Paul Brant Williger, Architect

Williger began his career in the office of Robert A.M. Stern and, like Stern, displays a keen understanding of the requisites for luxury living, his bespoke skills having been honed in the affluent enclaves of Southern California, from Laguna Beach and Montecito to Malibu and Beverly Hills. Although known for his fluency in a number of architectural traditions, Williger is not one to place style over substance. “The signature or brand is not crucial for me. What is important is that I have realized my clients’ desires and gone beyond their expectations. That’s when I know I have done my job.” This mantra has served him well and has been one of the keys to his building the exclusive and discerning client base that has followed him to his namesake architectural firm, Paul Brant Williger. “My approach,” he explains, “is to begin with the clients’ dreams, together with the site and the project parameters, and to articulate these into a built form. My task is to find the opportunities in each situation which, when addressed intelligently, add depth and richness to a project.”

He encourages his clients to challenge him during the initial stages of the creative process, so that neither homeowner nor designer settles for less than the best outcome possible. “Don’t rush the process,” he says. “So much time and money can be saved by considering options in the design phase, rather than reconsidering everything while the project is in construction.” Williger creates residential visions that have superior architectural resonance while fully supporting the lives of the people who live there. “You can’t lose sight of the poetry you’re striving for,” he says, “but along the way there are many prosaic and bureaucratic steps that must be addressed. My clients come to me because they know that along the way we will navigate that process without losing sight of the aesthetics. The goal is order, resolution and beauty--not just getting a building permit.”