Name: Annie Rocchio
Location: Echo Park
Size: 700 square feet
Years lived in: 10 months
We were thrilled to find out that Annie lived in our backyard of Echo Park (making this House Tour right around the corner). As we strolled up to her complex, we instantly felt like we were in Palm Springs, 1962. Thanks to the management company that owns Annie's building, they overhauled it, taking it back in time (but in the best way possible).
Concrete floors have replaced dreary carpets and vintage modern lighting throughout makes Annie's space open and bright. A master of the vignette, Annie has collected animal bones, feathers and vintage prints and displays them all with ease. Not afraid of color with bright and bold accent pieces, she sticks to neutral walls and furniture which helps showcase her amazing finds. We also like her choice to go sans rugs in the living room and kitchen--highlighting the sleek concrete floors which adds to the square footage.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My style: Vintage, earthy, modern... and throwing it all together
Inspiration: Nature, the old, the new, simplicity, organization, flea markets, affordability, New Mexico, the Pacific Norhtwest, European dwellings, anything Native American, Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, Designsponge, Poppytalk, dwell, Etsy, and whatever idea takes place in a given moment.
Favorite Element: I originally took the apartment because of the floors (but admit now I kind of miss hardwood). I really love all the random little knick-knacks I have collected from travel, thrift stores, gifts, and crafting. I like to look at each piece and remember how I acquired it and what it means to me. Like the road atlas on the coffee table that was my parents, the postcards on the fridge my friends made me, the pieces of wood I got in Cayucos, CA, and the Native American shield in the bedroom I found at a thirft store in the valley for $7.99! I also really like closing the curtains to my closet, as the room becomes clean and huge in an instant!
Biggest Challenge: Hanging those curtains in the bedroom as well as the shelves above the kitchen sink all by myself. Fitting everything was also a challenge and finding a space for all my art/craft stuff. Still not an ideal work space, but it works.
What Friends Say: "Will you come decorate my house?"
Biggest Embarrassment: The litter box (as there is no place to hide it), the large antenna for my TV, the old kitchen sink--and I also tend to kill plants.
Proudest DIY: No super big DIY...just a bunch of small things like repainting a mirror, a dresser, etc. The photo wall is mostly my pictures. I guess the fact that I did everything in the apartment by myself with little input from others is pretty good.
Biggest Indulgence: The couch that I purchased from Blueprint a few years ago.
Best advice: If you see something and you like it, buy it! Don't be afraid to move things around often. Find inspiration!
Dream source: A kitchen and backyard from almost any house in dwell and some great wallpaper... and maybe a dishwasher!
Resources:
Furniture:
- Coffee Table (Fairfax Flea Market)
- Couch (Blueprint)
- Dining Room Table and Chairs (IKEA)
- Kitchen Carts (IKEA, Target)
- TV Console (IKEA)
- Dresser (Fairfax Flea Market)
Accessories:
- Ampersand in Kitchen (Urban Outfitters)
- Plant Stand in Living Room (This Is Not IKEA)
- Wood Pieces (Forgotten Woods)
- Yellow Pillow (Target) remainder made by Annie
- Kitchen Canisters (Orla Keily for Target)
- Chalkboard (Pottery Barn)
- Towels (Bed Bath & Beyond, IKEA)
- Textured Basket (IKEA)
Lighting: Floor Lamp (IKEA), Chandelier (Urban Outfitters), Bedroom Lamp (Urban Outfitters)
Artwork: Etsy and flea markets, Large artwork in bedroom by Annie
Fabric: Curtains (Urban Outfitters), Shower Curtain (Anthropologie)
(Thanks, Annie!)
Images: Beth Zeigler
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cute bathroom.
Your place is very charming, thank you for sharing. Great colors in the kitchen!
Cute kitchen and I love the concrete flooring.
What a delightful place! It looks really comfy.
I really, really like the two pieces hanging over the orange dresser in the bedroom. If these are the pieces that are yours, they are lovely!
I really love all the furniture -- the couch, but especially the coffee table, desk, wood dresser. I love the mirror hanging in the living room.
Love the pops of red everywhere. Do I see cement on the floor, if so, love it.
I love this apartment because it looks chic but attainable. I get so used to seeing these huge, glamorous apartments that I can't come close to affording, so stylish smaller places give me hope. Thanks for sharing your lovely place!
I love the hanging chandelier in the corner, but i think it's beauty gets lost against the white walls. Any chance you could paint a little, to give some contrast?
The concrete floors are a little cold to me, I'd probably use more rugs to warm up the space.
It really is a cute space, well done!!!
This is a really cute place. You've put a lot of personality in to it! And, by the way, I've almost bought that La La Love You print a couple times. It's bookmarked in my etsy favorites. Much Pixies love. Hence my username.
I like the grouping of photographs in the kitchen..adds such warmth and personality to the room..overall a nice place.
Much charm here... I'll just bet Annie has it to spare.
Annie, Where can I buy some of your artwork? Its Fabulous!
lovely!
I love it. Every inch of it makes me smile. You're so talented!
I love that little round shelf thing in the second picture. Where'd you get it?
I love this space - it is so bright and beautiful. Where are these small containers with pears on them from (in the first picture)? I've seen it already once in another post and have been searching for them ever since...
Annie, I love your intuitive use of yin (round) and yang (squared) shapes that balance the feng shui perfectly. I bet you have some adorable thick socks or slippers to deal with that concrete floor (I had one when I lived in downtown LA and it was very hard on my feet!).
Just wondering... Is the kitchen covered in contact paper? I think it looks great if it is.
Annie, this is a great job. Thanks for sharing and some wonderful inspiration.
I love it! Especially the kitchen looks amazing! Thanks for sharing :)
Hi Annie! There's a little too much clutter here for my taste, but your style is very warm. I'm not a fan of the concrete floors, I see you miss you wood floors. That makes sense, your style is warm and the floors are cold. I once had a garden apartment with concrete floors. Make sure to not to walk around barefoot. I got a horrible bone spur in the my heal and it took a couple of years to heal.
I'm curious. Can you tell me a little about the floors? Are they dusty? Hard to clean? Smell funny? I'm also wondering about toxins. Sorry. I guess you can tell I've been reading a lot of green blogs recently.
I adore the paintings in your bedroom. You painted those? I'd like to encourage you to continue painting. Do you have a website for your paintings?
very nice cozy place!
esp. love the kitchen and dining-room area. oh the colors! and photographs arrangment!
and I'm partial to ampersand, so love yours, too!
thanks everyone for the comments! i will try and answer some questions...
rosygirl- the chandelier is plastic crystal...not sure it will take paint very well. it looks better in person and actually like it the way it is! and area rugs to me just end up being a mess. i prefer the simplicity and then i don't need to vacuum!
tarqata: those pieces above the orange dresser are not mine. they are vintage metal wall hangings.
vintagetramp- thank you so much! i have some stuff for sale on my etsy shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop/anneroc. i have not really done much with a lot of yet. any suggetsions would be great!
shannon ashley: i got that piece from a store here in LA called thisisnotikea.com
alecandra_b: those canisters were from a line orla keily did for target sometime last year. it sold out pretty fast, but was lucky to find some in rural missouri. i would try ebay!
victoria in DC: no, the counter tops are tile that have been painted a number of times.
peggy: i don't really know much about the floors to be honest. i am assuming they pulled pulled up the carpet and put a varnish on the concrete that was under??? they are not hard to clean, a bit easier than hardwood actually. and i notice it gets just as dusty as hardwood. i have cats so things get dusty quickly no matter where i live. they do not smell funny either. i think it probably absorbs less than hardwood...especially with animals. and thank you so much for the encouragement to continue painting! those are my paintings in the bedroom. i do not have a website yet...but i do sell some small things on the etsy store i posted earlier. i am working on combining all my art onto one website.
thanks again everyone! very encouraging!!!
Lovely home! I love the pops of color. Thanks for sharing!
Love the coffee table!
Adore your dresser and desk:)
There is definitely something special about your space. I agree with sugarmagnolia, it's definitely chic, but not over the top, since you have a lot of personal individual unique pieces. They just work together. I imagine my place would end up looking like this as I always see tons of things that I love, but don't think they work together. Maybe I should take the leap and use your place has inspiration.
Great job!
Love the pops of color! Thanks for sharing!
I love the paintings, especially the pink one on your dresser.
I agree with the others, please put more large paintings on etsy! I know I'd buy one!
Lovely. I have that same vintage tin canister that is on the orange dresser. I found it at a thrift store years ago. It's so colorful and pretty.
Nice kitchen, the house shows personality. Where did you get the bathroom matt? it seems smaller than standard sizes...
Your home is quite warm and friendly looking. I absolutely love the orangey red dresser. There's something about that color that goes well in that space and so many people would be scared to do that.
I think the entire space looks like someone happy lives there. :-) Nicely done!
I have a similar lamp to the one photographed here: http://s3.amazonaws.com/atimg/1292326/040210annieHT-10_rect640.jpg and I love it; where did the one photographed come from?
Annie-my husband and I recently saw a white very heavy vintage metal desk that looks similiar to yours at a sale (and we had to pass b/c we had no way of getting home at that point). We were planning on bringing it to an auto paint place and having them paint it some bold color. Have you considered doing that with yours or do you prefer it white?