A mosaic-loving family's journey of many tiles

Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez

Photos by Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times/MCT Louise and Aziz Farnam have spent the past dozen years or so applying various pieces of tiles, plates and glass to their home in Santa Monica, Calif. They have finally finished the exterior of the home, which regularly attracts passersby to stop and take pictures.

Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez

An apple tree (right) is represented alongside rivers and mountains, all made out of pieces of plates, tiles or glass, on the exterior of the Farnam home in Santa Monica, Calif.

Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez

Everyone knows my house, says Louise Farnam. Just say mosaic tile house in Santa Monica. She and her husband, Aziz, collected their materials from secondhand stores, boutiques and Las Vegas casinos.

Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez

Louise and Aziz Farnam have spent the past dozen years or so applying various tiles, plates and glass to their home in Santa Monica. They have finally finished the exterior of the home. The tiles are an eclectic mix in both origin and arrangement. (Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

LOS ANGELES The transformation started simply enough, with a molded ceramic tile of a flower framed by Celtic tracery.

Neither Aziz nor Louise Farnam can recall now where they found the periwinkle square, but at their son Amiels urging, they glued it to the upper-left corner of a low concrete retaining wall in front of their 1930s bungalow in Santa Monica, Calif.

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A mosaic-loving family's journey of many tiles