Homeowner: Kelly Eden

Occupation: Painter/artist

Home Location: los angeles

About ten years ago, Kelly Eden came to California with a dream and two thousand dollars in her pocket.  She moved into a small Hollywood apartment fortuitously situated near other like-minded artists.  As she acclimated to the new city, she was inspired by her friends who were creating immersive, fun and bold art. Even though she was a talented painter, Kelly knew she wanted to the space she lived in to reflect her artistry.  Drawing from her childhood and her love of the French Revolution, Kelly decided to turn her place into a living art display by creating an adult dollhouse.  She has always loved pieces that gave the viewer an immersive experience, so this manifestation of living and design only made sense. Over the years, and almost every day, Kelly would work on her living-art home, whether it was painting a wall, shopping for décor or building a portion of it, herself. By pouring her heart and passion into this project, her interior design was as much an art piece as it was an extension of her personality.

Currently, Kelly is living in a real-life Dollhouse.  With the bright colors of pink, lavender and green, the atmosphere feels like you are walking through something made by Fisher Price through the lens of Claude Monet. From guest bunk beds to a Carousel horse, the Dollhouse motif extends through Kelly’s entire place.  She also has a studio in her back yard that is like a mini-version of her main home.  And with her bright pink hair, Kelly isn’t just living in a Dollhouse art piece, she is as much a part of this home installation as every piece of décor.

• The centerpiece of the living room is a life size Carousel house, another feature of the living room is a love swing for guests to hang out in!

• Kelly built guest bunk beds, each with their own space, equipped with a TV and a Nintendo 64.

• When Kelly’s mom was a child, she starred in the first advertisement for the Easy-Bake Oven.

• One of the fun features of Kelly’s place is the dress-up closet (with doll-influenced clothes) where her guests get to dress as funky as she does.

• Her home has a backs studio. The Back studio has a pastel-colored, fully operational kitchen, which is just a mini-version of her main place.

• While some of her items have been acquired from stores and swap meets, many of her items are family heirloom items that she’s refurbished to fit in her place.  This way they are pieces of her family around her at all times.