House has a double life: home and gallery

In an era defined by consumerism, collecting and clutter, the Culver City home of Fette and Matthew Green is an ode to simple living, a place where minimalism isn't a look. It's a living.

"It may sound weird to others, but this is how we define comfort," said Matthew, a mild-mannered graphic artist. "It's comfortable to not have too many possessions or be caught up in accumulation. Even the art we have is temporary."

Indeed, part of the reason for the spare décor is the house's dual purpose as a gallery for Fette, an art dealer and blogger. Only when she's done receiving clients for the day do the rooms -- their white walls loaded with original art -- morph back into living space. Each evening the upholstered bench in the living room folds out into a bed, and sheets and blankets are laid into place.

When friends come over for Fette's native French food, the desk in the master bedroom/office gets set in the dining room. When Fette's favorite young artists come to town, they often sleep on the second bench, rolled from the dining room to the second bedroom.

Living this sparingly isn't so unusual, say the young couple. They contend that most people battle to keep a home -- especially a small one -- neat. They just have perfected the art of ordered chaos.

Closets are stretched to their limits. In the pantry, V8 juice bumps up against bubble wrap. In the hall closet, boxes of Band-Aids lean against a leveler. In a bedroom closet, cardboard tubes of artwork rise from the floor till they meet a clothes rod and its dangling bag of packing peanuts.

And in the garage? Who needs a garage?

"We could have a lot of the regular comforts and be home every night watching TV in big chairs," Matthew said, standing in the middle of a mostly empty living room, underneath a ribbon of gallery track lighting. "But we'd rather have art on the wall, room for people to see it and a place where artists can stay."

EVERY month, Fette hangs new pieces of contemporary art or projects new art films onto the walls. She sends e-mails to friends and clients, inviting them to meet the artists -- most of whom are from other countries -- at a Friday night reception. And the narrow street outside gets lined with cars.