For years we’ve admired the work of LA-based designer Pamela Shamshiri, a co-founder of the collective Commune, the design firm behind LA and Palm Springs’ Ace hotels, and most recently of Studio Shamshiri, which she created with her brother, Ramin.
The Shamshiri siblings spent their early childhoods in Tehran before the Shah’s fall from power prompted a move for the family (their father is Iranian and their mother is Italian) to California, where their father sold furniture. The journey across land and cultures infuses Pamela’s work with a fearless mix-and-match quality. Drawing on both old and new influences, she imposes an instantly recognizable style—call it haute hippie luxe—on every project she tackles.
After restoring her Hollywood Hills home designed by modernist architect Rudolph Schindler, in the last two years Shamshiri has finished overhauling the garden as well. Join us for a closer look.
Photography by Nicki Sebastian, courtesy of Rip & Tan.
![Neutral tones on the patio creates a calm, unified oasis. Furniture by the Los Angeles artist John Williams anchors the space.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pamela-shimshiri_jenni-kayne_home-tour_nicki-sebastian-photography-733x489.jpg)
![Shamshiri stands on a stepping-stone path bordered by mondo grass outside her house, which she lives in with her two sons.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pamela-shimshiri_jenni-kayne_home-tour_nicki-sebastian-photography-44-733x1100.jpg)
“I am very strict with my time. I leave every day at 5:30pm and work out on my way home. That way I enter the house having left the stress on the treadmill and ready to focus on the kids,” she recently told Rip & Tan. “I also rarely work on the weekends. Of course, there are deadlines, but generally I prioritize my time with the kids over everything.”
![Tall courtyard walls topped with planter troughs are a signature of the designers\2\17; work (Ramin\2\17;s LA garden also has courtyard walls, crowned with planters watered by drip irrigation). Oversized built-in seating adds a lived-in, layered texture to the intimate outdoor room.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pamela-shimshiri_jenni-kayne_home-tour_nicki-sebastian-photography-5-733x489.jpg)
![The house has outdoor living spaces on two levels, including a deck with an expansive wood dining table.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pamela-shimshiri_jenni-kayne_home-tour_nicki-sebastian-photography-3-733x1100.jpg)
![A collection of euphorbias and cacti serve as sculpture.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pamela-shimshiri_jenni-kayne_home-tour_nicki-sebastian-photography-6-733x1100.jpg)
![Shamshiri purchased the Schindler house in \2008 and completely remodeled its interiors. The deck, garden, and master bath were the last to be completed. In the bath, which she describes as a sanctuary, are a Japanese soaking tub and plenty of natural light.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pamela-shamshiri-nicki-sebastian-master-bath.jpg)
![A large fiddle leaf fig tree (at Left) sections off one of the sitting areas. Glass sliding doors offer a seamless transition between the indoors and out, honoring architect Schindler\2\17;s intention to create rooms that invite nature indoors.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/pamela-shimshiri_jenni-kayne_home-tour_nicki-sebastian-photography-56-733x489.jpg)
For more California garden, visits check out our posts:
- A Secret Garden Tucked in the Hollywood Hills.
- The Landscape Designer Is In: Creating and Maintaining a Thriving Kitchen Garden.
- Garden Visit: Academy of Sciences’ Living Rooftop.
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