Really like this place. It is bright, unpretentious and has loads of vintage charm. And also love all the plants throughout!

I'm guessing that Velcro is too old to unroll that ball of fabric, cause I can't imagine a roll that big would go unnoticed by a cat. :)

It's Ikearific!

Hahhaa, right you are, Sam I Am.

Lots and lots of Expedit going on here.

I'm just relieved to hear that Velcro is her cat. If that was the name of her significant other, it didn't bode well for the future of the relationship, LOL.

Great artwork!

How comfortable is that couch from C&B? I've been eying it online but am not sure if it's comfy for snuggling up, watching a movie, relaxing, etc. It looks like the cushions might be kind of thin and hard.

I want a pet shark!!!

Thanks, everyone!
Yes, I know... lots of cubey Ikea... But it works until dad makes me some awesome bookcases.
The couch is very comfortable. I've done lots of quality snuggling, movie watching and napping on it.

i love your bathroom mirror!!!

It's hard to believe your place is so small--the light makes it look so open and big! Lovely home; thanks for sharing.

i like it. honestly, i don't feel this space is only 700sqft. you made it so comfy and airy. Velcro is cute all curled up on the bed!

Charming and comfortable-looking in the nicest possible way. Re: the kitchen. I fully understand your wish for more counterspace. Why don't you rig a length of counter over the bookcase - 4 Ikea legs and a length of something, Ikea or otherwise?

Although, it does look charming the way it is. Love your Dad's furniture.

Erin, thanks for the feedback on the sofa. Now I just need to figure out how I could afford it, lol.

What kind of plant is the leafy houseplant in the bottom photo? Eucalyptus?

Erin, my biggest embarrassment is also owning to o many Ikea items, but hey - it's cheap, cute and if it works... it works!

Your place looks so cozy, you've done a well job :)

Wow - like it all, but LOVE the diptych sunset painting in your office. I'm assuming it's your own work?

bookshelves, bookshelves, bookshelves.
you've really made good use of the space you have with all the bookshelves. it all seems very organized and doesn't look at all cluttered.

and great job with the weird little nooks in the bedroom and hallway (i think)...it's a great use of space and again looks really organized. i love that you've put your suitcases on the side table in the 2nd nook. i have a few stacked on the floor, but you've got room to still store things underneath the table as well.

great tour!

I owned a Petrie couch from C&B and did not find it comfortable at all. Thin and hard was right on, plus extra hard where the buttons are.

I'm really skeptical of those who say it's comfy. Either there are variations in how the couches are produced, people have different ideas of comfortable, or the couch just costs so much that once paid for, people convince themselves they like it so they don't feel ripped off.

I sold mine at a loss on CL because I hated it so much.

love all the plants!! where did you get the big leafy one in the grey ikea plant pot?

not really my style but glad to see my hometown (Alta/Pasadena) represented!!

Thanks again, everyone!
I swear the couch really is comfy! I'm not a fan of super stuffed squishy couches, though. And I usually have the seat cushions covered with a washable bedspread (to deal with cat hair).
I don't remember where I got the plants, it was a while ago, but the one on the stool above the big "yarn" ball is a palm of some sort.

And, yes, the sunset diptych is mine. :)

Velcro is the best cat name ever.

This home totally surprised me on how much some handmade furniture and vintage charm could totally win the battle against the ikea shelves and look personal and inviting. Your art and your Dad's furniture pieces are really what makes this a stand out space.

Also, Velcro has that amazing look of an old cat curled up in a space of total comfort. Seeing him (her?) actually made me tear up thinking of my old cat who sat on the foot of the bed just like that when he was enjoying his golden years. Old friends like that are really what makes a home. I hope you have many more great years together.

You're a quilter! I love your Denyse Schmidt! Good job!

It's adorable little spaces like this that keep me coming back to Apartment Therapy. And don't you dare apologize about the Ikea. You have a great mix of old and new. I ditto the compliments on your paintings and your dad's awesome furniture ... So my style.

Oh, wow, everyone. You're too kind!
And hugs to you Liz. I hope I have many more years with Velcro too, she's been my buddy for 17 years now and can't imagine being without her.

Don't worry! I'm part of the IKEA club, too! (The cost of living in L.A. and its environs is expensive enough...) It's all about getting it to blend and flow functionally with more special and unusual things - which it can do and you have done well. In fact, you're sort of "curating" your dad's furniture and your own persona art and special finds by having a little plain ol' IKEA in the background.

And then if you adjust styles (or even move places) it's certainly not a tragedy to throw an Expedit bookshelf on craigslist. I suspect you hit the Burbank spot most often with an occasional trip to Covina? :) I think Burbank may be the best store in the area - but, man, the whole parking lot/loading thing is annoying there!

OMG I love that you named your cat Velcro! That is the BEST! I want a cat now, just so I can name him Velcro too! Haha! I might have to steal that idea from you someday. ;) Your home is adorable btw. I really love your bed. Oooh, and that green chair in the living room, closest to the window. Adore.

LOVE that abstract painting!!

What a cute, clean, comfy space. I love seeing real homes of people with realistic budgets. I was so surprised to read how small the place is -- it seems really spacious. Great home, thanks for sharing!

Great job on the quilt!!! It looks wonderful.
Your furniture is well edited and used. I certainly wouldn't say it's too much Ikea and agree wholeheartedly with TooManyTchotchkes's comments.

Little too much stuff and expedit... Like the rocker tho

i love how light filled, unpretentious, and comfy this home is. unlike some home tours you can visualize a life lived here. a happy life, it seems. i'd feel at home here.
i love your paintings! especially the one above the couch. the hark next to t really evokes the ocean:) We have that shark too. It (ostensibly) my son's but the dogs and I covet it. i like expedit bookshelves. i have them and they work really well. so don't apologize!

This is a great little place. Very good use of a small space, and a lot of nice touches...all on a budget. I would like to see more of these and fewer mansions in the Hollywood Hills.

What a great space! I love it all, and I especially love that stool with the plant on it! (And I agree with Sonje-no need to apologize for the Ikea! The Ikea hate here gets OLD.) Your house is fantastic!

And give Velcro a pet for me...what a sweet girl!

Ok this Ikea self-guilt madness has to stop some day. Do we all feel guilty for wearing blue jeans or drinking cola?

cute home! did you stencil the floors in your kitchen? if so, did you prep the floors first or just paint right over them? they look great!

Hahaha, hotpaprika. I think the IKEA guilt comes from having stuff that is so distinctly IKEA. I have an Expedit bookcase I am finally, finally getting rid of and two IKEA armchairs that are unbearably uncomfortable. I hate to bust a budget to replace them, but I feel like I have to. They just scream IKEA.

I love posts like this one. My house is about the same size and it's neat to see how other people designate space.

I think the Ikea bookcases seem "off" not because they are Ikea but because they are so darn black. They're wrong, it seems to me, for all the reasons her dad's furniture is right.

I live in Altadena too, and love every minute of it!
Your place has that relax and eclectic feeling of it :)

hi erin, i am remodeling my bathroom and was wondering if you could tell me where you found that great bathroom mirror. thanks for sharing your lovely home.

Great place! Yeah, the expedits are identifiable, but it's not like they look bad.

I've never seen an almost-apron front bathroom sink like this one before - is that a common vintage thing? Really cool.

The Ikea bookcases keep everything organized and I like that they are black,so much better than plain white. I live in LA, and plan to go to Burbank Ikea to match a "wavy" mirror I found at Goodwill (my home away from home). I like tall bookcases so that I don't have so many little furniture "pieces". Also,I sew, so I have skads of fabric in wicker baskets along with my books,patterns,etc,etc. After the thriftshops, Bravo Ikea!
Oh, I love your wooden cat, so regal! lol, and of course Velcro too.

To "Vintagehoney" and Erin... the plant above the ball of yarn is a Zamioculcus, not a palm. A beautiful hardy plant which will tolerate low light and little water.
Oh, and I love Velcro too!

While I noticed a lot of IKEA pieces in this house tour, the place doesn't feel cookie cutter at all.

There is quite a bit of personality, and individuality to make this home a nice little oasis.

good job! Thank you for showing us your home.

It looks very homey, even a little like a cozy cottage.

Wonderful! Your home looks lived in and loved.

This space is so lovely. Altadena has some fantastic places and I love the location. Rock your Ikea with pride. You've made some smart choices mixing the pieces together and your space is totally stylish and inviting. This is one of my favorite home tours of recent memory. And though I'm not a cat person (allergies) yours is the most adorable one I've seen posted here. :)

First- I don't think having mostly Ikea is an embarassment- I have almost ALL Ikea- from the 80s-current... and people are surprised a lot of it is Ikea. I <3 Ikea!
Second- LOVE this place. It's a lot like what I'm working on, but we have 900sq ft.
Third- My cat, Smuckers, is 18 this year- Tuxedo cat. He's so sweet and lovable, great with the kids, and our dogs. Vet checked last month and the vet says he's shocked by how healthy he still is- other than some tartar buildup. ;) Long live the elderly kitties, Velcro and Smuckers!

and oh good gad- we have that same shark. He stays in my sons room though, so as to not fall prey to our Lab puppy.

Cat= Win

Macbook = Fail

I was about to say that the wall art is brilliant, but then that's just overstating since it literally is. If everything IKEA can be possibly made into this, can someone get me their no.?

--Jo, of Furniture Myrtle Beach.com.

Love this home, great artwork and house plants. I think I recognize that adorable shark stuffie from Ikea. On my last visit I carried it all around the store but put it back at the last minute and bought a stuffie rat instead. I regret.

I really love this. I love how you incoroporate IKEA into the decor without it looking like an IKEA showroom. It fits and looks great (and gives me some good ideas). And I love the art (and cat!)

Very organic! Love it.

I love your space! It might be because I live in a small cottage in a city as well and can totally relate and the fact that I too have some Ikea furnishing. I think you've done a great job making your space "your" space. It's very comfy and airy. Also, don't be embarrassed about having Ikea furniture. Ikea is great. Yes, it's on the cheaper side, but still the designs are brilliant and perfect for smaller spaces!

So adorable! I just moved into a super duper old but bright and retro-cute apartment and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the kitchen floor. I've been looking everywhere for those temporary adhesive tiles that you can put on top of existing linoleum but home depot and the like have zero cute options. Since your renting, did you use something temporary for your kitchen floor? And if so, where on earth did you find something that attractive?

Thanks (again) everyone!
The bathroom mirror/lights came with the place as did the funky linoleum tile in the kitchen. It photographs better than it looks in person but I've embraced the 70s-fabulousness of it.

Lovely.

I absolutely love this space... Probably my favorite House Tour of the year. It's homey and comfortable, personalized, and unpretentious. I love the wood furniture, natural light, blue and green painting above the sofa, and the sofa itself. I wish I could have that white sofa, actually, but with two heavy-shed corgis that ain't happening anytime soon. I don't mind all of the Expedit-- you really can't beat them for affordability and the space they provide! Also, Velcro... What a fantastic name.