Set Design Edit

An Architect’s Perspective on Set Design
with Shop-the-Look Selections for Your Space

As a designer, I often look for inspiration in other art forms, and film is one of the richest places to find it. There are clear parallels between production design, architecture, and interiors. This journal series is where I explore those connections through some of my favorite films. Not all the films are visually iconic, and I’m not here to break down every set or piece of production design but rather share what I like, things that really stand out to me or a takeaway that might spark your interest and make you want to rewatch.

I’m particularly drawn to color, light, and shadow, not so much as metaphors, but as characters. Tools of composition, like a painter uses to balance, focus, or distract the eye. In film, directors have the ability to manipulate spaces with digital effects, changing lighting and perspective in ways that shape each scene. Architects don’t have that luxury. We choreograph daily life in spaces that must bend to the unpredictable actions of the people who live in them. Yet, just like cinema, light, shadow, and color can surprise us in architecture, creating moments that feel alive — moments I try to imagine when designing spaces.

For each film I provide a curated “shop the look” to bring its atmosphere into the real world. These are not comprehensive lists, sometimes they’re references to what you see on screen, sometimes they’re from the period or spirit of the design.

I invite you to explore the films below. Maybe one will catch your eye, or maybe it’ll give you a reason to revisit a classic with a different perspective.