After living in New York for more than a decade, TV writer, actress, comedian, activist, author, and producer Franchesca Ramsey moved to Los Angeles fall of 2020. “I’d been toying with the idea for months, but the pandemic along with a last minute acting job solidified the decision for me. My last few apartments were in crumbling prewar buildings, so I decided I wanted a full upgrade and went with a sleek midrise. As much as I wanted a funky LA apartment with personality and charm I focused on amenities since I anticipated spending lots of time at home,” writes Franchesca.

“Decorating my spot was both therapeutic and a way to cope with the loneliness of the pandemic and my new life as a divorcee. I’ve jokingly called my apartment a ‘selfie emporium’ because it’s filled with colorful backdrops perfect for photos and filming. Ironically my most colorful murals were painted when I was hella depressed! My undergrad degree is in graphic design so I had a lot of fun making mood boards and compositing photos/designs in photoshop to come up with the look and feel of my apartment. I love color and texture so my place features almost every color of the rainbow, but I think it works without feeling too juvenile.”

“I really love the community at my building. (This is not sponsored, but I wish it was.) I’ve made friends with a handful of my neighbors, and the management company throws regular events and there’s a different food truck every week,” writes Franchesca. “Think Melrose Place but without the drama. When I’m not at the pool with friends/neighbors, I’m inside working, cooking, and talking to my dog.”

My Style: Colorful, eclectic, gold, patterned, glowing

Inspiration: I like handmade elements but I also love a little glam. I think of myself as “budget bougie” meaning I enjoy nice things but I’m always looking for a bargain. I love Etsy and local flea markets, and I will happily sit on an item for months just so I can take advantage of a holiday sale or accumulated credit card points. I’m most inspired by homes that are quirky, colorful, and take risks in their styling and design. It’s important to me that my home has lots of personal touches and unique elements that reflect my style.

Favorite Element: The LED sculpture over my peloton makes me feel like I’m in a club whenever I work out. Pro-tip: I used 3M clear outdoor light clips to hang all my lights. No drills needed and you can barely see them. I’ve also really enjoyed collecting random gold animals and tucking them all around my apartment. If you ever need to buy me a gift, just get me a gold animal statue.

Biggest Challenge: My apartment is a bit of a cave. My office doesn’t have windows and overhead lighting is either non-existent or just abysmal. My LED light sculptures were a great solution to brightening things up while also being fun to look at. (Huge shout outs to interior designer Liz Kamarul for the inspiration!) Best of all, everything is dimmable. The color of the LED strip in my bedroom can also be adjusted, which is fun and kinda sexy.

Proudest DIY: I’m passionate about my guest bathroom. I spent three days painting this pink and white graphic pattern, loosely inspired by Kelly Wearstler’s “Graffito” wallpaper. It’s one of my favorite spots for outfit photos since I pass it right before I leave the house. Here’s a fun speed through of the process on my IG:

Most recently I did this fun brushstroke accent wall in my entryway and it makes me smile whenever I walk through the door. It took about three hours start to finish. Here’s a speed through of the process on my IG:

Biggest Indulgence: My couch, which was almost four grand. And yes, totally worth it. I’ve never owned a new couch, so I decided to invest in something practical but also neutral enough that I can comfortably keep for years. It has a full-sized, pull-out bed and a hidden storage compartment in the chaise, which I use for extra bedding.

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? I absolutely LOVE my barstools. They’re so swanky but best of all very comfortable. I absolutely loathe a backless stool; they’re such a pain to sit in. But I didn’t realize how hard it would be to find stools that had gold hardware, matched my color scheme, and had a comfortable back. So when I found these at a local furniture store I was super excited but the sales associate was so rude I decided to purchase elsewhere in protest. It took me a minute to find them because I didn’t have the product name, but after endless googling I tracked them down and best of all was able to get them on super sale.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: It’s kinda basic, but I’m a big fan of stackable cubes and baskets. They’re perfect for closets, cabinets, and drawers. As far as I’m concerned you can never have enough of them.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Here’s my hack for getting your artwork, accessories, and paint colors to perfectly complement each other — I used the Coolors app to create color palettes for each room. Basically you pick one or two colors you like and then the app will pull complementary colors for it. Then I took screenshots of those palettes and used Home Depot’s ProjectColor app to find the exact paint colors! You can also use photos of artwork or items in your home to color match in both apps. For my gallery wall I traced all my artwork/frames on brown paper bags and used them to plan the layout before hanging everything. Here’s an IG reel of how I did it:

• Living Room — Behr “Sweet Juliet”
• Entryway — Behr “Expressionism,” Behr “Dragon Fruit,” Behr “Sweet Juliet,” Behr “Horizon Haze,” and “Bayou.”
• Office — Behr “Fiji,” Behr “Essential Teal,” and Behr “Laser”
• Bedroom – Behr “Sunlit Topaz”
• Bathroom — Behr “Cottage Rose”

• Dimmable LED Light Strip — Amazon
• Blue Brush Strokes Art — Etsy
• Brass Floating Frames — Target

• Urban Sleeper Sectional with Storage — West Elm
• Artwork — Mix of found items, flea markets (Rose Bowl and Long Beach), Etsy, handmade, magazine clippings, personal photos
• Cosmo Side Table — West Elm
• Gold/glass Nesting Coffee Table — Home Depot
• Cairo LED floor lamp — Jonathan Y via Amazon
• Terrace Floating Frames Brass — West Elm
• Kit Console Table — AllModern (no longer available online)
• Saturn Floor Lamp — Bright Tech
• Candice Luter Fringe Mirror — Etsy
• Custom Loop de Loop Fiber Art — Etsy
• LuxManna Abstract Wall Art — Etsy
• Oversized Door Knob Tassel — Etsy
• Pueruvian Eye Mirror — West Elm
• Gold Monstera Art Print — Desenio
• Woman in Purple Art Print — Desenio
• Small Ripple Box — Jonathan Adler
• Gold Leaf on Marble Stand — World Market
• Double Arch Candle Holder — World Market
• Detours Reversible Quilt — Woonwinkel
• Lady Beetles — Studioroof
• Raspberry Velvet Tufted Pillow — World Market
• NuLoom Vintage Medallion Area Rug — Amazon
• Leopard Velvet Ball Pillow — Etsy

• Peloton Bike — Facebook Marketplace
• Sector Office Desk White Gold — Home Threads
• Eversole Velvet Cocktail Ottoman — Wayfair
• Kai USB Table Lamp — Bright Tech
• Margo Selby Lacquer Wall Art, Green Multi — West Elm
• Dayton Console Table — Wayfair
• Rubbermaid Track Shelving — Home Depot
• Ripple Box — Jonathan Adler
• Gold Metal Desk Organizer — Amazon
• Waves Terracotta Rug — Overstock

• Everly Quinn Barstool — Wayfair (I originally purchased these from AllModern but no longer available)
• Studio Roof Bouquet — Woonwinkel

• African Woven Wall Baskets — Etsy
• Floyd Queen Platform Bed with Under Storage — Floyd
• Wood Tiled 6 Drawer Dresser — West Elm
• Vera Ceramic Side Table — Urban Outfitters
• Round Leather Pouf — Wayfair
• Hand Woven Jute Rug — Etsy
• Hovet Mirror — IKEA
• Umasqu Bug Wall Art — Etsy
• Blue Art Depo African woman Wall Art and Black Yellow Dots Art — Etsy
• Bohemian Wall Tassel — Etsy
• Neon LED Rope Light — Amazon
• Double Macrame Hanging Planter — Bloomscape
• Hand Ring Holder — Etsy
• Decorative Carved Jewelry Boxes — HomeGoods
• Orange Wedding Knot Sculpture — Rose Bowl Flea Market
• Large Woven Laundry Basket — New York Street Market
• Ombre Seagrass Basket — Home Goods
• Brass Arch Floor Lamp with Marble Base — World Market
• Jungalow + Opalhouse Striped Pillow — Target
• Throw Pillows — West Elm, Target, World Market
• Clipped Diamonds Chambray Bed Set — West Elm
• Metal Art Piece with Marble Base — HomeGoods
• Rachel Zoe Lamp — HomeGoods
• Extra Large Digital Alarm Clock — Target
• Jewelry Bust — Etsy

• Reversible Zebra Bath Mat — Jonathan Adler
• Animal Masks Wall Decor — Etsy

Thanks Franchesca!

This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

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