Debating Presidential Debate Set Design

Finally, some political discussion we can relate to! In yesterday’s New York Times Week in Review, the sharp-eyed Phil Patton highlighted the importance of set design and furniture in political debates. The first televised presidential debate, that historic tussle between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, was as notable for its lessons on the importance of bronzer and close shaves as it was for the futuristic tone set by the Hans Wegner chairs in which the candidates sat when not speaking, writes Patton.