Inside Erich Joiner’s childhood home in Redondo Beach, California. 
Shells collected by Joiner’s mother. 
The family dog on their beloved Eames Lounge Chair.
Erich Joiner is a director based in Los Angeles.
“I grew up primarily in one house, and it was in Los Angeles, in Redondo Beach, close to where I live now, in Manhattan Beach. I was probably 5 years old when we moved in, around 1970.
That home meant so much to me. [Last] year, my mother passed away; my father passed away a few years ago. So recently, my sister and brother and I had to sell it.
They were artistic-forward parents. My father was an art director. They painted one wall this orange, very seventies color. My mother would collect these shells—she would go shelling all over the world. All those shells meant so much to her, [and were kept in these little jars]. Growing up in this house reminded us of our family vacations. We visited beaches all over the world.
In that same room was an Eames Lounge Chair. I’ve probably bought thirty of these over the years. I remember having high school parties in the room where it stood. When I got older, my parents told me they always knew when I’d had a party, because it was always cleaner when they came back.
When I think about home today, I see it as an environment that shapes our lives—and not just the architecture and the design of it. I always admired my parents’ tastes, but for them, home also simply meant family.
These days, when I go scout locations [for my work as a director], I see things that remind me of my childhood house. We also build sets and put so much effort into trying to make them look real, and are livable. That’s a really important message to carry forward.”
This presentation was part of the inaugural Making Space symposium, which took place in Los Angeles on November 12, 2025 before a live audience. It has been edited and condensed. (Photos courtesy Erich Joiner)