Name: Scott Diorio and Kitty (my cat, and yes, that’s her name!)
Location: Silver Lake, Los Angeles
Size: 595 sq. ft. One bedroom/One bath half of side-by-side duplex.
Years lived in: Over 1 year, rented

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Say the words "bachelor pad" and many imagine over the top lizard lounge decor, overly done masculine elements and an environment most decorated for show instead of actual living. This isn't the case with Scott's tastefully appointed self-proclaimed bachelor pad in the southern section of Silver Lake. At just under 600 square feet, Scott has been able to integrate his love for vintage MidCentury Modern seamlessly with contemporary pieces from scavenging from all around Los Angeles, with an optimal layout and handsome appeal (to woo or otherwise). Take a peek inside, but watch out for his protective feline friend, Kitty...she's watching you!

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AT Survey:

My/Our style: Classic Mid-Century California Modern.

Inspiration: Jazz, Abstract art (Hard-Edge and Color Spectrum), Palm Springs … Growing up in Southern California and seeing the great designs of the 1950’s and 1960’s in local architecture. Looking at lots of architecture (and their interior) pictures from the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Favorite Element: The amount of light that comes through … and the large grassy yard.

Biggest Challenge: The interior was already painted, so I worked within the constraints of those colors, and tried to choose pieces that were somewhat neutral, yet stood out. I left brighter colors more as an accent, which in turn makes things look more interesting, yet leaves flexibility and portability in changing things if I needed to (or moved).

What Friends Say: - “Wow! It’s so adult!”
- “Very California”
- “Very ‘Mad Men’”
- “Can I have your furniture if something happens to you?”

Biggest Embarrassment: Window AC units. No dishwasher. Peeling paint off of painted over vents, etc.

Proudest DIY: The bedroom, bathroom and kitchen lights: For the pendant lamp over the stove area, I used a recessed can converter kit which cost about $20 from Lowes. I found that you don’t have to use the ugly shades that they sell there, but pretty much any shade where the hole is a big enough diameter to fit the light socket through. I used one of two Danish Verneer Panton Flowerpot-esque lamp shades I bought of eBay, in which I used a grinding point on a drill to make the opening bigger, and then threaded the shade through.

In the bathroom, I wanted to put a light over the toilet, since it is always quite dark in that spot. I only had one outlet, which was far away. I didn’t want to drape cord all over the restroom, but what I did realize however, is that the door had a certain amount of clearance to thread a long cord through, so I took an IKEA Hemma cord, attached an extension cord, ran it along the ceiling, corners, and baseboards with adhesive cord covers. To attach the shade, I took apart the Hemma socket, threaded it through the shade, and reassembled.

Also, the ceiling fan in the kitchen: I took off the set of original blades (will put those back on when I move out), and bought a replacement set which I spray painted with Rustoleum orange.

Biggest Indulgence: The furniture. While I got (for the most part) great deals on everything with respect to how much it would cost normally, it was still costly. At the same time, my parents have always instilled in me to buy quality, and have it last a lifetime, rather than buy cheap, and throw it away in a couple of years. While it’s expensive at first, in the end, quality is almost always a more sound investment. I also wanted to surround myself with beautiful furniture that enhanced the room.

Best advice: Buy quality, and have it last a lifetime, rather that cheap, and throw it away in a couple of years.

Take your time, and let the place “talk to you.” It will organically come together. I myself wound up with pieces that I never thought I would have, but as I acquired each one, it became clear how each piece would compliment the other in my overall goal of how the place should look.

You should want to feel good where you live. Surrounding myself with beautiful furniture and ornamentation has done just that for me.

Dream source: Xcape Long Beach, Denmark 50,

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Furniture:
- Custom Sofa by Steven Anthony from Living Room in Silver Lake (livingroomhome.com)
- Tema Domino Shelves from PlushPod (plushpod.com)
- Coffee Table from Design Within Reach (dwr.com)
- BDI Television Stand from Cantoni (cantoni.com)
- Knoll Saarinen Coffee Table (Craigslist)
- Vintage Marcel Bruer Cesca Chairs (Craigslist)
- Herman Miller Eames Aluminum Group Chair (eBay)
- Vintage McDowell Craig Steel Tanker Desk (eBay)
- Vintage Danish Modern chair (eBay)
- Vintage Tendo Mokko Heron Rocking Chair (eBay)

Accessories:

- Plant pots from yard sales, flea markets, IKEA, and Sunset Nursery.
- Fruit hanging basket and orange floor mats in kitchen from Wal-Mart
- Medicine Cabinet, Shaving mirror and Shelves over stove from IKEA.
- Cat washroom litter box cover from Amazon.com
- Over toilet Étagère from Target
- Shower curtain made custom from Marimekko fabric
- Throw pillows made custom from fabric found on eBay
- Bed throw pillows from Pottery Barn
- Clocks from eBay
- Fans from Restoration Hardware

Lighting:

- Fado lamps from IKEA
- Vintage lamps from eBay and Craigslist


Paint: The interior was already painted as is! I strived to create some contrast and vibrancy with bolder accents.

Flooring: (Provided by landlord) Hardwood as is in the living room and bedroom, non-slip tile in the kitchen and bathroom.

Rugs and Carpets: FLOR carpeting in the bedroom. I just did a border around the bed. The rug in the living room is actually a piece of carpet that I had custom cut and bound into a 5x8 piece at Linoleum City.

Tiles and Stone" (Provided by landlord) I’m fortunate to have granite counter tops in the kitchen and marble tile in the shower!

Window Treatments: Window Treatments are all Levelor custom cut honeycomb shades from Lowe’s. I had them cut at the store for the dimensions of my windows.

Beds: Bedroom set by Against The Grain from Living Room in Silver Lake.
Artwork

- Danish Ege Rya Rug from eBay
- Harris Strong tile mosaic from eBay
- 1960’s Victor Vasarely European Art Exhibit poster from RarePosters.com
- 1960’s Auguste Herbin European Art Exhibit poster from RarePosters.com
- Warhol Flowers print from AllPosters.com
- Verneer Panton-esque concentric circles prints from eBay
- John Coltrane print from eBay
- Sarah Morris print from AllPosters.com
- Mickey Morris print from Craigslist
- Other abstract print (unknown artist) in Kitchen from Craigslist

(Thanks, Scott (and Kitty, even though you hissed at me!)

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