Production designer, art director and concept illustrator Jill Beecher chats with production designer and art director Mary Florence Brown, whose striking visual worlds are shaping some of the most talked-about projects in music and on screen. Jill recently caught up with Mary to talk about collaboration, creativity, and maintaining balance across so many roles in a demanding industry.
Born in Northern Ireland and now based in Los Angeles, production designer and art director Mary Florence Brown has carved an impressive path through film, television, and music videos in recent years. After studying in the United States, she has worked her way up through the art department, assisting renowned designer Katie Byron on Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling (2022) and contributing to the outstanding visual landscape of Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025). Her distinctive sensibility also shines brightly in music videos, notably Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra”, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears”, as well as the visual spectacular for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album and tour. Alongside her screen work, she runs a wallpaper studio from Los Angeles that merges fine art techniques and high-end interior design.
Early Foundations
“I went to college initially for fashion,” Brown recalls. “I always made short films at home, my dad was one of the first to get an iMac, so I had access to iMovie really early. I was always building sets and making costumes.”
After completing her A-levels in Belfast, Mary Florence moved to the United States to study Production Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia (SCAD). “It was the kind of place where whatever you put in, you got out,” she says. “I was networking with short film directors and working in the theatre department, which gave me a more classical training and a grounding in hand-drafting.”
Finding Her Footing in Los Angeles
“When I first moved to LA, I felt really lost, there was a visa timer on and life was so expensive,” she admits. “I tried to make meaningful connections through any way possible, Facebook Art Department pages, Craigslist, anything at all.”
A turning point came when she met art director Sarah Delucchi (Avatar: The Way of Water, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), who encouraged her to take an Art P.A. role, even though it felt like a step backwards. “She told me, ‘You have to take a step back to go forward.’ That advice changed everything.” Mary Florence went on to join Katie Byron’s team on Olivia Wilde’s debut directorial feature Booksmart (2019), marking the beginning of a creative partnership that continues to shape her career.
Collaboration and Trust
Brown speaks warmly about her collaboration with Byron. “Katie and I are a good team because there’s an unspoken truth between us, no idea is ever a bad idea,” she says.
Working on Don’t Worry Darling during the COVID pandemic, the pair faced tight budgets and logistical challenges. “We realised we could only build the interior of the house and the apartment. When designing the town, we’d sit on the floor and imagine what an ideal neighbourhood would have: parks, water features, culture. That kind of deep thinking really trains your imagination.”
One striking aspect of Mary Florence’s creative research leans toward the tactile. “I prefer looking at original artworks rather than digital inspiration platforms like Pinterest — I like to go to the source.”
Music Videos: Fast, Fierce, and Fearless
Over the last few years, Brown has become known for her signature work in music videos. “The pace is unbelievable,” she says. “On ‘Tears’ for Sabrina Carpenter, we went from prep to shoot in seven days. On Lady Gaga’s ‘Abracadabra’ the DP arrived on set without having seen our plans, and we had to extend 12-foot walls to 20-feet last minute. You just have to let go of perfectionism.”
For “Abracadabra”, Mary Florence and her team worked through the night for two days to bring the vision to life. “It’s liberating in a way,” she reflects. “My approach becomes: does it convey what I need it to? If yes, I move on.”
Working with Icons
“Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Sabrina are pure icons,” says Brown. “Sometimes the designer goes one way, the artist another, and their creative team a third. But because of the time pressure, any disagreements get resolved quickly. It’s important to remember that this is their vision and we are there to facilitate it. Sometimes they don’t know exactly what they want until they see it, so offering multiple options is key.”
Designing Within Budget
Balancing creative ambition with financial constraints is one of the core challenges of production design. It requires clear communication from the outset to align artistic vision with what the budget can realistically support.
“The first thing I do is talk directly to the Executive Production Manager and ask, ‘What’s the number you have?’” she explains. “Even if it’s not exact, it helps set expectations.”
On A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Brown recalls a particularly inventive solution: “There’s a scene where the characters are sitting on top of a mountain looking down at earth. We could have built it for $7,000 if the shot was static; however, they wanted a tracking shot moving up over the mound. This involved the use of steel cladding to build a much larger, more expensive structure. We just had to cut the budget elsewhere and figure it out. Having a great relationship with the construction coordinator is everything in moments like that.”
Working Beyond the Screen: Ena Florence
Outside of film, Brown runs Ena Florence, a wallpaper brand inspired by Irish heritage and fine art. “It started from a frustration with how people were using Irish motifs,” she explains. “I wanted to reinterpret old Irish imagery in a more authentic way. Wallpaper just became the perfect medium for that.”
Balance and Wellbeing
Her approach to work/life balance is refreshingly grounded. “Most of my close friends aren’t in the industry, so I can switch off completely. I do a lot of yoga, and I find walking to be a kind of moving meditation.”
Looking Ahead
As for dream projects, Brown doesn’t hesitate: “The Sinéad O’Connor biopic that Josephine Decker is directing. I’m manifesting that one, I’m even wearing a Sinéad t-shirt right now! I want to make Irish cinema. Story is what inspired me to get into film in the first place, and it feels like Ireland is having a real filmmaking movement right now. I want to be part of it.”
Mary Florence Brown’s work continues to explore the boundaries between art, film, and design, creating visual worlds that are always imaginative and yet deeply human.
“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” is now available to stream on Apple TV and Prime Video.
Explore her wallpaper designs at www.enaflorence.com.