Steal This Look: An Exotic Tiled Kitchen by LA Design Firm Commune - Remodelista
Brother and sister team Ramin and Pamela Shamshiri collaborate often. One of their first collaborations was the design and renovation of Ramin’s own Spanish Colonial house in Los Feliz, a hillside neighborhood of Los Angeles. Photography by Matthew Williams for Remodelista. The duo combined three rooms–the kitchen, the butler’s pantry, and the maid’s room–into one large kitchen/dining space. “My brother was very specific about the color of the cabinets–he was inspired by a lacquered door we saw in the Netherlands and wanted to obtain the same depth,” Pamela says. Pamela installed a new window over the sink; its arched shape matches an existing window in the living room. A live-edge dining table from Lawson Fenning is paired with a suite of Y-backed Hans Wegner CH24 Wishbone Chairs in black from Danish firm Carl Hansen & Son. Glazed French doors lead directly from the kitchen into a sunken courtyard where Ramin and family can dine outside. A Pot Filler is installed on the wall to be close to the cooking. The Viking appliances–Freestanding 48-Inch Range, Wall Hood, Side-by Side-Refrigerator/Freezer and Dishwasher–lend the kitchen an industrial aesthetic. Open walnut shelving provides easy access to tea stored in Kakaido Tea Caddies and a contrasting texture to the tiled walls. A hard-wearing stainless steel counter–a favorite countertop material in restaurant kitchens–with integrated sinks is installed in the heavily trafficked food preparation and dishwashing area. In the glazed upper cabinets, the arch-shaped cutout references the Spanish Colonial influences of the rest of the house. Commune’s Porcelain Wall Socket has been upgraded with a nickel finish by custom lighting company Paul Ferrante. The 2038 Theo Hanging Fixture from Paul Ferrante has a customized nickel finish. The leather-covered midcentury bar stool, designed by Hendrik Van Keppel and Taylor Green, is from the Reform Gallery. Mirrors inset into the reclaimed, wire-brushed walnut pantry doors reflect the natural light that comes in from the courtyard. Commune designed the concrete tiles and had them manufactured in Mexico. In Commune, recently published by Abrams and available for $42.88, the firm documents 25 more of their projects in LA.