The Italian production designer shares how research, creativity, and attention to detail helped transform a modern home into the world of a 1970s family drama.
For production designer Francesca Porcelluzzi, one of the most exciting aspects of filmmaking is the opportunity to transport audiences to another place and time. The Italian-born creative, now based in Los Angeles, has built her emerging career around visual storytelling, using environments, props, textures, and color palettes to deepen character and strengthen narrative. Armed with a Master’s degree in Television, Cinema, and New Media from IULM University in Milan and a Master’s degree in Film and Media Production from the New York Film Academy, Porcelluzzi has developed a reputation for creating authentic and emotionally grounded worlds across short films, feature films, and commercial productions.
Her recent work includes projects such as 10:52, She Reminds Me of You, The Stolen Mind, Half Life, and The Last Coin, each presenting unique creative challenges. Yet among her growing body of work, Magnolia Daughters offered something she had long hoped to explore: the opportunity to design a true period piece. Set in the 1970s, Magnolia Daughters is a drama that explores family, identity, and the relationships that shape who we become. Through intimate storytelling and richly drawn characters, the film captures both the beauty and complexity of a decade that continues to hold a special place in popular culture.
For Porcelluzzi, recreating that era was both a challenge and a dream project. “I’ve always loved period films because the environment becomes such an important part of the storytelling,” she explains. “The audience needs to feel like they’ve stepped into another time, and production design plays a huge role in creating that experience.”
Unlike large studio productions that often build entire sets from scratch, Magnolia Daughters required a more inventive approach. The production was tasked with transforming a modern-day home into a believable 1970s environment using existing locations and limited resources. Rather than viewing those limitations as obstacles, Porcelluzzi embraced them as creative opportunities.
“One of the things I enjoy most about production design is problem-solving,” she says. “Every project presents a puzzle, and on Magnolia Daughters, the challenge was figuring out how to remove modern visual elements and replace them with details that felt authentic to the period.”
To begin, she immersed herself in extensive research, studying photographs, magazines, advertisements, and interior design trends from the decade. “I spent a lot of time looking at how people actually lived during the 1970s,” she says. “What kinds of furniture they owned, the colors they used, the decorations on their walls, even the small objects that would be found around the house. Those details are what make a world feel believable.”
One of her favorite discoveries came while searching for ways to modify existing furniture without replacing entire rooms. “We started using vintage-inspired wallpaper on pieces of furniture to help transform them into something that felt period appropriate,” she recalls. “It was such a simple solution, but it completely changed the feeling of the space.”
Moments like those reinforced an important lesson she has learned throughout her career: often, the smallest details make the biggest difference. For Porcelluzzi, production design isn’t about drawing attention to itself. It’s about quietly supporting the story.
“The colors, textures, and objects in a room can tell audiences so much about a character without saying a word,” she explains. “Those elements help establish mood, reveal personality, and create emotional connections.”
That philosophy has become central to her work. Whether designing a culturally authentic Kurdish home for 10:52 or creating contrasting emotional spaces for She Reminds Me of You, she approaches every project by first understanding the people who inhabit the world she is creating. “I always begin with the characters,” she says. “Who are they? How do they live? What objects would be important to them? Once you answer those questions, the visual language of the film starts to emerge naturally.”
The opportunity to work on Magnolia Daughters was particularly meaningful because it combined her love of storytelling with her fascination for history and design. “Period pieces require a different level of research because audiences immediately notice when something feels out of place,” she says. “At the same time, that’s what makes them so rewarding. You’re not just decorating a space, you’re helping recreate an entire moment in time.”
Her passion for collaboration also played a significant role throughout the production. Porcelluzzi believes the strongest creative work emerges when directors, cinematographers, and designers share a common vision.
“Filmmaking is completely collaborative,” she says. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that no matter how strong an idea may be, bringing it to life requires communication, trust, and teamwork.”
That collaborative spirit has helped shape her growing career in Los Angeles, where she continues to work on projects that explore identity, human relationships, memory, and personal transformation.
Looking back on Magnolia Daughters, what stands out most isn’t simply the furniture, wallpaper, or vintage décor. It’s an opportunity to use visual storytelling to help transport audiences into another era while supporting an emotionally resonant story. “There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching a modern room slowly transform into a believable 1970s space,” she says. “When people step onto the set and immediately feel like they’ve traveled back in time, that’s when you know the work is doing its job.”
As Magnolia Daughters continues through post-production, audiences will eventually have the chance to experience that transformation for themselves. Until then, Francesca Porcelluzzi remains focused on what she loves most: building worlds, solving creative challenges, and proving that thoughtful production design can bring the past vividly back to life.
Magnolia Daughters is currently in post-production. Festival screenings and release information will be announced at a later date. You can find out more about Francesca Porcelluzzi on Instagram or her IMDb.
