Studio Shamshiri
The Los Angeles headquarters of Studio Shamshiri represent our vision of the creative workplace—an office that fires the imagination and inspires great work by providing beauty and comfort in equal measure. Located in a Spanish Colonial-style building erected in 1928 by silent-film cowboy Fred Thomson and his wife, pioneering screenwriter Frances Marion, the setting is redolent of Old Hollywood style and spirit, a major touchstone for our own design work.
The interiors are bathed in natural light that pours in through massive arched windows. We emphasized the connection with the outdoors while making accommodations for privacy and focus.
The kitchen-and-dining area is a major upgrade from the dreary microwave-and-coffeepot set-ups in typical offices. This space is the heart of our operation—a gracious, communal place for staff meals and relaxed meetings with clients and vendors. It’s the perfect embodiment of the Studio Shamshiri ethos.
The residential vibe is not merely a stylistic choice. We proceeded from the idea that a layered, welcoming space would foster the best work from our team. Since we all spend so much time in the office, it simply made sense to re-create some of the comforts of home.
The design draws inspiration from sources as diverse as the American Academy in Rome, Paul Rudolph’s Florida office in Sarasota, and the abstracted Mission style of California modernist Irving Gill. It’s a strange olio of influences, but then again, so is Los Angeles.
