Can a Home Spark a Love Story? This Chic Hollywood Heights Bungalow Did
It was admiration at first sight when interior designer Mike Moser and architect Tyler Thomas began following each other on Instagram. The Los Angeles–based creatives found themselves routinely liking and commenting on the other’s project posts, and a friendship quickly grew out of a mutual respect for their innate talents. They even began looking for something to collaborate on—that is, until the inevitable happened.
Shared passions opened a door to romance and, after a year of dating, Thomas moved in with Moser; then, not long after, in December 2022, the couple got engaged. “We decided to propose to each other,” says Thomas, cofounder of the architecture and design firm Venn Studio. “We made cheeseburgers at home, read letters we each wrote, and exchanged gold bands.”
While it wasn’t the professional collaboration they initially envisioned, the Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow the two now share has become a reflection of their combined aesthetics. The duo transformed a two-bedroom home built in 1925 and situated on a narrow road snaking uphill through the city’s Hollywood Heights neighborhood from a bachelor pad into a tranquil canyon retreat for two. “I lived in this space when we met, so when Tyler moved in, we wanted to start over with a clean slate and a lot of intention,” says Moser, who opened his eponymous design business in 2018. “Designing together has been a really fun bonding experience.”
The Couple
Mike Moser (right) and Tyler Thomas in the living room of their 1920s home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.
Living Room
The sofa is by Warren McArthur, the cocktail table by Jacques Adnet, the ottoman by Otto Schulz, the sconce by Georges Jouve, and the side table is vintage.
Sitting Room
The vintage sofa is by Ligne Roset, the cocktail table is vintage, and the floor lamp is by Tim Orr.
Entry Hall
The mirror is a Gio Ponti–style shield. The wall paint is Best Bronze by Sherwin Williams.
Dining Room
The dining table with a leather inlay is by TTMM, Moser and Thomas’s upcoming furniture line; the chairs are by Mario Marenco from Studio Balestra; and the pendant is by Hans Wegner.
Office
The desk and chairs, the Art Deco rug, and the copper pendant are vintage.
Primary Bedroom
The canopied walnut bed is custom, the bedcover is in a Claremont velvet, the pedestals are custom, the sconces are by Hans-Agne Jakobsson, and the shagreen table lamp is vintage.
Primary Bedroom
The stainless steel daybed is by TTMM.
Primary Bedroom
On the wall are Greek and Portuguese plates, the vintage chair is re-covered in silk moire, and the valet is vintage.
Primary Bedroom
The cabinet is antique, and the Art Deco stool is vintage.
That fresh start included rearranging the interior flow to create an open floor plan ideal for entertaining. What was once Moser’s bedroom became an office, and the space he used as a living room was returned to the primary bedroom it was meant to be—but with a twist. “Although it’s kind of unconventional, our vision was that we’d keep the double doors to the bedroom open, and it would become an extension of the living room,” Thomas says. They also decided to float a raw-silk-curtained canopy bed in the middle of the room to align with the living and dining spaces just beyond. And as Moser explains, the walnut and stainless steel sleigh-style bed—sketched by his fiancé in the back of a cab on their first trip to Paris together—has become a focal point in the home: “Honestly, I’ve never had anything bring me as much joy as this bed. Whenever we have friends over, everyone piles on—it’s a space that draws people in.”
Not surprisingly, merging their individual styles, according to Thomas, was an effortless endeavor: “In my architect’s mind, things need to have a purpose and be clean and concise, but I’ve always been inspired by Mike’s ability to let loose, and I can see the choices we’ve made in the place are really a blend of those two approaches.” Between Moser’s self-described “throw it against the wall and see what sticks” process and Thomas’s eye for editing, the aesthetes have outfitted the home with an eclectic mix of contemporary and vintage furnishings. For instance, a 1930s aluminum-framed Warren McArthur sofa, a Jacques Adnet cocktail table, an Otto Schulz ottoman, and two midcentury brown mohair chairs have come together to anchor the formal living room. And adjacent to the dining room, a dusty blue Ligne Roset sofa, a Jean-Michel Frank–style parchment cocktail table, and an organic 1970s Tim Orr ceramic floor lamp form a low-slung conversation spot.
Throughout the nesting process, the couple even developed a shared penchant for decorative sterling tchotchkes. “We’re obsessed with collecting little silver boxes and trinkets,” Moser says as he opens a wall-mounted “finishing cabinet” behind the bed to reveal the well-curated assemblage. Taking a closer look into the oxblood-red lacquered cabinet, Thomas divulges another fixation: “We also became obsessed with monogramming, so there’s a TT or an MM on everything—it’s ridiculous!”
To some it might seem silly, but they’ve taken that alliteration to the next level and formed TTMM, the joint design venture they had dreamed about since initially crushing on Insta-gram. With the website launch this spring, they’ll offer furniture, lighting, and objects indicative of their style savvy, including the “super sexy” cushioned stainless steel daybed conceived for a nook in their bedroom. “It’s like a little world we’re building around the things we love living with,” Thomas says, “and sharing it with other people.”
This story originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of ELLE DECOR. SUBSCRIBE
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