The great room fireplace, which visually anchors the space into the curve of the canyon, is once again stainless steel with pale columns of brick on either side. Shamshiri had the pair of asymmetrical built-in sofas that once flanked the hearth recreated to Schindler’s specifications: narrow at one end so you can lean forward to chat with others, wider toward the ­other end and therefore perfect for a nap. Above, attached to the ceiling, is a copy of Schindler’s trellis that tracks the radiant lines of the architecture. The James Bond-like bar and pull-out dining table, with chairs that slide slyly beneath, have been remade as well. The harmony of the furnishings evoke the best of Wright’s organic interiors, with less structure and more comfort, in keeping with Schindler’s principles.

From there, Shamshiri strove to improve on the original. To make the flow more organic, and because food culture is now such a part of California living, she broke through the far end of the galley kitchen to connect it to the den behind, adding a Paul McCobb wine rack that looks as though it has always been there. The changes aren’t major, but they’re symbolically significant, proving that the work of great Modernist architects can be made contemporary without diluting their éclat.



Having come from a close, globe-trotting clan — her Iranian father and Roman mother split their time between Iran and Italy — Shamshiri regards family life as a cacophonous work in progress; she had no intention of living in a museum. “I would often say to myself, What would Schindler do if he were alive?” she says. “He updated houses all the time. He didn’t think it was set in stone.”