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"The Set Design of Family Ties\nIn honor of the 30th anniversary of the hit &amp;#39;80s television show, we look back at the classic sitcom\u2019s decade-defining set designs\nThe Keatons\u2019 iconic living room, featuring a Victorian camelback sofa, Tiffany-style lamp, and elaborate swag curtains, was a familiar sight for 176 episodes. Modeled after the childhood home of executive producer Gary David Goldberg, the exterior of the middle-class residence was never seen. (Though the show was set in Columbus, Ohio, the series was filmed on a soundstage at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.) A baby-faced Tom Hanks (center) appears here in a cameo alongside regular cast members (from left to right) Tina Yothers, Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman, Meredith Baxter, and Michael Gross.\nVeteran set decorator Freddie J. Rymond, who created the series\u2019s folksy interiors, reflected, \u201CMost sitcoms evolved around the living room in those days, and they all pretty much had the same furnishings.\u201D Here, the majority of the dining room\u2019s set decor came from the now defunct Paramount prop department; the Windsor chairs and table and the harvest-gold wall color (also used in the living room) provide a glimpse into the decorative styles of the \u201980s.\nRymond received numerous requests from viewers regarding the kitchen set\u2019s appliances; of particular interest was the Wolf commercial-style range, an item that was gaining popularity in the consumer-driven \u201980s. Executive producer Gary David Goldberg, who was very specific about the set\u2019s decor, had a Wolf range in his home in Los Angeles. Here, Michael J. Fox as fan favorite Alex P. Keaton talks with younger brother Andy (Brian Bonsall).\nThe kitchen was the epicenter of the Keaton family\u2019s activity and one of the multicamera sitcom\u2019s three primary sets. Due to limited space, Rymond explains, \u201CWe used swing walls for the sets and it was not uncommon to have another set on the back wall.\u201D The muted floral wallpaper, copper pots, wall calendars, bulletin boards, and the rack lined with coffee cups reflect the classic all-American kitchen of the day.\nAt its best, set decor defines and supports a character\u2014here, hanging above the bed of Alex P. Keaton is a poster of conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr., rather than, say, Farrah Fawcett, who was probably the more popular poster subject of the time. The bedside WKS lamp comes from the local public television station where father Steven Keaton works.\nRymond used what he called a \u201Cconglomeration\u201D of accessories to decorate youngest daughter and resident tomboy Jennifer\u2019s (Tina Yothers) bedroom. A pop-cultural m\u00E9lange consisting of a Cleveland Browns pennant, a white iron\u2013and-brass bed, and a world-globe throw pillow round out the set. (You can almost smell the hairspray.)\nOne of the sets added to the fourth season was the garage apartment of character\u2014and \u201980s heartthrob\u2014Nick Moore (Scott Valentine). Complete with a motorcycle, a dartboard, and bicycle handlebars as wall art, Rymond\u2019s design here was clearly influenced by that of another popular sitcom set in the Midwest\u2014Happy Days.\nMom and dad Elyse and Steven\u2019s (Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross, respectively) master bedroom was reminiscent of so many interiors of the \u201980s\u2014shelves filled with clutter and white porcelain figurines, tchotchkes and knickknacks from a lifetime of family vacations, and, in what might have been a wry homage to The Godfather, a mounted pony\u2019s head."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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