A Well-Designed Day in Downtown Los Angeles
Occupied by a creative couple, this Downtown Los Angeles loft is a vibrant and textured home. Nina Hans is Creative Director of Weekday Studio, a design studio that helps brands visually express themselves. She lives in DTLA with her husband and Weekday Studio co-Founder Jon Hans. They’ve lived in Downtown Los Angeles for ten years, and today, Nina shares some of her favorite well-designed places to visit.
I live right above the Grand Central Market and for one reason or another I find myself here every day—whether it’s just to grab a banana from the fruit stands or a lox and bagel from my favorite Wexler’s Deli. It’s the best because there’s an option for everyone.
Across the street from Grand Central Market is the historic Bradbury Building, an architectural landmark built in 1893. The building really is one of the most beautiful in the whole city, and the moment you walk in you begin to understand why it’s been in works of fiction and used to film so many movie scenes, television shoots, and music videos. It’s a great reminder for some of the history of Los Angeles in the midst of all the revitalization.
Our Weekday Studio office is located on 9th and Broadway so it’s a nice little walk to work every day. One of the things I love most about downtown is the smörgåsbord of cultures it brings together and I get to experience that every day I walk to and from work.
Mid-afternoon I need a break from the office and an americano so I head to Il Caffè. There’s good coffee, they’re friendly, and it’s connected to Acne Studios so it’s a great excuse to peek in and see what gorgeous new designs they have.
Acne Studios is famous for their design, so you’d be certain they’ve thought out every detail of their store, from the branding and packaging to the materials, textures and colors used throughout. Their space is part clothing store and part art gallery all at once.
I’ll never get tired of walking into Aesop—it smells like heaven and looks like an organized person’s paradise.
This is probably an obvious one, but I love grabbing after-work cocktails on the roof top of the Ace Hotel. Designed by Commune, the Ace Hotel DTLA took over the old United Artists building as one of the major renovations in the revitalization of Downtown LA and became an instant neighborhood staple.
This little flower stand is filled with gorgeous bouquets and flower arrangements by the multi-talented chef and butcher, Amelia Rose Posada. Amelia started working at a flower kiosk at the age of 14 and it’s always a pleasure to stop by to smell and admire the beautiful displays or pick up some flowers.
Formerly Yes is ran by the sweetest couple you’ll meet on Broadway, Brad and Jenna, and their darling dog Ernest. This beautiful, minimal home store is my go-to spot for gifts. Brad and Jenna’s description of Formerly Yes is “a store for people who want to buy less, but better”. Need I say more?
See Jon and Nina’s lovely loft in their house tour.
Follow Nina online:
- Weekday Studio’s Instagram: @weekday_studio
- Weekday Studio’s website
- Weekday Studio on Pinterest
Our “well-designed day” neighborhood guides are a visual tour of what a great day looks like from the perspective of a local.
You’ve loved the peeks inside gorgeous homes from around the world, so we thought we’d ask house tour stars to share their other homes—the neighborhoods and cities they live in. These are the stylish, colorful, bold and fun spaces that these locals would visit if they were designing a great day of stopping at favorite spots (or lounging around at home!). You can follow on our Instagram as we post images from their well-designed day and read more about this series.