Name: Bridget Sweeney, Kristy Brenner, Stephanie Nicholas & Meghan Sedgley
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Years lived in: 1 year
Bridget and her three roommates share and incredible two story house, a block away from the beach. Together they have embraced an ample amount of space, and merged their similar styles together seamlessly.
Though they are only renting, they have managed to create a very common aesthetic throughout each room. The floor plan is very open and ocean air freshens the bright rooms. Their use of white, with bright pops of color here and there lends itself nicely in the living room, and in various bedrooms.
Bridget, who currently is a student in Interior Design, would really love to pursue a career in her beloved field. She puts her love of industrial design to good use, in the handmade desk in her room. Each of the ladies maintain a clean and contemporary appeal within their individual rooms. Communal spaces are not always this easily shared, but I think they have really made the best of their home with their similar tastes.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Bridget: My style is definitely modern — but cozy modern, not cold modern. I am strongly influenced by Scandinavian design, California Mid- Century Modern, and the really clean contemporary designs that are popular right now. Kristy: modern with traditional influences
Inspiration: Bridget: I am very inspired by the ideas of the Case Study Homes Program. We live near the beach and have really beautiful views, lots of natural light, and gentle ocean breezes so I try to promote the indoor/ outdoor lifestyle as much as I can in our space. Kristy: I am inspired by the interior designers and architects that I consult with daily on residential projects world wide.
Favorite Element: Lots of natural light and a great location with an ocean view. The amount of natural daylight and ocean views. Also, we have a ton of built-in storage!
Biggest Challenge: We are four random girls living in a house together, so meshing everyone's stuff to make it feel cohesive was definitely a challenge. The good thing is we all have similar aesthetic preferences and we all really wanted the house to look good.
What Friends Say: "What a find!" and" "I love your house, you can never move."
Biggest Embarrassment: The back yard. We have a fabulous patio in the back of the house, but have not done anything with it yet. It's our next project for the spring and summer.
Proudest DIY: My desk…I designed and built it back in college. Kristy's headboard. But also the window bench in the West Living Room. It's a work in progress, but once we complete the bench cushions it will be so cozy! Most of our stuff is second hand, we are really good at creatively sourcing our furniture.
Biggest Indulgence: Eames Lounger and my Eames Rocking Chair are both hard to beat. The next biggest indulgences would be our nougchi table, our super comfortable sectional sofa, the West Living room chair and a MCM side table.
Best Advice: Live in a space for a while before designing and decorating it completely. It's ok if it's not 100% finished right away
Dream Sources: DWR, B&B Italia, Linea, Knoll, Artemide, Hudson, Holly Hunt, Herman Miller, Poggen Pohl, Alison Berger, Custom furniture is where it's at!
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
- • Bedroom #4: Behr Pure Premium Eucalyptus
• West Living Room: Behr Pure Premium Amber Glow
OCEAN FRONT LIVING ROOM
- • Throw pillows: Crate & Barrel Sectional and Peir 1 Imports
• white shelves, lighting, mirror, desk: IKEA
• console table: cost plus world market
• coffee table: Noguchi
• MCM side table: Foothill 550 (amazing warehouse full of original MCM furniture in all conditions)
• Original photography by Meghan Sedgley
REAR LIVING ROOM
• original MCM Danish sofa: Second-hand
• Eames lounge chair: reproduction
• wool shag rug: Pottery Barn
• coffee table: BOSCUS Designs (Matt Jackson) — it's a sofa table in our case because the sofa sits so low!
DINING ROOM
- • table and chairs: IKEA
BEDROOM #1 - BRIDGET'S ROOM
• artwork: by Bridget, LA ceramic artist Tracey Weiss, and LA painter Roni Feldman
• desk: design and built by Bridget
• bedding: IKEA
• bookshelves: Target
• duvet cover: Bliss Living
• Alvar Aalto vases: from a trip to the Iitala factory in Finland
BEDROOM #2 - MEGHAN'S ROOM
- • Bed, shelving, side tables, linen: IKEA
• Original photography by Joe Thompson and Meghan Sedgley
• throw pillows: Target
BEDROOM #3 KRISTY'S ROOM
- • DIY headboard: by Kristy Benner
• throw pillows: West Elm
• wool rug: West Elm
• duvet cover: IKEA
Thanks, Ladies!
Images: Bethany Nauert
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Awesome! I loved the bedrooms, it really shows all 4 girls have style!
Great place.
Is this like a Golden Girls thing? Before you say SATC, only GG were roommates
That's tough living with four tastemakers in one house! Well done!
What did you use for the window treatments in the dining room? They look like panels but on a curtain rod? Does the configuration allow for the curtain to open?
I'm literally neighbors with these girls! How do I not know them?!? Such a great MB space! They've done a fabulous job... Cheers!
Love this space, tough to believe its four young roommates. When I was a 20 something living with roommates, I slept on the floor and had my clothes on a rolling rack in the living room. I don't think there was any talk of "meshing our personal styles". Seemed a bit cleaned up though, not lived in so much. But, I guess if I was going to be on AT, I'd probably put everything away too :-) Btw, the Eames lounger and rocker were so worth it, beautiful!
@ MegRobins, perhaps you should hint for them to invite you over for drinks and you can see this marvelous house in person! :)
I'm a 20-something girl living in a beach city, too... so obviously I loved EVERYTHING! Definitely need to bookmark this for inspiration.
If I had that bedroom with the huge window and beautiful view, I'd find some way to arrange the bed so that the view was the first thing I saw each morning!
Haha, I was wondering if they would all wind up having the same bed. XD Is it 3 out of 4, or only 2 out of 4?
I like the shower curtain!
My favorite was the blue bedroom with the purple linens. Still beachy, but colorful!
Very nice! I am so envious; my college roommates' tastes ran to those velvet tapestries of dogs playing cards (it was in the living room) and hand-me-down redwood slab coffee tables and wall clocks; very Marin County circa 1974 (before we had been born). This is great; every room looks terrific.
This is terrific! We need to see more roommate spaces on AT. From experience, I know it's not easy to pull off a cohesive look with one or two roommates -- let alone with four!
Good job, Golden Girls.
that is one big smiling happy wall
Very pretty. I envy you living so close to the bech.
So pretty! I really love that little wooden desk in one of the bedrooms. Thanks for sharing your home with us!
I think one of the best things about this home is that it has balance..in colors (neutral/strong), in white walls and wooden floors, etc. Also, they have a knack for just the right amount of furnishings and decoration...not too much and not too minimal...just right!
What I really want to know is: how, with 4 roommates, do you keep it so clean and inviting? What's the division of chores?
love it! light and fresh. beautiful yellow color on the walls in the living room, and a beautiful wooden floor.
I love the yellow paint on the wall -- does anyone know what color it is?
newyorker31 re: the paint color-
West Living Room: Behr Pure Premium Amber Glow
Lovely home!! Beautiful!
Fabulous job! Such creativity, and with an "eye" on the budget. I am getting soooo many ideas! Can you share where you got the pillows on the danish sofa in rear living room? The green/yellow with orange organic shape? They are beautiful!!!
I love the oblong mirror above the desk. I can't tell if it's in the front or rear living room. There is a reference to a mirror from IKEA but I couldn't find it online there. Source?