All in Good Taste

The Fischer-Burke family brings creative flair to their cozy nest

Story by Robyn Paris  |  Photos by Zsuzsi Steiner

The Fischer-Burke family may have run out of wall space, but that hasn’t curbed their appetite for art.

Damien Fischer and Jami Burke have filled their two-story “beachy contemporary” condo in The Camden with unique pieces that reflect the colorful and eclectic Los Angeles art scene. Inspired by a Downtown L.A. mural by Kim West called “Ode to Bohemia,” which features a buck emerging from a neon-pastel forest, they commissioned a similar piece by West for a wall in their home. They’ve added to their collection with several gold-and-white paintings by nomadic street artist 2501, who created the sleek mural outside the Whole Foods at Eighth & Grand, and scored a few gallery pieces by French artists Jaybo Monk at a recent show moments before Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys swooped in and bought all the rest. Three paintings along their staircase are by Aaron de la Cruz, who painted the large Playa Vista mural adjacent to the Honest Co.’s parking lot.

For art collectors, Fischer and Burke are extremely down-to-earth parents of their two adorable daughters, 4-year-old Emerson and 19-month-old Sloane. Fischer, a biochemist and Agilent Technologies executive, became a Playa Vista resident when he rented an apartment at Crescent Park West about 10 years ago. He met Burke, a marketing executive, on a blind date a few years later. They moved in together and lived at Villa Savona before buying their current home three years ago. Their labradoodle, Helix, has been with them since their first apartment together.

With both cold brew coffee and beer on tap and freely offered to guests, the Fischer home is welcoming and warm. A large oak wood dining table, which serves as a centerpiece for their living area, was hand-crafted by an artisan friend and furniture-maker Justin Marshall.

“Art collecting? It’s a really dangerous hobby,” jokes Fischer.

“Yes, we’re really happy we ran out of walls!” adds Burke.

“It’s not like it’s money in the bank, but we love it,” says Fischer. “It’s nice to have something that you find is beautiful aesthetically. That’s the value of it to us.”

Books and storytelling are also important to the family. Burke has decorated Sloane’s nursery with artwork from the new children’s board book releases of “The Little Princess” and “Anne of Green Gables.” She had actually emailed the publishers suggesting the project before they were in print, and bought these prints as soon as they became available.

Fischer is an active outdoorsman with a garage full of equipment for snowboarding, skiing, backpacking and rock climbing. “Figuring out how to integrate the little ones into our lifestyle is important,” he says. “It’s a life goal to make sure one or both of the girls are interested in hiking or backpacking.”

On typical weekends the family goes out for movies and bike rides, hangs out at The Resort’s pool and spends lots of time in local playgrounds. Running into families they know keeps Playa Vista life breezy and fun.

“If you’re looking for a way to blow half a day and not plan anything, just go to the pool. There are 10 to 15 other families there; we hang out and barbecue,” says Fischer.

He and Burke have convinced friends and family to move to Playa Vista, including Fischer’s father, step-mother and sister (real estate agent Sierra Fischer).

With parks, coffee shops, restaurants and now family members all within walking distance, “I’d be happy to stay in Playa Vista forever,” Burke says.