A design of the times
Imagine having all the televisions throughout the house connected to the home computers — Mac and PC — so you can check your e-mail at any time. Or being able to program satellite radio in every room of the house.
That technology was the No. 1 priority for homeowner Shawn Khorrami when he worked with his sister, designer Firoozeh Khorrami, on a complete interior and exterior redesign of his La Cañada Flintridge home. The result can be seen Sunday on the 24th annual Pasadena Home & Kitchen Tour presented by the American Society of Interior Designers, Pasadena Chapter.
Firoozeh Khorrami, owner of Design Schematic,
had to coordinate the technology work schedule with the redesign of the other rooms of the house, including a wall unit that was pulled out and replaced with a bar with windows that showcased a Tequila bottle collection.
A highlight of the home is the view of the backyard from the windows off the kitchen and family room. The patio area takes guests down a path past oak trees on either side of the property. River rock is placed around the base of each tree. Beyond the trees is the pool and spa.
The previous homeowners had a basketball court and a structure that were demolished.
“It was fun to look at that transformation,” Firoozeh Khorrami said. “Now it’s very natural. It’s like the landscapes found on older properties in Pasadena. It’s brought so much character to the house.”
There are four homes on the tour this year. The La Cañada home is a traditional Colonial-style design that was built in 2000. The others include a 1955 contemporary home built in Pasadena in 1955, a French Provincial Home in San Marino completed in 1941 and a modern Craftsman-style home built in South Pasadena in 1971.
The home tour will also have a boutique at the La Cañada Flintridge home offering jewelry, handbags, scarves and novelty items for the garden.
Proceeds from the event go to scholarships for students of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, community projects and operations, said chapter President Lois Mahar, who lives in Glendale.
Last year, Mahar guided design students from the institute in creating a computer room for high school students to do their homework at the Bresee Foundation in Los Angeles. The foundation is a nonprofit community center that is a resource for low-income youth, adults and families in central Los Angeles living below poverty level.
“The high school room provides students who don’t have a home, or the space to study to do homework,” Mahar said.