Design Inspirations and Ideas from Commune

By Food & Wine
Updated June 16, 2016
Photo courtesy of Health Ceramics
From fabrics, table linens and lighting, to cabinets and countertops, here are some innovative design ideas.
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Kitchen Style: Flooring

Photo © Corey Walter
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The kitchen and courtyard are covered with cement tile custom-stamped with a pattern borrowed from French kitchens of the 1940s. The off-white and off-black have an aged patina—“an effect we love,” says Commune partner Pamela Shamshiri.

The kitchen stools are originals from midcentury California designers Van Keppel-Green. Commune found them at Reform Gallery, then re-covered the seats in “Root Beer” leather from Edelman. “The stools are amazingly proportioned, so the back hits in just the right spot and the footrest is perfect,” Shamshiri says.

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Kitchen Style: Lighting

Photo © Corey Walter
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The kitchen’s custom conical pendants are from the L.A. lighting store Paul Ferrante. The shop’s “Theo” pendants look very similar. “We just altered their scale,” Shamshiri says.

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Kitchen Style: Cabinets and Countertops

Photo © Corey Walter
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On a trip to Argentina, the Commune team fell in love with the green doors they saw, which influenced their choice of paint for the kitchen cabinets. “We tested 33 colors before settling on a custom blend from Fine Paints of Europe,” Shamshiri says. “The Peruvian walnut countertop has a warmth that goes beautifully with that color.”

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California Artists: Fireplace Tile

Photo © Corey Walter
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For the fireplace in the courtyard outside the kitchen, Commune enlisted Stan Bitters, a California Design Ten clay artist. “He’s having a resurgence; he shows at Ten 10 in Silver Lake,” Shamshiri says. “It was great that he was able to do the tiles for the fireplace—they’re turning black from the smoke, which is making them look better and better.”

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Hotel Design: Inspirations

Photo © Corey Walter
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“For the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, we wanted to reference Easy Rider, campsites and the desert, as well as gypsies and nomads—that’s how we got to kilims for the patios,” Shamshiri says.

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Hotel Design: Fabrics

Photo © Douglas Lyle Thompson/Jon Johnson
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"The desert can be brutal, so we needed sturdy materials," Shamshiri says. "The patio shades and sectionals are made of recycled Army canvas for tenting and tarps, which we found in L.A. at AA Surplus."

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Hotel Design: Table Linens

Photo courtesy of Health Ceramics
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“Heath Ceramics approached us and asked if we knew of a great line of linens,” Shamshiri says. “We said, ‘No, but we’ll make some.’ We already had a linen fabric we loved and an idea for stitching based on Bauhaus textiles.” From $88 for 4 napkins at Heath Ceramics; 323-965-0800 or heathceramics.com.

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