Los Angeles-based interior design firm Studio Shamshiri launched its debut collection of handmade door handles and pulls recently. The collection, designed by founder Pamela Shamshiri, draws inspiration from the Californian landscape.
“As humans and as designers, we find ourselves drawn to things rooted in nature,” says Pamela Shamshiri. “The perfect lemon, a fish and its associated good luck, the delight in finding a rock that feels just right in your pocket – those are the feelings we started with and the feelings we chased throughout the design process.”
The collection, created in collaboration with New York hardware manufacturer The Nanz Company, comprises two series: “Los Angeles” and “Ojai.” The pieces are crafted from cast bronze and feature lines and textures inspired by the Californian landscape.
While both collections share a similar aesthetic, the “Los Angeles” series has a more refined appearance, with polished finishes and geometric handles and knobs made from walnut and African blackwood. In contrast, the “Ojai” collection features pieces with leather-wrapped details and playful fish motifs.
For Shamshiri, it was essential that each piece be made and finished individually, evoking the handmade nature of the houses of artists like JB Blunk, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Gordon Onslow Ford.
“Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and the assortment of natural objects she had in her life is a source of endless inspiration for me,” explains Shamshiri. “You can tell by every surface in O’Keeffe’s home that those were the moments she deeply valued. We wanted this collection to have a natural hand feel and to create a sensory impression, as these are the objects that become the fundamental tactile jewelry of a home.”
The collection also features surrealist elements, such as the “Fish Lever” in the “Ojai” collection and the “Potato Knob” in the “Los Angeles” collection, which nod to the home of Gordon Onslow Ford and his journeys in lucid dreaming, surrealism, and meditation.
For Nanz, the collaboration presented an opportunity to work at a smaller and more intimate scale, going back and forth on small but significant adjustments.
“Pamela’s adjustments were both specific and subtle,” says Nanz co-founder Carl Sorenson. “These were minor changes with maximum effect.”
As a result, each handle stands apart, reflecting meticulous craftsmanship and distinct character.
Image courtesy: wallpaper.com
