New York–based production and set designer Lauren Nikrooz has racked up an eclectic portfolio of clients over the last 10 years, with projects ranging from Travis Scott music videos to Dior ad campaigns and Marina Abramovic’s film work for MoMA. Nikrooz, who is of British and Persian heritage, trained at art school in Manchester and at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) before moving to the US. Her designs radiate the kind of offhand, nostalgic elegance that is often approvingly described as “editorial”—more focused on cultivating a specific mood than on showcasing products. 

AVA WONG DAVIES: You studied design at drama school. How has the theater influenced your practice?

LAUREN NIKROOZ: It’s scrappy, and it makes you think on your feet. RADA was hard work becau...