Diana Budds
Senior Story Producer
I'm a New York–based writer interested in stories about how design reflects and affects culture: everything from the hidden inequality of streetscapes to how algorithms are reshaping our world and the environmental crisis.
I'm primarily interested architecture, urbanism, technology, and product design. Before coming to Curbed, I covered these topics and more at Co.Design and Dwell. I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and studied art history and environmental policy at the University of California, Davis.
D.C.’s mayor makes a big show of painting ‘Black Lives Matter’ on a city street
The 35-foot-tall yellow letters are photogenic—but defunding the police would send a real message.
5 essential books to understand midcentury design
The era contains multitudes. Get the lay of the land from these historian-approved tomes.
How the gym came home
The history of home workouts involves prison torture devices, kneading machines, and the "Swiss Army knife approach to exercise."
Filed under:
The color psychology behind a relaxing and soothing home
"Now is not the time for grays," says Pantone color expert Laurie Pressman.
Home, soothing home
What science, color psychology, and interior designers tell us about creating a comforting space.
How essential is construction during the coronavirus pandemic?
"It’s putting a lot of people in really tough positions. We’re all going to be sacrificing," says one general contractor.
Design in the age of pandemics
Throughout history, how we design and inhabit physical space has been a primary defense against epidemics.
The pros and cons of homeownership in 2020
Homeownership used to be part of the American dream. Now it’s both a dream and a nightmare.
5 essential books to understand the housing crisis
It’s not your fault that you can’t afford a home—it’s government policy, ruthless banks, and discrimination.