tangents ‘25 | August

For August, the theme for our Tangents presentations was “Hollywood”, inviting the DBRDS team to explore the intersection of film, storytelling, history, and design. Ivan presented a PBS feature on Paul R. Williams, one of the first prominent African-American architects. Williams’ legacy is both inspiring and deeply relevant to the design community today. He mastered the art of creating spaces of elegance and aspiration while navigating the racial barriers of his time. His work, which includes iconic Los Angeles landmarks and residences for Hollywood’s elite, served as a reminder of architecture’s power to reflect and shape culture.

Later in the month, Craig presented a focused look on filmmaker Wes Anderson’s design aesthetic, focusing on The Grand Budapest Hotel. Anderson’s meticulous use of symmetry, color palettes, and spatial composition blurs the line between architecture and cinematic art direction. His films create immersive worlds where every frame feels like a carefully designed space, a concept that resonates deeply with how architects craft experiences through form and detail.

Together, these presentations offered very different but equally captivating views of design in Hollywood: one rooted in the real architecture that defined an era, and the other in the imaginative, constructed worlds of film. Both remind us that design, whether built or filmed, is ultimately about storytelling.