Cookie reader Tracy Bartley loves all things midcentury modern. So it's fitting that she and her family live in a 1955 Palmer & Krisel house, which they've spent the last few years renovating. We were thrilled when she emailed us these gorgeous photos, and we wanted to share them with you. Here, Tracy talks about her choices, inspirations and the joy of birdfeeders.

What brought you to Los Angeles? "I'm Canadian but have lived here for ten years. I came for an art internship and never left! My husband David Glickman is a painter. We have two daughters--3 and 5 years old."

How do you feel about LA as a place to raise a family? (Laughs.) "It's a love/hate relationship. There's lots to do, but it's very hot. My deal was that if we found a nice air-conditioned house with a pool, then we could live here."

What a happy entryway! "We tried to create an inviting, kid-friendly space; we don't want our house to feel like a museum. Our neighbor was throwing away this retro bullet planter, so we rescued it from her garage." The mobile is from Ikea.

What inspires you? "A big thing for us (and a main theme of midcentury modern) is the blend of indoor and outdoor. We love natural materials and light."

And you have such lovely birdfeeders. "We're putting in a native California plant garden to attract birds and butterflies." The birdhouse (at top) is a 1950's design by Stan Bitters; available at Ten10, 1716 Silver Lake Boulevard, Los Angeles; 323-663-3603.

Since your husband David Glickman is a painter, does he make things for your house? "The paintings are all his--including the cards over the dining table and the rooster in the girls' bedroom. He also made seating with built-in drawers for storage--we needed a place for all the toys!"

How do you approach color? "We chose orange and baby blue as accent colors. They speak of southern California: Orange is vibrant, and blue is the sky and ocean. We're planting orange flowers and searching for a baby blue front door."

Speaking of orange, what an amazing egg chair! "It was a hand-me-down from my husband's family. It's virtually impossible to hold a conversation with anyone while sitting in this chair. It's a reading corner, a quiet corner, a knitting corner, a late-night TV-watching corner."

You also have a music area in the living room. What brought that about? "We inherited the piano that my husband learned to play on as a child. He also plays the guitar. It's a family corner. We've been going through oldies lately. What's that song? 'I'm a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch.'"

How would you describe your home? "Renovation is a labor of love and patience; we look at it as a family work of art. We try for clean lines, but with a warmth. I'm not into the space-age look, although we do have that crazy egg chair."

To see more of her gorgeous house, visit Tracy's flickr site and blog.

Like Tracy did, e-mail your home-design questions and photos here. We'd love to see your home.