When Erin and Mel felt it was time to look for a home together, they never dreamed they would be able to find something affordable in the Silver Lake area. After renting there for a few years, the couple assumed staying in the hip East Side location would be an impossibility and something they would have to sacrifice. That is, until they stumbled across this bright and airy home within walking distance to Silver Lake Wine, the reservoir, and the meadow.

Their home is a mix of relaxed and modern. Both women run their own companies and have a baby and a dog, so having a calm and inviting place to call home is essential. Erin is a design publicist and owner of Design Agency Co (which represents creative design brands like UMÉ Studio, Peace Industry, Stone and Sawyer) while Mel owns the company Monk Provisions (a curated collection of handcrafted elixirs made with organic botanicals, fresh pressed juices, and California cannabis). And now, after the arrival of a daughter, the two couldn’t be happier about having a beautiful home in which to raise her.

Our Style: Relaxed modern-ish…

Inspiration: For Erin, it’s her clients and people who inspire her visually. Being in the design world, she’s constantly exposed to new ideas, products and homes. It’s hard to not just want it all and to stay away from things that are just of the moment. “Our good friend David from DISC Interiors has helped us make decisions too, encouraging us to de-clutter, go for appropriately scaled furniture and come up with smart storage solutions. Designers as friends are the best!”

Favorite Element: The openness of our main space.

Biggest Challenge: The openness of our main space.

What Friends Say: I think most of our friends enjoy how calm it feels. And I also think they enjoy watching me lose my mind when kids come over and destroy the place in two seconds flat.

Biggest Embarrassment: Not pulling out our front lawn when we redid our landscaping in the back yard. It’s in the “phase two” plan, when, you know, we redo the entire house… So, basically, who knows when that will ever happen…

Proudest DIY: Our house was clearly renovated at some point, likely in the ’70s, and someone stripped it of all of its original character – and, most importantly, storage! When we bought it, our only storage was two bedroom closets. So, we’ve done a ton of IKEA hacks to add more and had a custom bench built under the front window for shoes, baby toys and more. It helps immensely with keeping the clutter at bay and keeps us honest. If something doesn’t find a home, it goes.

Biggest Indulgence: Re-doing our windows and insulating the entire home. The original windows were so old it felt like someone might actually jiggle them open in the middle of the night and walk right in. The new windows not only created an amazing sound buffer, they also cut the heat gain considerably. That, plus, a whole-house envelope has kept the house temperate through the seasons (granted, a 30-degree spread doesn’t constitute seasons for most).

Best Advice: Live in a house for awhile before making big changes. We would have made very different decisions early on, and we have a much better vision now for what is most important, and what is not, which will come in handy when we do a major renovation.

Dream Sources: Clients through the years — UMÉ Studio for mirrors, trays and bowls, Stone and Sawyer for lighting and Peace Industry for rugs, baskets and choobs, American Craft show for unique, one-of-a-kind items, as well as local Los Angeles brands and makers like Brendan Ravenhill, Blockshop Textiles, Mirena Kim Ceramics and shops like Lawson Fenning, Yolk, and Heath Ceramics, among so so many others.

PAINT & COLORS
JILL’S PAINTS in Atwater…Benjamin Moore AURA paint in the kitchen bath

ENTRY
Custom bench, which we love but you would hate us if we recommended the person who made it, since it took nearly a year to get it finished, properly.
IKEA cabinets with custom top
Moroccan rug brought back as a gift for our daughter from our friend David of DISC Interiors
West Elm wall hooks
Art by college friend
Heather Levine wall hanging
Stone and Sawyer Hilo lamp in white quartz

LIVING ROOM
Room & Board Harding sectional
Peace Industry Choob (ottoman)
HD Buttercup Coffee Table
Brendan Ravenhill Pivot Sconce
Assorted pillows – Blockshop Textiles, Rose Bowl Flea Market, one’s that Erin made and ones we have found on travels – Jim ThompsonRestoration Hardware rug
Room & Board Callan chair
Painting by our friend Cathy Liu
IKEA shelving with custom top

DINING ROOM
CB2 dining table
Petit Trianon light by Dutch designer Paula Arntzen
Stone and Sawyer Hilo lamp in pigeon
Custom credenza
IKEA shelving with custom top
HD Buttercup rug
Peace Industry Choob (ottoman)
Heather Levine wall hanging
Eames chairs
Restored, vintage Platner chairs
Ceramic pieces by an assortment of different artists…Pigeon Toe Ceramics, Lilith Rockett, Gerrald Arrington, Heath Ceramics
Vintage glassware that was Erin’s grandmother’s…
Artwork we brought back from our Italian honeymoon

KITCHEN
Rug we grabbed at Potted
Linden Erode Soap by UME Studio
In the laundry room…
Platter by Mirena Kim Studio
Artwork by Hatch Show Print and various
Light by Blu Dot
Mirror by Dwell for Target|
Hooks by Scout Regalia
Custom shelving about laundry mat – I loved this look and my friend Laree of Horse & Anchor brought me to his favorite leather shop downtown to source the right color.

MASTER BEDROOM
Bed by Blu Dot
Credenza from Pepe’s on Sunset
Photography by Jonathan Ventura, Los Angeles Photo Co
Rug from Restoration Hardware
Custom drapery
Tenon Mirror and Salle de Bain Tray – M by UME Studio
Lighting picked up at flea markets through the years
Bedside tables – vintage and IKEA
Pillows – various from travels

NURSERY
Jupiter Rug by Peace Industry
Mobile – MOMA Store
(Saving grace) Rocking Chair and pouf – CB2
Kids Shelf – Land of Nod
Leaning Shelf – Room & Board
Ion C Series Light – School House Electric
Artwork – Ink & Wit, as well as various designers and other pieces collected from travels
Curtain – IKEA

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