Less is more, and suggesting is better than telling the whole darn story. Set designers like to engage an audience's imagination by creating an environment where the viewer can fill in the blanks. Zieglerova uses only one prop on Tomlin's stage. Lily's acting and presence is so commanding and completely believable. Zieglerova favors the minimal style in her own apartment in Manhattan, too.
Rooms require at least three layers of light.
Don't rely on a single central ceiling fixture, or even two table lamps, to properly light a room. After Jakubowski moved from Buffalo to Philadelphia, the bulk of his training at Temple University was in lighting design. One of today's hottest lighting styles, pendant lights, decorate a room like jewelry. A single, pair, or cluster of tiny halogen bulbs are suspended from a straight arm to dangle over an object without overpowering it. A combination of light sources will balance function and mood together, and the glow will make people want to linger in a room.