AN ARTIST COUPLE TRANSFORMED THEIR CENTURY-OLD LA HOME INTO A COLORFUL WORK OF ART

If history is anything to go by, Devon Oder and Adam Miller redecorate best under pressure. The year 2015 was when the LA-based artist couple first put the theory to the test. As newly expectant parents and newly minted homeowners of a circa-1932 home in LA’s Eagle Rock neighborhood, they were determined to renovate and move in before the birth of their baby. But their son, River, had other plans. He arrived early, and Adam moved in by the skin of his teeth while his wife and son recouped in hospital. Then, a few years later, it happened again. The couple, who co-own The Pit, a contemporary art gallery, set their hearts on another remodel, working against the clock to finish before the arrival of their second son. (This time they succeeded.) “Both times were a true renovation story miracle!” Devon muses, “But truly, this home is so special to us because it is where we started our lives as parents and as a family.”

The ambitious timing was never part of the plan, but there was one thing that the couple wanted from the outset: a Spanish-style home with a history. “It was more for Devon than me,” says Adam of his wife, who grew up in California and for whom such a house was a long-held dream. So when they chanced upon this one, a Spanish-style home on a flat lot on a quiet street, online, they toured it the next day and made an offer within 24 hours. “We walked through the front door, saw the beautiful light flowing in through the arched window, proceeded to the backyard and pool, and were sold. There is something timeless about old Spanish architecture set among the hills,” he adds.

For every upside, there were multiple downsides. Case in point: the kitchen and bathrooms, which looked like they’d been retiled sometime in the 1970s and never ever touched since. Adam and Devon didn’t necessarily see it as a bad thing. “We are both dreamers who love a good project. We couldn’t imagine moving into a home that was newly renovated by someone else. This home had all the character but needed to be brought back to life,” shares Devon, who roped in her sister, interior designer Chelsea Weeks, for the interior redesign, and general contractor Jason Houck of Landmark Building for the execution. She and Adam also sought the services of landscape designer Jessica Viola for the landscape replanning. That first remodel set the stage for the second a few years later. “Our tastes evolved over time, so it felt right to go back and redo a number of things,” avers Adam.

This time, they went bigger and bolder, dialing up the color and pattern with thoughtful artworks, books, and textiles. Some things that made the cut? An Erik Frydenborg artwork, gifted by the artist himself, in the primary bedroom; a print by Gary Panter, one of Adam’s personal heroes and whose work the couple once exhibited at their gallery, in Logan’s room; and bowls, platters, mugs, and vases handmade by Adam for his functional ceramics line, Reaperware. Yet most meaningful of all, the couple notes, is the Joey Ramone photograph on the bookshelf in the living room, a wedding gift from Devon to Adam the night of their wedding. “It was picked up at a gallery in Portland, a city that is significant to us. The first exhibitions of Devon’s work after graduate school were at a gallery there. “I grew up in the Pacific Northwest so our trips to the region for Devon’s shows as newlyweds were very special. Add to that the fact that both of us are lifelong fans of the Ramones,” enthuses Adam.

What they didn’t need to change, they didn’t. Exhibit A: the walls, which they kept white and tamed with lime plaster to channel attention to the art on display. They took a similar approach with the floor, retaining the original hardwood in the living and dining areas, and the earthy Granada cement tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms and around the outdoor fireplace. “We wanted a place that felt warm and inviting, something that wasn’t too precious and where you could live with art and be creative, feel relaxed, and have spaces to unwind in with family and friends,” says Devon. They achieved what they set out to, although the couple admits that their home is always a work in progress. “We never feel like it’s done,” she adds. “We are always adding to our art collection, buying a piece of furniture by an exciting designer, and adding our own pieces to the home. We like to be surrounded by things that are meaningful, beautiful, have history, and a story.”