Scene Stealer

A small beachside canyon in Southern California proved to be just the spot for a Norwegian family’s easy-living home.

- Jeremy Callaghan

 

I love it when things appear timeless and you can’t tell what work has been done and what is original. A house should feel like it has always been like that; and that also goes for the furnishings. It should feel as if it was collected over time.” This is the essence of Pamela Shamshiri’s philosophy. Pamela is the principal partner at Studio Shamshiri who remodelled the garden and reworked the interior of this classic Rustic Canyon residence, making a home with equal levels of comfort, indoors and out .

The original post-and-beam-style home was built by Matthew Leizer in 1962. Once completed, the legendary Julius Shulman photographed it, which is like being anointed ‘good to excellent’ in architectural circles.

Since that time the house had been occupied by several owners including screenwriter Larry Levin (Dr Doolittle and I Love You, Man). Despite its dated fittings, several original features remained: the exposed Douglas fir beams and ceiling; terracotta floor tiles; and floor-to-ceiling glass facing the backyard and pool area. These hallmarks of Southern Californian midcentury Modernism, together with the jungle-like surroundings of Rustic Canyon gave Studio Shamshiri strong material with which to work.

A Grammy Award-winning music producer and an awardwinning journalist/writer had made the move to Los Angeles from their native Norway – two lifestyles at polar opposites. The ‘Scandi’ family were keen to meld with the Southern Californian aesthetic. Their home had to make the most of the year-round sun, the nearby Pacific Ocean, and a sprawling modern metropolis that cradles dense pockets of diverse nature, one of which they bought into and made their home.