Silver Lake

A matcha bar, hidden projector, and the coolest closet/dining room: These two best friends have crafted a one-of-a-kind rental home in Los Angeles.

Kit and John love this apartment’s vaulted ceilings, French doors, and outdoor space (and more!) so much, they’ve rented it for 14 years.

Celebrity interior designer Francesca Grace describes her own home’s style as a “maximalist treasure trove,” an “antique lover’s dream,” and like “if a hotel was a home.”

The best decorating advice artist Ben Cuevas ever received came from Amy Sedaris. "...[S]he says that she viewed her rental deposit as her design fee — which I think is just brilliant. If you’re renting, but plan to stay put for a while and want to really make your space your own, consider your deposit the fee you pay for being able to live in a space you truly love and can call your own."

Emily's house, built in 1938 on a hillside in Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood, is like living in a vibrant 1980s tropical treehouse. Emily and her husband remodeled and designed the home themselves, creating a "colorful family home with daily vacay vibes."

Francesca owns Francesca Grace Home, a home staging and interior designer company, and her California Craftsman in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood is full of vintage furnishings, modern lines, bold colors, and energetic patterns.

Amanda Montell is a language scholar and the writer and author of the books "Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language" and the just-released "Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism."

Fay Wolf and her partner live AND work in just 660 square feet.

Small or large, one room or ten, a home renovation is a big undertaking that often involves a few unavoidable hiccups along the way. When I visited Dustin & Maya’s Eclectic Silver Lake Home, I was surprised to learn that they had completely renovated and designed their spacious house in just six short months. I picked up a few tips for you renovating readers when I visited the busy hands-on couple.

Name: Molly Cranna and Andrew Rudmann Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented Molly Cranna and Andrew Rudmann have lived in their Silver Lake apartment for two years, but at first it’s hard to tell. The couple has taken their time making the space their own, filling it with only the most essential and desired pieces.

Name: Ashley Drost, pups Lazer + Leroy Location: Silver Lake; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; owned Enter Ashley’s sunny and revamped 1914 Craftsman home and it’s immediately clear that the saying is true, home is what you make of it. After years of renting on the West side and an exhaustive real estate search, she stumbled on this home in Silver Lake.

Name: Raquel Lynn and Adam Korbesmeyer (plus Mango the Pomeranian ) Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Originally from Ohio (and after a short stint in New York), Raquel and her husband Adam found their way to Los Angeles two years ago. Situated in Silver Lake, this recently renovated apartment is in a great location, but the couple needed this space to be more than just a home base for exploring Los Angeles.

Name: Ashley Neese Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Though Ashley Neese was born in a small town in Wisconsin and grew up in Georgia, she went to grad school in San Francisco in 2005 … and hasn’t left the West Coast. She wanted to build a practice in the healing arts and fell in love with the light and energy of Los Angeles. “I dreamed about living in L.A. when I was much younger.

Name: Erin Cullerton of Design Agency Co and Melanie McGraw of Monk Provisions Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned When Erin and Mel felt it was time to look for a home together, they never dreamed they would be able to find something affordable in the Silver Lake area.

Name: Drew Vuong Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 600 square feet Years live in: 7 years, renting With the constant sunny Los Angeles weather, Drew Vuong wanted to incorporate his love of outdoors and patio living in the inside of his home. He has created a great space for entertaining, leisure, and displaying his favorite artwork both personal and collected.

Name: Isaac Aptaker Location: Silver Lake; Los Angeles, CA Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Aside from the fact that it’s oozing with Mid-century charm, Isaac Aptaker’s home in the hills on the east side of Los Angeles has two big things going for it: privacy, and spectacular views of the city.

This organizational consultant's Silver Lake apartment is full of color and smart storage.

Name: Tracy Bunkoczy Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 3 months; rented Tracy recently downsized and relocated to Silver Lake to get a fresh start. With this move, she has gained a second floor walk-up apartment flooded with ample natural light, gorgeous architectural details, and an incredible view from her little deck.

Name: Katy Goodman and Todd Wisenbaker Location: Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented So having 15 guitars may not sound minimal, but I’m convinced indie rockers Katy Goodman and Todd Wisenbaker of the band La Sera are nailing efficient living.

It’s no secret Katy Goodman and Todd Wisenbaker of the band La Sera have style. Just like their guitar-filled Silver Lake home, their fashion choices are fueled by carefree living and an insatiable love of music. They share one small bedroom closet and a modest-sized dresser, and while neither storage device is bursting at the seams, the couple’s daily fashion choices are anything but lackluster.

Name: Jaya Williams, Maggie Shafran, Steph Sloan Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 1250 square feet Years lived in: Rented 8 months Jaya writes: “Maggie and I met during undergrad at Pitzer College in Claremont, California and Maggie and Steph grew up together in Sun Valley, Idaho. We all three got together after we graduated in 2014 and moved to Los Angeles and have had this amazing sister-best-friend-wife dynamic.

Name: Joanna, Audie and son Arlo Location: Silver Lake —Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Renting less than a year Joanna and Audie’s charming 1920s bungalow trades indoor space for a large, private yard (something of a unicorn in the bustling hillside neighborhood of Silver Lake).

Name: Kristine Claghorn and Mark Harrison and SETI the cat (stands for “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence”, of course) Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Kristine and Mark knew they were meant to be together when they both bonded over their separate rock collections. She’s a creative producer and artist, he’s a documentary editor, and their cat, SETI, is an expert at being adorable.

Name: Nick McPhail Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented With the price of rent quickly increasing every year in Los Angeles, artist Nick McPhail was lucky to grab this perfect little home all for himself. Complete with a backyard that houses an organic garden and a ceramics studio, this home embodies the ideal of a live/work space.

Name: Dustin Lancaster and Maya Brenner, kids Jack and Sadie, and dog Roxy Location: Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California Size: 2,700 square feet (house) Years lived in: 6 months; Owned Hard-working entrepreneurs Dustin and Maya can now add their beautiful six-month home renovation to the long list of productive ventures they’ve accomplished in the last year.