Name: Melissa Ozuna
Location: Redondo Beach, California
Size: approx. 500 square feet — 1 bedroom
Years lived in: 2½ — rent

Melissa lives in a charming one bedroom classic bungalow, a few blocks from the beach. Her home is modest and charming filled with colorful modern furnishings. As I was shooting her home, she reveals that she works for Mattel, in design merchandising for Barbie Dolls. However, she's also studied and has a real love of home furnishings and interior design.

Melissa_housetour_thumb.jpg

This home is light and airy, and is ideal for any woman living on her own. Like many classic Southern California bungalow homes, it's one of many little houses all lined up in a row, complete with a green lawn and flowers. Her house smells like fresh flowers and scented candles, as each room is thoughtfully decorated with fun lighting fixtures and rich colors.

I really enjoyed seeing her family photographs, portraits and her own colorful painting in the hallway — which was very Rothko-esque. The decals in the bedroom over the bed bring that nature element, and bring forward the bed to the main focus of the room. Her natural light lends a very easy breezy element to each room.

Enjoy!

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Comfortable Modern

Inspiration: A love for design and making my home a place I want to come home to.

Favorite Element: A couple things: The large bay front windows that bring in light, the arched hallway entrance, and the original wood floors. All of these bring character to the space.

Biggest Challenge: Creating a room that can be living and an office space in a small footprint. The desk is large and needed to find a wall that could hold it.

What Friends Say: It's quaint, comfortable, stylish and very livable. Most of all its very me. Ahh makes me feel good that they are happy!

Biggest Embarrassment: The armoire desk covers the floor heater causing the house to be cold in the winter. All guests complain its freezing! It gets to about 55 degrees; I chose furniture over warmth, I tell them to make sure they wear socks and warm clothes.

Proudest DIY: I haven't done too many huge projects since I rent. My favorite DIY is the bedroom wall where I painted it dark on one single wall to create depth and added the wall decal. People ask if I painted the design, I tell them I wish! When I moved, there were no window coverings or it had hideous cheap fixtures. I added window coverings, light, and bathroom fixtures.

Biggest Indulgence: I still have my first grown up piece of bedroom furniture from Ethan Allen after I got my first post college job, I was proud to be a real home designer and that I had furniture with Mortise and Tenon joints.

Best Advice: Try to stay away from buying furniture sets that all match. This way your space won't look like a showroom, but to buy from many different sources and genres so you can create a space of your own. I like to buy things that are made with high quality that last. I don't buy just because it's cheap. I like to stress to buy expensive pieces from craigslist to make the most of your money and to only buy new couches. When people ask what to do first in their new place, I always stress to paint the walls. It's so cheap and makes a huge statement.

Dream Sources: Design Within Reach, Craigslist, Room & Board, IKEA, West Elm, CB2, Crate & Barrel, furniture outlets, Pottery Barn.

Resources of Note:

PAINT & COLORS

    • Living Room: Benjamin Moore, Prescott Green
    • Bedroom: Benjamin Moore, Victorian lace (lighter), dark burgundy (don't remember exact color name)
    • Hallway: Benjamin Moore, Natural Wicker

ENTRY/LIVING ROOM

    • Couch, TV stand: Room & Board
    • Desk armoire: Hold Everything
    • Rug: Angela Adams at DWR
    • Arc lamp: warehouse furniture store in Downtown LA
    • Bookcase: Crate & Barrel
    • Vertical bookcase: DWR
    • Coffee table: DWR
    • Fiberglass shell chair and Nelson lamps: MODERNICA
    • Desk lamp: Pablo

KITCHEN

    • Dining table: CB2
    • Nelson bubble lamp: Design Within Reach
    • Rug: West Elm
    • Bookcases: Target
    • LA print: ORK
    • Dining chairs: Design Within Reach

BEDROOM

    • Bed, dresser, side table: Ethan Allen
    • Wall art: Etsy.com and IKEA
    • Drapes: bought the fabric from downtown LA garment district and had them made by my aunt who is a seamstress.
    • Red Side chair: reminds me of my dance class days and love the pop of color. It's from Design Within Reach

BATHROOM

    • Fixtures: Pottery Barn
    • Organize shelves: William Sonoma Home and Container Store
    • Shower curtain from Crate amp; Barrel

Thanks, Melissa!

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.

Store Mentions

You might also like