One year ago, interior designer Dre Shapiro had just completed a project in California’s Pacific Palisades when wildfires swept through, destroying the newly sold home along with much of the surrounding neighborhood. Now, as the homeowners look to rebuild, Shapiro reflects on the significance of recovery and resilience – and on the essential elements that truly make a house a home.
Jennifer Quail: Rebuilding LA will be an exercise in critical and creative thinking, but it’s also intensely personal. What is informing your thought process as you help LA move forward?
Dre Shapiro: On a personal level, these fires strike close to home, having experienced losing my own homes to fire in the past. It’s why I see rebuilding not just as an exercise in architecture or design but also as something deeply tied to resilience, healing, and finding joy in the present moment.
JQ: Has your approach to design been altered by the fires?
DS: At my core, my approach hasn’t changed, but the fires have underscored what I already value most: creating homes that are inviting, comforting, and deeply connected to the lives lived inside them. Stuff doesn’t really matter. Relationships, family, memories – that’s what counts. When I design now, I lean even harder into making sure my clients’ homes truly support and celebrate those things.
JQ: Do you believe LA’s casual sophistication will continue as the prevailing heartbeat as towns like Pacific Palisades and Altadena are rebuilt?
DS: There will always be a place for cool, casual sophistication, especially in Southern California. To me, that means homes that are relaxed, approachable, and comfortably layered with personal meaning – they’re the true heartbeat of LA design to me.
Photography by Deborah Jaffe.
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