Painter Melissa Moss lives with her musician husband and adorable baby (those cheeks!) in Los Angeles. Her artistic side shines through in the eclectic prints and retro touches, but her home still manages to feel calm and modern. We love the balance! Let's take a look inside...
Where do you live?
We live in Culver City, Los Angeles, near the studios. It's beautiful and sunny every day.

Did the city feel different once you had a child?
Oh, yeah. It's a whole new world, a whole new set of worries. Suddenly I noticed graffiti everywhere. And I worried about the smog. When it's just yourself, you don't think about it; now I think about his little baby lungs breathing in that stuff.

Where did you find these retro posters?
The posters are from hatchshowprint. We have two from the Kentucky State Fair. They fit well with the enormous old stove.

What about this awesome chicken?
When you turn it on, it makes a squawking noise and walks and then the eggs pop out.

What does your son like to eat?
Puffs. They're first finger foods, they're sweet and melt in your mouth. He just loves them. He begs for them like a dog!

What do you use your home office for?
I paint here and make my prints.

Your three Marcel Dzama prints are fantastic.
One's an original. A few years ago, the Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles was one of the first galleries to show his work. I went down there and flipped through drawers full of original drawings. Soon afterwards, Dzama just exploded.

Do you paint while your baby naps?
Unfortunately, Sam isn't a good napper. Literally, a half hour tops (I know). It's just enough time for me to eat something. When Sam goes to sleep at night, I force myself to paint even if I'm exhausted. My husband takes Fridays off--that's daddy day--so I paint then, too.

Where do you hang out as a family?
The living room, where we relax and watch TV. My husband teases me for liking all the "deadbody" TV shows, like Law & Order.

What about movies?
We do "date night" once a week and we'll get a movie (this week we watched Juno) and make enormous salads with hardly any lettuce. Although the nights are the only time I have to paint and he has to do music, we've learned to set aside time to relax. It's important.

Where did you get this fantastic chair?
On eBay. It cost $50, but was another $150 to ship! It's beautifully designed.

Your house is so clean.
Well, before we took the photos, we moved the clutter from one corner to the other. It's scary what's outside the frame!
The duvet cover is from Ikea.

What's the best decorating advice you ever got?
My mom told me, don't just fill your house. Buy only the pieces you really love, even if you have to be with an empty house for a year.

What are your favorite stores?
I really love Shelter in LA. Every time I go in there, I think, if I had to do it all over again, this is what I'd do. And it used to be, Oh, Ikea, it's so cheap, but now it actually has good stuff. I'd love one of their couches, but not right now with a spitting-up baby.

What an amazing mobile!
My husband Ian made those; they're origami. When Sam woke up on Christmas morning, Ian had rigged them up on a guitar stand. It was Sam's first Christmas present.

Does Sam like them?
Yes. We have an air purifier, which makes them move in the breeze.

What else does Sam like about his room?
The crib mobile is Sam's #1 thing. When he sees it, he lights up. He figured out how to turn it on a few months ago. So, now in the morning, when we hear the mobile start playing Mozart, we know he's up!
The Tiny Love Mobile is from Target.

Where did you find these prints?
I was obsessed with getting artwork for Sam before he was born. One print is from Ashleyg. Another is from Randy Kono from the Hive Gallery.

Your paintings are represented by two galleries. Do you also sell your art online?
Yes, selling online is amazing. You can keep the prices down, and you can get the word way out. I have people from India, Singapore, Turkey on my list.

What books do you read together?
He loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar. If we try to introduce a new one, his little hands will go up and just shut it. He's like, nope, this isn't going to happen. I'm like, aren't you bored? I'm bored out of my mind.

Sam is such a little cutie!
He's ten months old. He just learned how to get back down from standing, which was a huge thing for all of us. He used to get stuck standing up.

What else is he into?
He loves pulling things out of drawers. He hasn't mastered putting them back in. He just crawls away, like OK, my work is done!

For more, visit Melissa's website or blog. See past Cookie home tours here.