Name: Taylor
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Size: 700 sq. ft.
Rent/Own: Rent
What is the advantage of SMALL? Small has more impact. Even the most subtle details can make a huge statement. When you enter a small apartment you are forced to be intimate with all of the objects. It is inviting and when done well, a highly engaging experience.

What's your favorite resource for your home?
The garbage. I've found some of my favorite treasures abandoned on the street or in the dumpster.
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home?
The case study - esque sofa I rescued from the street. Best score EVER.




Comments (29)
This would be good for the Guess The Decade? contest.
What a fun and cheerful place!
I really like the colors you used. Is that a Kime Buzzeli painting I spy?
I love the wall covering in the bedroom - is that paper? fabric?
I think I used the exact same greenish yellow paint on the back of my bookcase too!
I love the bedding and the sputnik light.
ok...talk about funky...I like it a lot. That wall color is so fun and funky! I like that covering in the bedroom too.
unique
love the pink couch on green wall. and all the pattern.
If this apartment was a person, it would The Guy That Tries Too Hard. It seems too 'theme-y', and a bit harsh; I feel like if it was just dialed back a bit and warmed up a bit, that it would be awesome.
cool. bonus points for making treasure from other people's trash. this place might not be gorgeous or perfect, but it shows practical and creative commitment to REduce, REuse, REcycle. thanks for sharing!
It seems very secluded and quiet--I chalk that up to your excellent lighting and color sensibility. However, it does seem like there are little clusters of life and interest separated by expanses of emptiness. For example, the corner in your first photo is great, but then the area around the sofa seems a little lifeless. I had a difficult time imagining everything together as a cohesive interior. From one renter to another, however, I know how difficult it can be to walk the fine line of improving the space without spending too much money on an apartment that you'll ultimately move out of. Great find on that sofa.
looove the little white bookcase with the green interior!
You go, dumpster-diver. Great use of color, pattern and texture. Feels very balanced and interesting at the same time. And loads of personality to boot... If this apartment was a person, I'd ask it out on a date.
Score on the found sofa! And I love the mid-century theme.
I can't believe there weren't more "super cools"
I think this is funky and TERRIFIC!
I'm so tired of the predictable DWR boutique hotel look with two colors.
NICE use of color.
love it
i like the art
the colors....
the layout....
genius!
what a cute sofa! good catch indeed.
Very funky and quite a stylish space. I love you've repurposed items and made them your own. Not quite my style but it definitely shows yours.
I was also surprised by the lack of "super-cool"s. While it's perhaps not to everyone's taste, nor mine, I think that it has a lot of energy and flair. It takes quite a bit of ingenuity to pull all of that together and make something cohesive.
You've done a fabulous job, considering that you rent. Bravo!
I think this is potentially a super-cool in another 1-2 years. Taylor definitely has some big cojones, taste-wise, and there's wit and spirit in his home. It's just that some parts feel less than fleshed out still, but I bet in another year or so, he'll get there.
Baffled that there aren't more super-cools...yet. LOVE the table next to the couch!
Hi everyone!
My name is Taylor - it's an honor to share my home with you.
I'm a design student on a small budget, so it's nice to get such great feedback.
I just wanted to answer a couple questions:
Yes! Those are Kime Buzzelli paintings! I love her and I think you will too if you are a fan of amazing technicolor feminine dreamscapes:
http://themoldydoily.typepad.com/photos/pretty_things_i_made/478593385_6be2711a89.html
The wall with the circular print is actually a bedspread I nailed on the wall. They sell them at Urban Outfitters for around $20. Multi-purpose and affordable!
Thanks again!!
It looks like you are a very resourceful and enthusiastic space-maker.
But having, and finding, a bunch of stuff doesn't mean you have to use it all.
(I do the same often.)
:)
That style of bedroom drapes and the over-the-top wall graphic are so unnecessary.
You could also revisit the composition of your 'groupings'.
Odd balance and choices.
You do have some great pieces, but they are a little down-market looking mixed with some of the other 'stuff' in the place.
When you're in the mood: reorganize and edit.
Someone called my walls "snot" colored, and your walls are kinda similar. So to that I say, "Snot is beautiful!"
Cool artwork and furniture! Fun and interesting without being loud.