A Child-Friendly Home For The Creative Class

Who: Cameron Jordan and Daniel Epand
Where: Eagle Rock, Los Angeles
Style: Midcentury Modern

Eagle Rock is, in the words of mumblecore filmmaker Jay Duplass, "the place where hipsters go to die or raise kids — which some people consider the same thing." It's the type of neighborhood that draws the creative class — a quieter nook of northeast Los Angeles, just a quick drive to downtown or Hollywood, but really a world away.

For two years, the Epand family — Dan, one-time drummer for the alt-rock band Nico Vega, Cameron Jordan, a photographer, their 4-year-old daughter, Lennon, and son, Beckett, just shy of a year old — has relished a certain type of family life in Eagle Rock, or what Jordan calls their "special little haven."

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"We have an amazing group of neighbors that are all creatively inclined and all having children," she explains. "We feel so blessed to wake up to the beautiful Angeles Mountains."

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Their 3-bedroom, 3-bath midcentury home, with a unit downstairs, drew the Epands with expansive windows, mountain views and lots of unfiltered Los Angeles sunlight. Jordan's favorite room in the house is the living room. "I love the light, the view, the plants, the fireplace," she explains. "I just love that it feels like a complete room."

The house itself required some major updates — fresh paint, custom closets, new doors, new sockets. "New everything it seemed," says Jordan. But they worked diligently to retain the midcentury theme, keeping original hardware and hewing to period-appropriate wood finishes. "I love reusing and refurbishing old items," says Jordan. "It's important for me to attempt to make as small as a footprint as possible, and reusing furniture goes with the whole mindset."

Beyond that, the child-friendly home is an artful mix of Jordan's photography, family heirlooms, Pasadena Rose Bowl finds, bold color field paintings and all things repurposed.

"My art is all over [the house] and it's also filled with family photos," says Jordan. "Those are the most important to me. We even have a photograph of Dan's parents' first date."

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Epand and their downstairs neighbor, Lauren, crafted the kitchen table, chairs and the shelving by hand.

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The rolling hillsides of Eagle Rock are visible from the open kitchen.

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Lights pours in through the downstairs windows.

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The upstairs bathroom was completely redone in order to give the children a much nicer place to bathe.

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Epand's drum kit, in his home studio. The couple plans to eventually use the downstairs unit as a studio for both of their art.

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"This is our dream home," says Jordan.

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