In the hit TV show “Severance,” employees at the mysterious Lumon Industries have their minds surgically split between work and personal lives. The show’s stark, minimalist set design plays a key role in creating the oppressive corporate atmosphere. Production designer Jeremy Hindle and his team sought out 1950s and ’60s designs that convey “power and control and commerce.” They found inspiration in the work of renowned German industrial designer Dieter Rams, known for his functional, minimalist aesthetic.
Two of Rams’s iconic designs make notable appearances in the show’s latest season. In episode seven, a Braun wall-mounted hi-fi system and a Vitsœ 620 Chair Program are featured in the company’s shadowy lower levels, where darker experiments take place. The Braun system, called the Wandanlage, debuted in 1965 and combined a reel-to-reel machine, speakers, and a control unit with a record player.
Its ultra-modern design has earned it cult status among hi-fi enthusiasts.
Designs reflecting control and minimalism
The 620 Chair Program, launched in 1962 for British furniture company Vitsœ, is a modular, fully upholstered seat with a robust sheet-molded body hiding top-quality materials.
It was designed to be simple yet built to last. Hindle’s team sourced the Braun system directly from the German company, while the 620 chairs came from Vitsœ. The chairs were reupholstered in Lumon’s signature shade of green, chosen for its calming effect on the eye.
Rams’s influence can also be seen in the designs of Apple products, thanks to his devoted follower Jonathan Ives, the company’s former chief design officer. Rams himself has always been cautious with color, favoring earthy and achromatic palettes to avoid dominating a space. The cameos of Rams’s designs in “Severance” have been a thrill for Vitsœ, which holds a permanent collection of over 100 vintage Braun and Vitsœ objects designed by Rams at its production building in the U.K. The collection includes the wall-mounted stereo, 620 chair, and a TV unit, all featured in the show.
As “Severance” continues to captivate audiences with its eerie, dystopian vision of corporate life, the iconic designs of Dieter Rams add an extra layer of depth and meaning to the show’s unsettling world.