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Name: Cate Haight
Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California
Size: 700 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years + 8 months — own

Cate, a film editor, is the second person to ever own this house. A Sears Kit Home built in 1926, the home was purchased by a family and passed along to their son who lived his entire life in it. The original floor plan (offered with the kit) was changed slightly to suit the location and needs of the original homeowners. In homage to the home's unique history, Cate decorated with a great mix of modern and vintage pieces. Each room has a warmth to it, with handmade quilts, rich colored walls, and dark wood furniture.

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Each corner of Cate's home is carefully thought out, but retains a lived-in and functional vibe. She's completed her bright office with a wonderful bookshelf that houses her editing station, computer and all her books. Her living room has a great Mid Century Modern appeal, complete with a dining table and a wonderful wooden hutch.

I also loved her front porch and backyard where she has a huge lawn, an additional covered cushioned bench with barbecue, and large picnic area. Besides the fact that she and her twin sister Alissa (who happens to live in the house next door) could host some awesome Summer soirees... this house lays on a hill which used to back right up to the original Red Line.

Lastly, Cate explained to me during the shoot, that when she moved in she had a major goal in mind — decorate and furnish it so she could have it featured on Apartment Therapy! I'm excited we could make that happen for her, with respect and admiration to the history of the home.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Eclectic vintage, but with some modern stuff too. What's that called?

Inspiration: I find that much of what I was surrounded by growing up in New England is what I like now. Therefore, I like and am inspired by old stuff and handcrafted stuff. But I'm a youngish person who lives in LA, so I'm also influenced by design blogs, fun art and the city I now live in. Los Angeles is vibrant and full of color and joy — I like to think my house is too

Favorite Element: The artwork. None of it is especially expensive — it's mostly prints — but I've collected it over the years and love it all.

Biggest Challenge: Space. The house is roughly 700 square feet so it's all about not over-crowding. Now that I've got all the furniture in place, I'm simply not allowed to buy anything new unless it's replacing something. All this being said, I have a basement (in LA!) so I have more than enough storage for things like suitcases and Christmas decorations. I do realize how lucky this makes me.

What Friends Say: It's comfortable, cozy and cute. And *where* did you get that Jackson 5 pennant??

Biggest Embarrassment: Oh, there's an air conditioner there you say? I hadn't noticed! Geesh — who cuts a giant hole in the most obvious section of the biggest wall of a living room to install an air conditioner? The previous owner of my house, apparently. It's the next thing on my list to deal with. And I know I could paint it white in the mean time, but I almost don't even wanna acknowledge its existence by doing so. So yes, the giant ugly enormous monstrosity of an AC unit in the living room is my biggest embarrassment. The never-looks-clean flooring in the kitchen is a close second.

Proudest DIY: The bathroom. I remodeled it with the help of a very good friend who'd done that sort of thing before. We tiled the floors and walls (no tile on either before), replaced the sink and medicine cabinet and painted the underside of the claw foot tub.

Biggest Indulgence: The built in bookshelves in the office. I had them done professionally and frankly I think it was worth every penny.

Best Advice: Wait for the right piece of furniture. Don't just go out and buy something that does the job, but isn't exactly what you want. I waited several months to find a dining room table that was drop leaf, small enough to fit the space but could be expanded with leaves, was in my price range, and was my style. It was worth it, and I'll keep the table forever. All that being said, if IKEA has what you need and like, by all means, buy at IKEA. Although check Craigslist for it first — I bought the counter top/cabinet in my kitchen on Craigslist for half of IKEA's price. And it was already assembled!

Dream Sources: Antique malls, swap meets, second hand furniture stores and Craigslist. I like new stuff fine, but prefer older. It's got something to do with my New England upbringing I'm sure.

Resources of Note:
Antique malls, swap meets, 2nd hand furniture stores and Craigslist.

Lots of the smaller art is from Tiny Showcase, a great website if you're looking for excellent, inexpensive, small prints.

Also all the credit for coziness goes to my twin sister Alissa Haight Carlton who made all my beautiful textiles. She is a tremendously talented quilter!

PAINT & COLORS

    • Kitchen: Behr 510D-4 Embellished Blue
    • Bedroom: Behr 250F-7 Melted Chocolate
    • Office (3 walls): Behr 270B-6 Melon
    • Office (1 wall): Behr 250B-7 Crushed Orange

LIVING ROOM

    • Couch: Crate & Barrel
    • TV stand: Pottery Barn
    • Desk: Swap meet
    • Coffee table/off white chair/side table: 2nd hand furniture stores
    • Lamp: Pottery Barn
    • Bench behind the couch: Pottery Barn
    • Pillows: Alissa Haight Carlton

DINING ROOM AREA

    • Table and Chairs: Craigslsit
    • Placemats: Alissa Haight Carlton

KITCHEN

    • Counter top/cabinet: Craigslist (IKEA)
    • Butcher block: IKEA
    • Jackson 5 Pennant: best gift ever!

BEDROOM

    • Dresser: secondhand furniture store
    • Bed side table: passed down from my parents
    • Quilt: Alissa Haight Carlton

OFFICE

    • Desk: Pasadena Antique mall
    • Desk return: IKEA
    • Couch: IKEA
    • Glass case bookshelf: Craigslist

Artwork
Here are links to a bunch of the artists — ask away if you're curious about a piece not listed here.

KITCHEN ARTWORK


LIVING ROOM ARTWORK


OFFICE ARTWORK

    • The two mobile home prints on the corkboard behind the desk are by Leah Giberson, also from my hometown
    • The Soundtrack of My Life & I Asked for Scrambled are by Luke Chueh
    • The orange landscape print is by Souther Salazar



BEDROOM ARTWORK
    • The Secret 'Stash (the series of four prints by the bed) is by Jesse LeDoux
    • The girl with the birds in the tree by the dresser is by Jamie Zollars



Thanks, Cate!

Images: Bethany Nauert

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