Like pretty much everyone else on the internet, the AD team spent our winter break marathoning (and deeply loving!) Heated Rivalry. While we have virtually no notes on the pitch-perfect romance between rival hockey players Illya Rozanov and Shane Hollander (some of us are already on our third full-series binge), as design obsessives we were drawn to more than just the steamy sex scenes and glutes discourse. Across the eight years that the series follows the two players, portrayed by Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, viewers get a glimpse of the luxe homes that a star athlete’s salary affords, albeit one depicted on a relatively low production budget. To some, the set design may simply serve as a background to the romantic rendezvous, but to the very critical eyes of our editors, the decor prompted some strong reactions.
From the modern rustic aesthetic of Shane’s lakeside cottage down to the question of how many lamps is too many lamps in Ilya’s apartment, we left it all out on the ice.
The straightest thing about Heated Rivalry? The bedding du jour being either navy or gray in each of the players’ apartments. Alas, boys will be boys. But to all the guys reading this, please know that other sheet color options do exist. We promise a subtle pinstripe or off-white French flax linen will not threaten your masculinity. Even a nice olive hue could be the gateway to a more intentional bedscape that your clandestine lover could grow to love. —Audrey Lee, commerce editor
The meetup at Rozanov’s “Boston home” (a story for another day) is where we see a real turning point in the players’ relationship. It’s where things go from hookups to full-on feelings, except instead of the pillow talk, all I could see were lamps. Specifically, five of them, along a single wall, within 12 feet of each other—and all within a mostly glass room (thankfully, I’m not alone in this specific gripe). We’ve got two floor lamps, a pair of sconces flanking the bed, and a reading lamp on a floating nightstand, which I cringe to imagine probably has a mate on the other side of the bed. None of them work together stylistically, nor are they different enough to feel intentionally quirky, and as much as I love these boys, I hope season two brings better lighting game. —Rachel Fletcher, commerce director
Every shot of Ilya walking down a hallway while brooding over his unrequited love is overshadowed by color-blocked artwork towering over his roughly six-foot frame. While I know I’m supposed to be focusing on the emotions, all I can think about is how massive the artwork is. In the shot of his living room as he watches the Stanley Cup, the diamond-filled painting takes up the entire screen—based on the width of that sectional, the artwork is over 120 inches wide. Is every painting eight feet tall? Why is it all abstract? Is it the cliché of moneyed athletes dropping their credit card at the nearest downtown gallery? Perhaps season two will tell us more about the tastes of the Russian turned potential Canadian expat. —Kate McGregor, commerce market editor
An almost entirely glass-walled getaway for a character who is otherwise consistently trying to hide his identity may be a bit metaphorically on-the-nose, but the open design of Shane’s cottage—where the entirety of the last episode takes place—really enhanced the emotional impact of the finale for me, cheesiness be damned! Unlike the dark hotel rooms we see Ilya and Shane in during earlier episodes, the cottage is lined with two-story windows. Truly, like, a comical amount of glass for someone who wants any amount of privacy. Although the cottage on the whole is fairly devoid of color or any personal design touches, sue me, seeing them being able to be together without hiding, aglow in the sunlight of a bajillion windows had me kicking my feet in enjoyment. —Lauren Arzbaecher, commerce producer
We tapped our interiors-obsessed colleague Wilder Davies from the Bon Appétit bench to weigh in too:
Frankly, I think it makes sense that Shane has bad taste. He’s had a lifelong monofocus on his hockey career, and he’s still young. Why would he know who Alvar Aalto is? Also, if a living space is an extension of the self, and he’s spent his whole life hiding who he is, I’m not surprised that the cottage is bereft of personal touches and looks more like the set of a Lexus commercial. I did have to laugh though when I saw the epoxy resin river headboard in the bedroom. It’s sooo boy. You just know he found it on his Instagram Discover page and sent it to his beleaguered interior designer saying, “This is perfect.”
