adorevintage_1.jpg

Name: Rodellee Bas- owner of Adore Vintage + fashion stylist
Location: Fashion District – Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Size: 300 square feet
Years worked in: 2 months

Rodellee moved into her downtown workspace just a couple months ago, as she's expanded the audience of her online vintage shop. She needed to have an official space to get all her e-commerce shoots done, and a place to have shoppers actually come in to try things on. She's taken over this wonderful loft space, adding gorgeous nostalgic accessories and vintage furniture to a room already blessed with the most incredible windows full of natural light.

adorevintagethumbnails.jpg

The last time we visited with Rodellee was when we toured her incredibly stylish studio apartment, which is not much larger than her current workspace. She is a fashion stylist and also owner of an online vintage shop aptly titled Adore Vintage. Her workspace is a gorgeous showroom which displays her fondness for beautiful, feminine furniture and clothing. She has made plenty of space for photographing all the pieces, a shipping station for packaging, and putting clothing on display for customers. Visiting her work loft is like visiting a vintage Parisian atelier. J'adore for sure! She even did a tap dance for me before I left. :)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Industrial warehouse meets vintage pretty.

Inspiration: My apartment is very feminine and vintage, and I wanted my workspace to have some more neutral and masculine elements but still stay true to my vintage aesthetic. I also wanted the space to feel very sparse and open and really have the focus be on the vintage garments and wares I carry.

Favorite Element: The industrial workbench and the large lockers, which I picked up from the Long Beach flea market.

Biggest Challenge: Storage is a bit problematic. When all my vintage stock was stored my apartment I had plenty of closets and cupboards to put everything away in. Here in my studio everything is left out in the open, and I really despise clutter and a mess. So I am constantly color coding my racks and arranging things on the shelves so that it always looks neat and pleasing to the eye.

What Friends Say: That I should throw parties here. Which I respond to with a worried look, imagining people spilling cocktails on my collection of Edwardian dresses. But maybe a tea party, that would be lovely. With hats required!

Area where there is room for improvement/future projects: I need storage options. I have my eyes set on a few vintage curios at various antique shops, but I might have open shelving built from metal piping and recycled wood materials. I also need to install curtains to keep the sun away from my vintage stock, as sunlight can be really damaging to fabric, especially delicate dresses from the turn of the century.

Proudest DIY: Painting the studio! Two of the walls were painted this eyesore shade of turquoise blue. It took three coats of primer to get rid of this blue! The walls took me an entire week to paint. Luckily I had some help.

Biggest Indulgence: Probably my vintage dress forms. I just love these old forms. I've added to my collection of vintage dress forms since you last saw me!

Best advice about organizing: I color code to keep things looking organized when you can't put things away somewhere. Little things I place in small boxes, which I store in my lockers.

Dream Sources: Rose Bowl Flea Market, Country Roads Antiques in Orange, Wertz Brothers Antiques in Santa Monica, and Long Beach Flea Market

Resources of Note:

TECH HARDWARE

    • Nikon D40 Camera
    • iPhone, dock/alarm clock/radio

APPLIANCES

    • Mini Fridge & Microwave (came with the space)
    • Clothing Steamer from Amazon

FURNITURE

    • Every piece of furniture is either vintage or secondhand.
    • Green bench: estate sale
    • Green chair: antique shop in Orlando
    • Work bench: Long Beach Flea Market
    • Stool: Craigslist
    • White Screen: Rose Bowl
    • White bookshelves: They came with the space
    •White metal shelves: Irvine Flea Market
    • Lockers: Long Beach Flea Market

ACCESSORIES

    • Dress forms: Flea markets, Craigslist, and Wertz Brothers Antiques
    • Large wooden bins (under the work table): Long Beach Flea Market
    • Clothing racks: Sav-On International Display on Olive Street downtown fashion district
    • Rug: Antique shop in Arizona
    • Pin boards: Goodwill
    • Art: All thrifted or found at flea markets

LIGHTING

    • Basic lighting kit from Amazon with umbrellas and lightstands for product shots

BEDROOM

    • All bins are vintage and sourced from flea markets
    • Hat boxes: Ebay
    • World War II Ammo Trunk: Long Beach Flea Market

Thanks, Rodellee!

Images: Bethany Nauert

• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE: Check out past house tours here.
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our Professional Submission Form.

You might also like