Putting a Spotlight on Design Appetit 2024: A Cinematic Experience Benefitting Focus on Home

Each year, Focus on Home’s Design Appetit in Oklahoma City brings together the best of the design, architecture and culinary communities for a cause that goes beyond art and ambiance. Focus on Home works closely with social service agencies to deliver personalized furniture packages that transform empty living spaces into warm, inviting homes. By providing essential furnishings, the organization creates a sense of stability, dignity and comfort for families transitioning out of homelessness or other challenging situations.

The 2024 event, with its “Design Appetit Goes to the Movies” theme, invited participants to reimagine famous films through immersive, cinema-inspired dining spaces, all in support of Focus on Home’s mission.

This year, REES joined the lineup with a vignette inspired by Wes Anderson’s, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

**The REES Grand Budapest Hotel Vignette: Whimsy Meets Luxury**

Known for its meticulous attention to visual style, The Grand Budapest Hotel was an inspired choice for REES’s cinematic dining experience. Anderson’s film, celebrated for its blend of Art Deco elegance and pastel whimsy, provided a perfect canvas for the REES design team to work their magic. REES designers and REES’ partners crafted a vignette that brought the film’s unique style to life through several details:

Handcrafted Walls and Vintage Molding

LINGO Construction built the walls for the vignette, with REES designers adding hand-painted details to achieve an old-world, textured look. Intricate molding was also added to elevate the space.

Custom Lighting Installation

Triple C Lighting created a custom light fixture to match a style seen in The Grand Budapest Hotel, with delicate orbs hanging at varied lengths above the table, bringing Anderson’s iconic lighting to life.

3D-Printed Accents

Gold 3D-printed letters, printed by the REES team, lined the top of the vignette, spelling out Grand Budapest. The team also 3D-printed small brass-like lamps for the tablescape, seamlessly matching the movie’s aesthetic.

Backdrop of the Hotel

A backdrop of the iconic pink hotel, printed by Gill Reprographics Inc. and mounted to foam core, transported diners and viewers directly into the fictional European country of Zubrowka, where the movie takes place.

Handmade Menus with Artful Touches

REES team members crafted menus from watercolor paper, featuring hand-calligraphed text. The back of each menu included the fictional artwork “Boy with Apple,” a nod to a beloved piece within the movie.

Patisserie Boxes from Mendl’s Bakery

Paying homage to Mendl’s bakery in the film, pink boxes tied with blue ribbons were scattered around the vignette’s entrance.

Vintage Place Settings

Each place setting featured fine china, ornate glassware, a green apple (another reference to “Boy with Apple”) and a hotel key with a purple tassel—every detail reinforcing the feeling of stepping into an old European hotel.

Vintage Luggage

Vintage luggage, borrowed to complete the old hotel ambiance, further transported guests into Anderson’s magical world.

Plants and Foliage

Calvert’s Plant Interiors donated palm trees to the space. The greenery helped create a lush, vibrant setting, adding to the vignette’s sense of place.

Finishing Features

The table was set upon distinctive red carpeting donated by Shaw Contract. The REES team included whimsical artwork on the walls, bringing even more of the film’s distinctive charm and creativity into the vignette.

Vignette Details

A Series of Events Benefitting Focus on Home

Design Appetit began with a lively cocktail party on October 23, setting the stage for a series of gatherings that included a luncheon and a gala the following day. During the gala, REES’ partner chef, Ryan Parrot of Humankind Hospitality, served dinner guests a themed Hungarian-style dinner which included courses like Chilled Cherry Soup and Pork Schnitzel. By the time the gala concluded, guests had enjoyed an evening that not only dazzled the senses but also supported Focus on Home’s work in the community.

Through the combined efforts of talented designers, architects, local businesses and community members, Design Appetit continues to be both an incredible creative showcase and meaningful event to help fund critical resources that turn houses into homes for those in need.

Special thanks to our Design Appetit partners!

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