HERE'S THE STORY

A TV writer and her bookloving family created a home that's full of character.

- JAIMIE DALESSIO CLAYTON

Yahlin Chang and her husband, Ryan Craig, met in an English class at Yale, and ever since, books have been a theme in their lives. "We're a family of readers and writers, including our kids," says Yahlin, a producer and writer on the show The Handmaid's Tale.

So when the couple hired Los Angeles architect and designer May Sung to build them a new home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, May incorporated floor-to-ceiling shelves for their library, book patterned wallpaper, and best of all, a secret bookcase door that leads to Ryan's office.

(He's a venture fund manager.) "This is the first house that we've ever owned," Yahlin says. "We wanted to create a place unique to us."

LIVING ROOM

A big Vioski sectional faces both the TV and retractable doors that open to the patio. At night, the family (including their dog, Henry) likes to hang here and watch comedies. "Some of my fondest memories are of gathering around the TV with my parents and sisters, and I love doing that now with my own family," Yahlin says. The swivel chair is by Magni, and the tray-style coffee table is from Interior Define.

KITCHEN