Full House: A Huge Family Lives In This Creative Compound

By Hunker Team Updated Feb 21, 2018

Sanford Creative

When Peter Stoddard and Ally Lopez say they have a full house, they seriously mean it. With five children, ranging in ages from 7 to 18, they've got seven people living under one roof (eight, if you count the dog). So when searching for a home for their family, they needed the space. The house they landed on, a 1940s post-and-beam in Oceanside, California, is pleasantly deceptive with an unassuming facade that opens up into something closer to a compound.

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While their spacious residence is ostensibly a family home, the design is more "cool mom," and reflective of Peter and Ally's creative lives: Ally is co-owner of Band of Martians, a fashion showroom, and Peter is the design director at Brixton, a contemporary apparel line. They're also working on a line of children's clothing together.

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The house is an eclectic mix of industrial finishings, midcentury furniture, and desert-chic decor. But most importantly, it offers up something for everyone: There's a pool in the back for the kids, a converted garage serves as Peter's motorcycle workshop, and Ally makes use of a poolside studio as an office space.

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1. Living Room

The home expertly mixes new with vintage. Ally's especially drawn to midcentury furniture for its history and clean lines.

2. Living Room

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"I am big on balance, so I like corners and lines to be balanced with [something like] a round coffee table or a warm rug or a plant."

3. Living Room

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Mixing of materials is a big theme — in the living room, there's a fireplace made of concrete blocks, exposed wood beams, and smooth stone flooring.

4. Bedroom

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The couple's bedroom is on the opposite side of the house. Ally describes it as their "little retreat."

5. Bedroom

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The master bedroom has a midcentury-minimalist vibe.

6. Dining Table

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On sourcing the home's furnishings and finding its style: "Most of the pieces are from vintage stores or vintage flea markets. We have been in the house for a few years and only in the last year did it really start feeling like home. It takes me a while to really decorate. I think some pieces you can go out and buy right away, but others you have to just organically collect and stumble upon, so it takes time to really get a space to be how I want it."