BY KOREN ZAILCKAS - Somewhere in a spacious Manhattan loft, two aging socialites in beaded evening gowns (Gucci and Valentino) are planning to seduce the latest male model to grace Calvin Klein billboards. He's lounging on a green padded sofa, in a loosely-tied terry cloth bathrobe (Tommy Hilfiger), beneath a ram's head mounted on the apartment's white walls. All three turn to face the police officer who enters the room near the black grand piano.

This may sound like a scene from a Danielle Steele novel, but it's really a photograph from W magazine, the work of set designer Gerard Santos. Because of his uncanny ability to create a scene, Santos has earned the respect of the industry's most influential photographers, stylists, and art executives.

KZ: How did you get started in set design? Did you train for it? Were you an apprentice anywhere?

GS: No...I went to art school. I used to work doing production. And I actually was asked to design a set by a photographer we were producing a shoot for one day. We had to go inside the studio because of weather conditions. He asked me if I was someone who could do something for him in the studio and I said, "Sure thing." After that, I assisted another set designer a couple of times. But that was all after [that] first shoot.

KZ: Your portfolio is a balanced mix between modern/stark sets and elaborate/theatrical sets. And you're equally proficient at both. Which do you prefer doing? Does either one give you an opportunity to exercise more creative freedom?

GS: No. Everything's different. It all depends on the project. The simple ones can be just as interesting as the more complicated ones. Just because a set is more complicated doesn't mean it's going to make a better picture anyway.

KZ: Even so, some of your sets are exceedingly elaborate, like your "Bravo" story for W (April 2001). How long does it take to design a set of that scale? What steps are involved?

GS: It usually involves a conversation with the photographer, the art director, and the stylist, just to see what they want from me. I also find out what the inspiration is, if there is any. In the case of the "Bravo" story for W, we shot it in Paris. We were shooting couture, so they figured they could tie that into French theater. So we ended up basing the visuals on a synopsis of French plays. The visuals came from the literature. But besides the direct visual references, a picture usually has as much to do with the clothes. And the models are really important. It depends what type of girl it is—whether it's a classic girl, someone modern, or real people in the shoot. As much information as I can get in the beginning makes it easier to have it all make sense in the end. Also, sometimes you don't know what the hair, makeup, and clothes (they pull so many) will be until the day of the shoot. You just sort of have to hope that everyone's in sync.

KZ: Your book shows a great attention to detail. In every picture there's something like a perfectly placed lamp or an intricate vase off to the side. How important do you think detail is?

GS: Most of the people I work with are perfectionist-type of photographers. So they always welcome the details. It's as important as the more obvious aspects because you want to have things in a picture that make you interested. You want people to look around and see what's happening in it. You have so little time to catch someone's attention. Everything has to click. The reason for a detail in a picture is either because it brings color or adds a line that takes your eye to another space. Every element in a picture is a compositional element. Everything, for me, is important.

KZ: Furniture is also central to your scenes. What does a well-chosen piece of furniture add to a shoot? Do you have a favorite line of furniture to use?

GS: I think everything has evolved to non-referential furniture in terms of design. For the most part, I try to choose things that will recede into a picture, as opposed to being prominent. For the Yves Saint Laurent ad I actually had the furniture designed and made. I think if someone can recognize a piece of designer furniture it detracts from the focus of the picture, which is usually the fashion. The simpler, the better. If furniture's something that can give the model a better position, body-wise, it always works better for the photographer. And comfort is sometimes a factor...sometimes not.

KZ: You also aren't afraid of using natural props like trees and plants. In what situations do you use them? How do they add to a set?

GS: I'm always drawn to organic elements. I like anything that's natural and can be juxtaposed against something that's man-made. Anywhere that you can introduce something either floral, plant, or natural wood, it adds a certain element to a picture that makes it more tactile.

KZ: In addition to working for W, you've done a lot of work with international mags like Dutch and Italian Vogue. Do you find it different from working with American publications?

GS: They allow you much more freedom. When you shoot something for American Vogue, it's different from when you shoot something for Italian Vogue. It's just a different market. The hair, makeup, and fashion for an American audience have to be much more accessible than for a European publication. In Europe you can have a girl sitting in a dress with her legs wide open and it makes a great picture. But in America, the girls are presented as less confrontational, with less obvious sexual overtones, because American magazines are more concerned with losing advertisers. A European picture is just different. In any European magazine, the reader is more international. They don't tend to be as judgmental as an American consumer would be.

KZ: You've also designed sets for a slew of ads (Gucci, Valentino, Joop!, Miu Miu—too many to name). In general, do you approach them differently than you approach editorial?

GS: Campaigns have to [be] tighter. You have to come up with a concept that's going to solidify all the images. Depending on the media vibe they have, it has to hold together in terms of the eyewear, shoes, fashion, lingerie, whatever. Each picture has to connect to the next one. It has to be a tighter concept. In editorial, you'll sometimes shoot six different girls on six different pages in totally different environments, and it can still hold together as a story. In a campaign, you kind of have to stay in one place and create a stronger visual connection from one image to the next, so that the identity for that campaign in that season is easily identifiable.

KZ: You've also worked with big name celebrities like Julianne Moore. Do you take their individual personalities into account when you're designing the sets?

GS: Any type of celebrity personality has to be presented in the best possible light. And the set has to be created so that they are the most important element in the picture. It needs to revolve around them. So when you're shooting a celebrity, whether it's a singer or an actress or whatever, you tend to come in tighter and crop out most of the staged image. A lot of times, our job is just to create an atmosphere where they can feel comfortable and look their best. It might all just be cropped away, but in the end you might see pieces of it. Most celebrities don't want to appear nude, and if they do, it has to be as tasteful as possible. Their image is crucial. It's definitely different from working with a fashion model.

KZ: As you know, this is our "50 Most Beautiful Models" issue; who do you think are some of the most beautiful models working today?

GS: Definitely Hannalore. We just did something for the September issue of W with her. She is really one of the most beautiful girls I've worked with because she's an unconventional beauty. I can kind of relate to people that are not classically beautiful. She has so much more personality behind her appearance. And it's nice to see Carolyn Murphy again, because I've always thought Carolyn is beautiful. And everyone's going to say Karolina Kurkova, because she is. And there's Karen Elson, for another non-classic beauty. And Angela Lindvall. But I don't need to go through the whole roster.