This Modern Home Is Full of Color and Character

Yahlin Chang and her husband, Ryan Craig, met in an English class at Yale, and ever since, books have been a theme in their lives. “We’re a family of readers and writers, including our kids,” says Yahlin, a producer and writer on the show The Handmaid’s Tale. So when the couple hired Los Angeles architect and designer May Sung to build them a new home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, May incorporated floor-to-ceiling shelves for their library, book-patterned wallpaper and, best of all, a secret bookcase door that leads to Ryan’s office. (He’s a venture fund manager.) “This is the first house that we’ve ever owned,” Yahlin says. “We wanted to create a place unique to us.”

In addition to it's sleek design, solar panels and drought-tolerant plants make this Los Angeles home energy efficient and environmentally conscious.

When the doors are open, this space feels like an extension of the living room. To keep everything looking cohesive, Yahlin and May chose pieces that complement the indoor furniture. The sectional and rockers are made from high-density polyethylene by Dedon. The coffee table, also by Dedon, is powder-coated aluminum.

Yahlin worked with May to make the kitchen cool and calming, incorporating grayish blue cabinets, a white island and sleek Vitra counter stools. “I am a terrible cook, and I find the kitchen an incredibly stressful place, but this helps,” Yahlin says. The refrigerator, freezer and two dishwashers are all paneled for a seamless look.

Plot twist: That’s not a real library behind the stairs. It’s a trompe l’oeil wallpaper from Wall & Decò. "Everything was designed with our three active, rambunctious boys (four if you include the dog) in mind," says Yahlin.

Everything is more fun in this celestial space — even schoolwork. Ryan’s interest in astronomy inspired the hand-painted ceiling. A dining table from the family’s last house turned out to be a perfect desk. Youngest son Zev uses it the most.

The bed, by Vioski, has built-in nightstands for a minimalist look. “As a writer, I’ve realized I need time and space to be quiet with my own thoughts and not be inundated by sensory information,” Yahlin says. The bench under the window has a secret purpose: Its cushion is the size of a twin bed, so when the kids were younger, they could crash there.

White walls, a white vanity and white floor tile make this space just as serene as Yahlin and Ryan’s bedroom. To mix up the look, May suggested two different floor tile styles by Ann Sacks: a small interlocking mosaic pattern in the middle with a border of wider rectangles.