This Minimalist California Home Balances Clean Design and Everyday Family Life

The first thing Monroe Alvarez, a photographer and the founder of children’s clothing brand Koko Momo, noticed about this 1503-square-foot Los Angeles house was just how calm it felt.

The open layout, the light pouring in, and the way it connects to the backyard all made the house feel much larger to Monroe. “The living room seems to borrow space from the outdoors, and the view across the Westside of LA was something we never expected to find in a house this size. It’s pretty neat to have a view and still be close to Venice (where we moved from) and the beach.”

Monroe and her husband, director Samy Mosher, bought the house five-and-a-half years ago, when she was pregnant with their first child (son Koa). She was pregnant with their second child (daughter Celine) when we photographed this tour.

“We brought both of our babies home here, so almost every corner of the house carries a memory,” she admits. But the house is also quite functional for their family; Monroe particularly loves the way the house is laid out.

“Our bedrooms are together on one side of the house, while the third bedroom has its own bathroom on the opposite end,” she writes. “We jokingly call it the ‘guest wing,’ but it’s made visits from family feel so easy and comfortable over the years. For such a modest footprint, the house has lived much bigger than its square footage.”

With a director and a photographer in the house, natural light is of course important to the couple — and the light (along with their careful renovations) has made the house so much more than just a place to live, but also a place to create. “Our home has been both our family’s growing place and my creative ‘studio’: a place where we’ve raised our kids, built businesses, photographed collections, and hosted the people we love,” Monroe writes.

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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