Here’s a project that masterfully combines some of our favorite styles—Scandinavian, Japanese wabi-sabi, and California mid-century—to great effect. It’s the work of Studio Shamshiri founder, Pamela Shamshiri, long admired in the industry for her exacting eye and tastemaking sensibilities. “We look for an emotional link or common attitude between the eras we’re referencing,” she told us in a 2015 Remodelista interview (back when she was a founding partner at Commune Design). “You can’t combine any two movements, they have to complement each other and relate in ethos.”
That interplay between the different design traditions has created a home that feels cohesive and considered. Located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, the 1957 ranch house was designed by John August Reed, a contemporary of midcentury architecture giants Frank Lloyd Wright, R.M Schindler, and Irving Gill. Shamshiri, tapped by the clients after seeing photos of her own mid-century gem, restored much of Reed’s original vision, took down some walls to create a more open-concept space, renovated the kitchen and bathrooms, then set about appointing the home with a mix of vintage and new pieces—all while being deeply mindful of the building’s history.
The result: a modern family home that feels utterly timeless. Let’s take a tour.
Photography by Yoshihiro Makino, courtesy of Studio Shamshiri.
To read more about this characterful home, see C magazine’s story.
For more mid-century inspiration, see:
- The Midcentury Petal House: Remodelista Co-Founder Janet Hall at Home in Napa
- Kitchen of the Week: French Mid-Century Style in Santa Monica
- A Star Is Reborn: An Iconic Midcentury House in LA Renovated by Park McDonald
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