I had a little chat with my friend Wiktor, one of our Lead Artists at Epic, and he shared an answer that I thought was perfect, so here it is.
First you need to decide what kind of space it is. Is it a commercial space, a residential space? A liminal space? Once you’ve decided that you can start telling a story. Is it abandoned? New? There are many foundational questions that need to be answered before you can start set dressing. Once you know what the space is you can start telling a story about who is occupying the space. Does someone live there? If so, what are they like? Messy, organized, pedantic? Setdressing is storytelling and you need to know what story you’re telling.
On a more practical level it’s all about composition and balance. Get the large shapes in first, like boxes, furniture, paintings on the walls and then work your way down to the smallest things like pens and other clutter.
There are many pitfalls and tropes one should avoid. Things like ominous graffiti in apocalyptic environments, blood everywhere in horror scenes and notes telling the story scattered everywhere. Try and be a bit more nuanced and thoughtful with the storytelling and you’ll reward the viewer who will piece the clues together themselves.