The Big Brother house has become as recognizable a character as any of the many houseguests that have walked through its illustrious doors over the years. Each year its décor and styling has set the tone to how that series will play out.
Big Brother brings the great outdoors to the Houseguests as they embark on their journey living in a house inspired by summer camp.
“Nothing says summer quite like camping!” said Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan, Executive Producers, Big Brother. “And just like camp, this season will be full of adventure, fun and challenges and an unexpected twist that will rock the house, forcing the Houseguests to rethink how they play the game.”
The season will be filled with surprises and camp-themed competitions. Houseguests beware: with the return of Zingbot, marshmallows won’t be the only thing getting roasted this season.
Building on the camp theme, this season the Big Brother house gets a great outdoors makeover as the 16 new houseguests “rough” it in a contemporary A-frame-styled cabin lodge. Production Designer Scott Storey designed the house that’s inspired by the fun, collaborative spirit that embodies the camp experience.
In the living room, a 23-foot tall triangular window is backlit by hundreds of LED units, illuminating a lush forest right outside the window. Adding to the cozy lodge is a fireplace, stacked with birch logs.
Right off the living room is a massive dining room table, complete with rustic charm and its own campfire.
LED logs and river rocks sit in the center of the table. Hundreds of 6×6-foot pine beams have been cut and installed on the walls. Above all of this is a giant postcard inviting campers to come visit the fictional HOH Monument National Park.
If the Houseguests’ idea of camping is sleeping under the stars in front of a vintage travel trailer, then the first bedroom is for them! The outside of the room features the polished and rounded classic RV body. The trailer might look vintage, but it’s really a set piece that’s only 11 inches deep! A surprise awaits the houseguests when they open the trailer’s door.
A very playful cabin, this room sports bright summer colors, a white pot-belly stove, exaggerated hand-drawn wood grain, Easter egg-colored plaid and layers of rainbow-colored linen. This hideaway also contains camp souvenirs on the shelves, including old-school instant camera photos of past summers pinned to the wall and a hand-painted saddle.
The second bedroom is all about the classic summer camp sporting event – archery! This room has dozens and dozens of arrows (some even stuck into the walls), several bows and quivers and bullseye targets.
Covering the walls are dry-stacked stone on the bottom and bales of straw above. Small and private, the bedroom is perfect for Houseguests plotting, taking aim and hoping their game move is on target.
If the sun is a bit too bright to lay out in the backyard, Houseguests can move into the lounge and relax in a 12-foot wide rowboat! When it’s time to bail out of the boat, they can head into the boathouse-themed bathroom, complete with paddles on the door and awnings over the room’s mirrors.
This summer, there’s more than one way to sneak upstairs and downstairs. A two-foot square hole has been cut into the sky bridge and a steel ladder provides access to the “cabin in the sky.” Now someone can visit the HOH bedroom without using the stairs and, if done properly, can slip back downstairs. A great location for a bit of hide and seek, perhaps?
If experiencing nature is not the Houseguests’ style, then they will want to win Head of Household because the HOH doesn’t just get any typical tent or campsite. The HOH room is the definition of “glamping!” From the Moroccan-styled lanterns to the rich oriental carpets piled on top of one another, the luxurious amenities are apparent.
Adorned with a true canvas tent built inside the room and topped off with a hand-carved Mexican headboard and contemporary furniture, this HOH bedroom proves camping doesn’t have to be about roughing it.
Just outside the HOH room, the bridge area is a comfy cabin, complete with split log and paneling. The aquarium has been built into the wall, and stocked with tropical fish that look like trout. Games, such as checkers, backgammon and the Big Brother classic, chess, are located up here. Also, cheeky fabric and hand-drawn illustrations make this cabin a “campy” sort of hangout.
