That’s Showbiz: Behold The Design Of The 2026 Grammy Awards

Awards season is here. First the Golden Globes, then the Grammy Awards, culminating with the Oscars. Dare we cite our favorite? The Grammys certainly ranks high when it comes to top-notch entertainment. That’s because “every five minutes there’s a new performance on stage and it’s live,” states Julio Himede, founder of the New York-based Yellow Studio. He should know. This is his fifth consecutive year as interior and stage designer for the ceremony—to say nothing of vast experience in the super-star music arena where credits include design for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) and Eurovison; and stagings for Shakira, Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, and Doechii.

For the 68th annual Grammy Awards, taking place Sunday, February 1 at Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena and hosted by Trevor Noah (for the sixth and, ostensibly, last time), Himede created an intimate café-style setting—despite the venue’s size where 56 round tables for three or four would populate the arena. “I wanted a cozy landscape that works well on camera,” he says of the theme. Further, the setting is far from static. Rather, it’s meant as an active space where the seating area for nominees and assorted celebrities is part of the overall and immersive set design. “The host comes from the stage, purposely low at only four feet, to mingle with the artists, and the camera follows him,” Himede explains. “Everything has to look beautiful and coordinated.” Nothing to compete with guests’ glittering attire.

Inside the Grammy Awards’s Intimate Stage By Yellow Studio

Ergo, the seemingly simple approach anchored by two key elements. One is the singular terra-cotta palette as it cocoons the room in shades ranging from soft clay and blush to deeper rust and burnt sienna. “It’s sophisticated and elegant,” the designer says of the monochromatic choice. Plus, it is easily transformed by lighting into four looks created for the course of the evening. Himede’s second element is fluted glass. Internally lit, it wraps the stage for glowing translucency. Of course there is the gramophone. A given, the symbolic piece—made of sculpted foam covered with gold automotive vinyl—dominates the stage as both gleaming backdrop and tunnel from which presenters emerge.

As for the rest, tables, recycled from past ceremonies, have new tops sporting a faux marble effect. Custom lamps, casting warm uplighting, are attached to tables via cables snaking down through the neck and affixed under the carpet. Walls are covered with stone-textured vinyl, and carpet is specially dyed. All are part of a design process initiated six months in advance to allow Himede plenty of time for test runs under on-set lighting conditions.

A native of El Salvador, Himede grew up in Australia. He studied set and costume design at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, which counts Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette among its alumnae. He quickly launched into the professional world of television followed by music. For the past 11 years, New York has been home base.

Catch the 2026 Grammy Awards live on CBS, starting at 8:00 PM Eastern Time or streaming on Paramount +.

All That Glitters At The 2026 Grammy Awards