apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Name: Bryan Boone
Location: Downtown Los Angeles, California
Size: 650 square feet
Years lived in: 1/2 year

Situated at the heart of Los Angeles' bustling downtown fashion district, Bryan's impeccably decorated small space is a Jonathan Adler-ish oasis of calm and comfort. Despite luxurious appointments, the space was furnished with a keen eye for good design at reasonable prices, tapping into what Bryan described as an obsessive focus for Craigslist deals, decorating the majority of the 650 square feet with vintage and future design classics bought at a fraction of retail prices. From the clear chess pieces arranged within a lantern to the vintage suit cases just peeking out from underneath the bed, Bryan's home confidently showcases his affinity for design both new and old in memorable fashion.

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Name: Leslie Bonnell
Location: Austin, TX
Size: 1,100 square feet

They say it takes a village, but in this case it takes one sassy leader and a squad of willing friends to mend a house that was a little frayed. The minute you walk into the Stitch Lab, the sense of community and joy of crafting is more than apparent. The space is bright, cheery and utterly inviting.

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Name: Alysia Cotter
Location: Silver Lake, California
Size: 900 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year

How many of us can decorate a whole apartment without buying anything new? That's exactly what Alysia set out to do when she moved to Silver Lake a year ago, challenging herself to appoint her modest, but light-filled 100 year old apartment completely with vintage or used finds. Starting anew, she decorated her home with elements brimming with history, texture and character, creating a space one part Los Angeles tree house and another part Parisian flea market, filled with art, books, a prized vintage camera collection and various collectibles that give the space a joie de vivre vibrancy…

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Name: Joe DiSanto & Kristin McCasey
Location: West Adams, California
Size: 1,700 square feet
Years lived in: 5.5 years

Creative couple, Joe and Kristin, bought their house in April 2004. Located in the historic West Adams area of Los Angeles, the neighborhood is a combination of medium to large Craftsman and Victorian homes, along with other assorted styles. Although the house is a restored Craftsman (which the couple loves), they also love the look of Danish style and have slowly been adding pieces into their home. They particularly like the mix of a contemporary design with the warmth of rich wood colors and textures. Now Joe and Kristen's home is full of an interesting mix of styles and they love how it all works altogether.

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Name: Corey James Gash
Location: Orange County, California
Size: 700 square feet, plus 220 square feet
Years lived in: 8 months

Corey's the kind of guy that can figure out how to do almost anything. Not only does he love to figure out creative ways to solve problems, but he's really good at it. Case in point, he turned a dilapidated barn into a modern home almost completely on his own using skills he already had plus a little help from Google. And did we mention he only spent $3,600 on the whole renovation and was able to do it green?

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Name: Lezlee & Kirk
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Size: 2,100 square feet
Years lived in: 11 years

Many of you should recognize the image above, as Lezlee's art filled home was amongst the most memorable and vibrant of our Room for Color entries hailing from the Southwest. We're following up with a detailed look inside a home whose eclectic and bold character is evident inside and out...a home whose owners renovated and revived a worn 1950's home into an eyecatching ode to the "Southwest, its sunsets, sunrises, and native cultures"...

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Name: Janie Flemming, daughters Ally and Kat
Location: South Austin, Texas
Size: 2,400 square feet
Years lived in: 6 months

This home is a surprising and delightful mix of traditional and modern elements infused with feminine details and lots of texture. The thing we love the most is how smartly it was decorated: rooms aren’t filled to the brim with décor elements, yet they feel full, layered and sophisticated...

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Name: Barbara Jarvik
Location: Echo Park, California
Size: 780 square feet
Years lived in: 10.5

We didn't have to go far to visit Barbara's home for this Apartment Therapy House Tour. Nestled in the hills of Echo Park, we were happy to find that she lives right down the street. Unlike our home, Barbara has views on both sides with corner windows that let tons of light in. We were also amazed with Barbara's contribution (or rather creation) of her backyard. Filled with every kind of succulent imaginable, we were thrilled to take away choice cuttings that she offered to us...

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Name: Michelle Workman
Location: Los Angeles, California
Size: 3,200 square feet
Years lived in: 2 1/2 years

We gave you a sneak peek of Michelle's home this week now here's the full house tour. A few years ago, Michelle and her husband, Justin, were looking for an older home that needed "light" renovations. They didn't want to undo someone else's work to make it their own. When they saw their current home for the first time they just "knew it was right since it had been maintained but never renovated." They renovated their house, which was then lacking in personality, and it's now filled with a colorful palette and design elements perfect for the couple. While not as small as most of our House Tours, this home is full of color, personality and inspiring ideas that anyone can draw upon.

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Name: Artist René Norman, dogs Paco and Nellie
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 1,350 square feet
Years lived in: Owned 3 years

We've been fans of René's art for some time now. Abstract and with delicate details, her paintings and collages are always fresh and bright. It came as no surprise that her house is modern and sunny! Simple, clean, warm, and homey, René's East Side home is full of her great art, Mid-Century furniture pieces, global details and layers of texture.

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Name: Kristopher and Ginger
Location: Long Beach, California
Size: 1,728 square feet
Years lived in: 1 1/2 years

Kristopher and Ginger's Long Beach loft could comfortably be called a behind the music house tour, an expansive and flexible space which plays double duty between their "living zones" and their professional "creative zones". Designed to accommodate for their musical professions (he recently toured with Morrissey and was Gwen Stefani's musical director, she's the bass player for the Smashing Pumpkins) while also being fitted for the arrival of their first baby, the loft exhibits the charms of vintage, modern, high end, handmade, simple and ornate all at once. A harmonious melody of eclecticism...

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Name: Genevieve & Maxwell’s Poorgeoisie Bungalow
Location: Silver Lake
Size: 900 sq. feet
Years lived in: Genevieve – 3 years. Maxwell – 1 year
Who else lives here? Lucy, our Pit-Lab mix.

Sometimes you seek out house tours and sometimes house tours come to you. In the case of Maxwell and Genevieve's Silver Lake abode, we discovered it when we showed up to buy some mid century chairs we'd spied on craigslist. Walking into their minimal dining room, seeing their great art, peeking into the kitchen we almost didn't care about the chairs anymore...

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Name: Jen Ramos
Location: Henderson, Nevada
Size: 2,200 square feet | 4.5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
Years lived in: 2.5 years

We've admired the cards and creative designs by Jen Ramos of Made By Girl for a while now. Aside from her online shop, she maintains a blog full of colorful design ideas for the home. When we were visiting friends in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, we contacted Jen and she graciously accepted our invitation to do a House Tour. Moving from New York a few years ago, Jen wanted to carry her bohemian and eclectic design aesthetic to the desert landscape and style of her new home.

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Name: Allison Amon & Paul Francechi
Location: Silver Lake, California
Size: 2,400 square feet
Years lived in: 13, 2 years since remodel

Shaded by a row of bushes, the front of the Allison and Paul's home is on a quiet street in the curvy hills of Silver Lake. Walking through their house is a whole other view since almost the entire other side is full of windows with views overlooking the famed reservoir. The couple took steps 2 years ago to redesign their space to showcase this scenic gem, create a true entertaining kitchen and provide extra storage for their family. Allison and Paul (who's a structural engineer) created a home that truly evokes the natural elements that surround them with a stylish flair that represents the couple's eclectic yet sophisticated taste.

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