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A Livingetc report examines why many podcast studios share a generic visual style and how designers are trying different approaches as podcasts become more video-focused. Designers cited in the report say earlier studios were built mainly for audio, while newer sets need to make a stronger impression on camera and help guests feel comfortable.
Designers behind podcast studios for Jake Shane and Jay Shetty are challenging the familiar bookshelves, neon signs and dark acoustic panels associated with many podcast sets, according to a Livingetc report. The shift reflects podcasts’ growing use of video, where a studio’s appearance can shape the first impression made by clips as well as the experience of people recording in the room.
The designers interviewed by Livingetc described a recurring set of visual conventions: timber and bookshelves, branded coffee cups, or dark walls paired with gray acoustic foam and a neon logo. Interior designer Emily Cunnane said the standard set had become “almost uniform,” dividing it into an old-school look and what she called a gaming aesthetic. The report also describes a broader style sometimes labeled “manly minimalism,” with little distinctive character.
Harrison Sheinberg, co-founder of Interwoven Studios, said the visual side of podcasting often followed the audio format rather than developing alongside it. Now, he said, audiences may first encounter a show through a short video clip. “That little window needs to feel like a world you want to spend more time in,” he told Livingetc. Interwoven has worked on sets including Jake Shane’s Therapuss and Alix Earle’s Get Real With Me.
The report points to Jay Shetty’s previous On Purpose studio as another example of a different design approach. Designer Hema Persad of Sagrada Studio said she wanted to avoid the common “wood, white, and beige” palette and its familiar accessories. The studio used dark walls and warm furnishings, with hospitality and guest comfort among the stated priorities.
Video Clips Put Sets in View
The design question matters because podcasts are no longer encountered only as audio. Video episodes and short clips put the recording environment directly in front of viewers, making the set part of a show’s identity and presentation. Sheinberg’s comments describe a practical pressure: a clip may be a viewer’s first contact with a program, so its visual setting can help invite attention beyond the moment.
For creators and production teams, a distinctive studio may also help a show stand apart in a crowded field. That is a design rationale reported by the people involved, not evidence that a particular interior increases audience size or revenue. The material supplied does not establish a measurable commercial effect. It does show how designers are responding to a format that increasingly combines conversation with images.
Comfort is another consideration raised in the report. Persad said the On Purpose studio was designed with guests’ experience in mind. A recording set must function as a working space as well as a backdrop, so decisions about atmosphere and furnishings can affect the room’s feel for people taking part.
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From Audio Rooms to Video Sets
Podcast studios were initially designed primarily to support sound recording, according to Haley Draznin, a former CNN journalist and founder of The Chat Room, a studio focused on set design. That priority helps explain why many rooms relied on practical, repeatable choices rather than a clearly developed visual identity. Acoustic treatment and familiar furnishings offered a recognizable template, even as the programs themselves reached large audiences.
Livingetc places the design debate within the podcast industry’s expansion into video. The report says Netflix has added podcasts to its roster and cites audience figures for well-known shows, including large YouTube view counts for interviews by Stephen Bartlett and Joe Rogan. Those figures illustrate the scale of some video podcasts, but they are not a like-for-like measure of the entire industry or proof that set design drives viewership.
The designers’ proposed alternatives do not amount to one new standard. The examples cited include warmer materials, more considered texture and spaces tailored to a show or its guests. The report presents these as emerging design choices, rather than evidence that the familiar styles have disappeared.
“Podcasts started as an audio format, so the visual side often came later. Now someone’s first encounter with a show might be a fifteen-second clip. That little window needs to feel like a world you want to spend more time in.”
— Harrison Sheinberg, co-founder of Interwoven Studios, speaking to Livingetc
How Far the Redesign Is Spreading
The report describes a shift in approach among the designers and projects it covers, but it does not establish how widespread the change is across podcast studios. It also does not provide a systematic survey of set styles or evidence that audiences respond better to redesigned spaces. The cited view counts concern particular programs and cannot show that interior choices caused their reach.
The supplied material identifies Jay Shetty’s studio as a previous set and gives examples of designers’ work, but it does not provide a complete timeline of renovations or details about every current studio. It remains unclear how much of the broader industry will invest in distinctive video sets, and whether those choices will become durable production standards or remain individual creative decisions.
More Sets Built for the Camera
The report points to continuing work by designers such as Interwoven Studios, Sagrada Studio and The Chat Room as podcast production places greater attention on the visual experience. Further projects and studio designs may show whether the move toward more tailored spaces continues across different kinds of shows.
No specific launch dates, industry-wide plans or audience research findings were included in the source material. For now, the confirmed development is a design conversation and a set of examples—not a completed change across podcasting. The next useful indicators will be new studio projects and clearer evidence about how creators balance camera-ready design, sound requirements and guest comfort.
Key Questions
What is changing in podcast studio design?
Designers cited by Livingetc are moving away from repeated looks built around bookshelves, wood, dark walls, acoustic foam and neon signs. Some are instead designing spaces with more distinct materials, warmth and a stronger relationship to the show.
Why are podcast studios getting more attention on camera?
More podcasts are distributed with video, and viewers may encounter a show through a short clip. Harrison Sheinberg told Livingetc that the studio’s visual setting needs to make that brief first encounter inviting.
Which shows are named in the report?
The report mentions Jake Shane’s Therapuss, Alix Earle’s Get Real With Me and Jay Shetty’s On Purpose in discussing studios and design work.
Does the report show that better studio design attracts more viewers?
No. It describes designers’ reasoning and examples of their work, but provides no audience research showing that a particular studio design increases views or listening figures.
Have traditional podcast studio styles disappeared?
No such industry-wide change is established in the report. The familiar styles remain, while some designers are experimenting with alternatives as video becomes a larger part of podcast production.
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