaged in exaggerated, cult-like camaraderie—echo the visual language of Soviet-era propaganda and corporate motivational murals, reinforcing a manufactured sense of unity and devotion.

A significant aspect of the visual identity of Severance is the collection of oil paintings tied to Lumon’s lore and its founder, Kier Eagan. Stored and maintained by the Optics & Design department, these works, rendered in various styles, depict scenes from Eagan’s life and illustrate his philosophies, fostering an omnipresent, almost cult-like reverence for him. Through these images, Lumon carefully curates its own mythology, using art to shape the perception of its employees. In contrast, Irving Bailiff offers a deeply personal form of artistic expression. A prolific painter in his spare time, ‘Outie’ Irving fixates on a single subject: the Exports Hall leading to the Testing Floor.

Outside of Lumon, art takes on a different role. In the Attila episode, inside Burt and Fields’ kitchen, we catch a glimpse of Agnello Clown (1949) by Robert Springfels. While their home provides a stark contrast to Lumon’s sterile, hyper-controlled world, the clown’s eerie gaze lingers in the background, a subtle reminder that unease is never far away. Even in a space that should offer refuge, the presence of this unsettling painting hints at the fragility of their sanctuary.

Miss Huang in front of ‘Kier Pardons His Betrayers’ painting