Name: Ben and Abby (and Lucy the pug)
Location: Golden Hill - San Diego, California
Size: 700 square feet (1 bedroom, 1 bath)
Years lived in: 2 years, rent
In this light-flooded Golden Hill apartment, Ben serves as resident curator. By day, he's director of La Jolla's Quint Contemporary Art, one of the hottest galleries in San Diego, making him more than qualified. Ben and his girlfriend, Abby, have created a tranquil and earthy home that doubles as a showcase for their statement-making art collection.
Golden Hill, an old neighborhood on the outskirts of downtown San Diego, offers an urban charm that's distinctly Southern Californian. Palm trees rustle in the harbor breeze and the rolling hills are lined with cute Craftsman and Spanish bungalows. Near the top of one quiet block, Ben and Abby snagged an airy space that feels like a treehouse with leaf-framed views of the city and Tijuana beyond.
The couple has amassed original works by artists like Ryan McGinness, Roy McMakin and Kelsey Brookes, as well as prints from the more affordable 20x200. Ben has also created his own clever pieces, such as wall-mounted faucets in the kitchen and an inflatable giraffe in the shower, a humorous homage to Jeff Koons.
This growing collection doesn't compete for attention with the couple's decorating style, a comfortable mash-up of midcentury pieces and organic accents, from a gorgeous rustic-modern coffee table by San Diego Urban Timber to a branch sculpture Ben assembled with tufts of moss and thread. A vibrant speckled orchid and hot-pink floral bunches pop against the apartment's natural hues, which connect the space to the outdoors and provide a neutral backdrop for the contemporary art found in every sun-dappled corner of the home.
Though only 700 square feet, the apartment spills out onto a small but perfectly appointed patio, where the couple enjoys entertaining friends. Lucy, their darling pug, is clearly the draw of any party.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Radical nature mid-century modern contemporary art flair
Inspiration: Nature and contemporary artwork
Favorite Element: Hardwood floors and sense of bringing the outside in as well as living with our contemporary art collection - We love to relax, cook, eat, entertain, sit outside on our deck, and hang with Lucy (the pug). We definitely think of this as our treehouse. It's cozy and comfortable and with all the natural light it gets we feel right at home living in the trees. We enjoy the space we have and often spend time rearranging based upon artwork on the walls or a new dog bed for Lucy.
Biggest Challenge: It's not a big treehouse so it's a challenge when we want to add a piece of furniture or hang new artwork.
What Friends Say: "We love it!"
Biggest Embarrassment: The mess of shoes in our closet.
Proudest DIY: Repurposing IKEA table and sawing it in half to then re-use in living room and kitchen. Recently it was fun to build a music room off our laundry room so that Abby can practice what she loves.
Biggest Indulgence: Artwork.
Best Advice: Take your time - there's no rush.
Dream Source: Any kind of sanctuary, tree houses, young designers, well designed spaces.
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
Our landlord gets the credit in most rooms. We recently repainted the kitchen (slate gray) and bathroom (sand). We wanted to tie the house together with the earthy feel of living in nature.
PATIO
• Table and chairs: Craigslist
• Hanging Mason Jar lights: Etsy
• Plants: Home Depot
ENTRY DOOR
• Key Hooks: Architectural Salvage
• Mat: Amazon
LIVING ROOM
• Couch: Craigslist/IKEA
• Mid-Century Lamp: Ebay
• Half Table: IKEA table cut in half
• Plants: Home Depot
• Tree piece: Handmade sourced from farmers market
• Mid-Century Dresser: The Nest
• Throw Pillows: Etsy
• Candelabra: Seymour June House (antique store in upstate New York)
• Large vase: Flea market in NYC
• World Map Candles: Etsy
• Coffee Table: San Diego Urban Timber
• Artwork: Lee Materazzi (photograph with head in rocks). Ryan McGinness (skate board deck) Roy McMakin (photograph of plant)
• Teeth mold: Funny story ...
• Artwork not featured in tour, but worth checking out:
Derek Stroup (candy missing logo) Jean Lowe (bronze condom) Sam Strauss-Malcolm (Fly), Richard Allen Morris (gun sculpture) Lamar Peterson (20x200.com) Kevin Cyr (20x200.com) Andrew Hetherington (20x200.com) Colin Blakely (20x200.com) William Crump (20x200.com) Dorthe Alstrup (20x200.com)
KITCHEN
• Half Table: IKEA table cut in half and painted Plants: Home Depot
• Tribal mask: India
• Wood carving of person playing instrument: Africa
• Lightbulb with air plant: Etsy
• Faucet art: Ben Strauss-Malcolm
BEDROOM
• Chest Drawers: IKEA - handles hand painted
• Desk: IKEA
• Bed: IKEA
• Throw Pillows: Etsy
• Rug: Overstock.com
• Artwork (some not featured): Thomas Glassford (multi colored wall mounted sculpture) Kelsey Brookes (large circle explosion painting) Lee Lavy (dark ink painting) Jacob Mcgraw (multi-colored exploding treehouse drawing)
BATHROOM
• Wall sculpture: Self-made (branch with air plants)
Images: AnnaMaria Stephens
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Lovely home, adorable dog and seriously cute kitchen!
I love your place! It's so clean and the style is very good with so many budget pieces. Now to go find some tree branches for my living room.
Love the pug! He really ties the room together. :)
The artwork is fab. Esp the self-made tree pieces, those were my favorite part of the whole tour. I'd personally love an AT DIY on that one.
Wow. Way to make me miss living in Golden Hill. The houses there are fab. Is the featured apartment part of an old craftsman?
@ChrissyinCali: I miss Golden Hill too! I lived in an old Spanish apartment on Broadway for nearly a decade!
and I just noticed that the kitchen tile is exactly the same as the bathroom tile I had in my old apartment on B St in Golden Hill. Love it.
I love the artwork but I would have liked to have seen more of the house too.
@Uccellini - you've got me beat! I lived in an old home that had been converted into 3 apartments. I had what was the original kitchen, closed in sun porch?, original bathroom, and the dinning room (or living room? it was in the middle of the house). I however lived in the one that hadnt been restored yet so I didn't stay longer than a year.
FAntastic! Your space is so beautiful because it obviously reflects your tastes. The artwork is fantastic and I covet your coffee table. Thank you for sharing your personal space.
I'm not too far from you too. I like the pops of unusual like the faucets and organic branch. The kitchen looks beautiful with the colors and it looks compact and efficient.
That first picture in the first photo creeps me out :-S
Great kitchen!
Great space! Lucy is adorable! Please..we need a DIY on those tree branches. LOVE that idea!
Dude! Is that a Jay Howell painting???
Congratulations on a beautiful home.
Such fantastic light too...
I looked twice and looked again.. never have seen branches popping out of nowhere.
liked this-- amazing!
Neighbor, this is efficient, thoughtful and very creative/cool use of space. So clean and appealing. Go SD!! On the serious, if you are moving soon I'm in the market for a landlord with such great taste. I will barter Lucy sits for preferred rental app:).
sonias_98@yahoo.com in Mission Hills.
Love the kitchen wall color! Whose paint and color?
I love how you have a nice mix of nature and contemporary art/furniture. The coffee table is awesome. I wanna live here!!
@hugman, pretty sure that's the Kelsey Brookes that you're thinking of. But Jay Howell rules!
Thanks for all the great feedback and for visiting! Will get to a DIY soon on the branches. It's supper easy and a fun way to bring nature into your place.
Not a Jay Howell painting. Kitchen paint is Behr Premium, color is Dark Granite (eggshell). No plans to move soon, but love the offer!
This home gets my FSFG stamp of approval and I love your lil pug.
Bahahah! DH thought I had lost my mind when I requested both mine and his dental work molds! ....searching for the white paint... AND calling him over to see your home! Love it all!
The dog is so cute - simply adorable!!! The house is very nice too. I really like the branch on pictures 6,7,8!
What a great place!!! I love the art work and the overall fun. I am saving this e-mail as I will want to peek back into your place again. One of my favorite tours.
how do you hang your skate deck? been trying to figure out a good system for awhile
I have to say, I'm disappointed.
Nothing very special, except for the dog.
Random accessories all over the top of the credenza, no balance, rhyme or reason.
Plants, Flowers, Kitchen paint, dog and bright art pieces are my favorite parts of your space.
Found this to be the best and cleanest way to hang skate board decks. http://www.storeyourboard.com/skdediflmo.html.
How amazing! A real life treehouse that people actually live in? That is very Disney and that pug is simply adorable. I love the decor of your "treehouse." ;)
The sideboard makes me swoon. What a fun
space. Congrats!
@dhsdca: I must disagree with you! I think the sideboard -- with the "accessories" (objects?) on it, and artwork above it -- is beautifully balanced. I would think that the director of an art gallery, especially, would have an eye for such details.
Love the coffee table! reminds me of the Pontoon table on http://www.ligne-roset-usa.com
Thanks for showing and actual APARTMENT [Rental] on Apartment Therapy :)