Marcia Prentice

Name: Aubin Crowell of Rebuilt Inc., Florice Houde, and Monkey, Shy Girl, Lil’ Pi, and Ninja Location: Silver Lake – Los Angeles, California Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 4 1/2 years Aubin and Florice’s modern loft is an interesting study of mixing elements to create a successful interior design.

Name: Brock Harris Real Estate Location: Silver Lake; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,830 square feet Years in business: 11 years This 3-level loft was originally built by Rob Brill, the drummer for Berlin. When Brock was looking for a space to open his brokerage, he came across the loft for sale and immediately made an offer. Because the street is dual-zoned, the loft and bedrooms now serve as an office for the seven agents of Brock’s firm.

Name: Orrin (9) & Thacher (7) Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington Room Size: 20′ x 17′ Orrin and Thacher’s shared room is a sophisticated take on sleepaway camp, complete with a bunk bed and nods to nature and stargazing. The boys’ parents are Nick and Erin Cloke – founders of KicKee Pants. Erin creates all the designs for the brand and used her design expertise for the boys’ bedroom.

Name: Peggy Hsu and Chris McCullough — architects and co-founders and owners of Hsu McCullough, an architecture practice based in Los Angeles. Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 1,130 square feet (house) + 350 square feet (detached garage) on 5,700 square foot lot Years lived in: 7 years Husband and wife architects Chris and Peggy founded a firm together, and they also collaborated on the remodel of their Los Angeles home.

Name: Kathrin Smirke and Brian Smirke Location: Joshua Tree, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: A little over 1 year (part-time) Kathrin and Brian put an ad on Craigslist looking for a cabin in Joshua Tree. They were so surprised when they received an e-mail from someone with a geodesic dome in the desert. Before the dome was even put on the market, Kathrin and Brian were in escrow to buy it. They often say it was fate; the dome found them!

Name: Hilary Location: Silver Lake; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,450 square feet Years lived in: 1 year Hilary bought a duplex in the hills of Silver Lake and converted it into a single family residence. It was the perfect location, with an incredible view. First she hired an architect and engineer, to figure out the structural aspects of the project, and then she turned to design firm Design Vidal to realize the interior and exterior design.

Name: Christopher Rodriguez, Entertainment Attorney, and Damian Pelliccione, Host/Producer/Event Coordinator, New Media Vault & Boys in Tech Location: Echo Park; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years Chris and Damian had been living in a loft and wanted to move into a house, so they purchased this small home as a fixer-upper.

Name: Gallerist Anthony Cran and fashion stylist Naomi Wilding, owners of Wilding Cran Gallery Location: West Adams; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years It’s no surprise that Naomi Wilding and Anthony Cran have so much style, considering that Naomi’s grandmother is Elizabeth Taylor and Anthony’s father is a prolific painter. Anthony’s father, Chris Cran, has his work represented at the Wilding Cran Gallery.

Name: John Conneely, general contractor/owner of California Modern, and Erin Sheehan Location: Eagle Rock; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 3 1/2 years John immediately fell in love with this Eagle Rock Mid-Century house, and during its remodel he found a letter in the wall saying that the house was built with lots of love. He felt that good energy when he first walked into the house. Erin knew John for over a year before she saw his home.

Name: Robert Harbour Location: Eagle Rock; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: Less than 6 months You may remember Robert’s previous home from his house tour 2 years ago. He emailed me a few months ago, saying he purchased a beautiful new midcentury home and was in the process of restoring it. Robert has used a handful of the same furnishings in his new place, while making a few new purchases.

Name: Jason Stein – Senior Specialist, Design at Paddle8 Location: Highland Park; Los Angeles, California Size: 972 square feet Years lived in: 4 years Jason was a first time home buyer and was just not finding a house that really spoke to him. When he told his realtor to expand his East Los Angeles search to Highland Park, they discovered this Spanish house up in the hills. It’s Jason’s perfect combination of cozy and modern.

Name: Chelsea Matthews, CEO & Founder of Matte Black (a cultural marketing firm) + other creative businesses in the space – SVZ Interior Design and Willa Creative Location: Culver City; Los Angeles, California Size: 2,000 square feet Years in business: 2 years You might remember Chelsea from her house tour a year and a half ago. She had this incredible style and matte black walls in her living room and bedroom.

Name: Vahan Petrossian Location: Melrose District; Los Angeles, California Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 8 months Vahan is like many Angelenos who prefer to live in a small home or bungalow instead of a typical apartment building. He found his place by mistake, but all it took was walking through the living room and Vahan was sold. An added bonus was all the windows and the greenery seen through the windows. I don’t know that you can really put a name on Vahan’s style.

Name: Peggy North, party designer and owner of Fire and Creme Kids Location: Venice; Los Angeles, California Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 11 years We fell in love with Peggy’s home because it is an inspirational example of how to combine Craftsman architecture with a beach aesthetic, while adding in in your own personal artistic and bohemian flair. Peggy moved from Paris, so of course there is also a European vibe happening as well.

Name: Snog Productions Location: Silver Lake; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 6 years – 1 year at loft Deborah, the owner of Snog Productions, originally found her loft while attending a meeting in the building. The lofts are located in a restored carpet dying factory originally built in 1925. Deborah’s space is separated into two parts — the lower level which is made to feel like a greenhouse, and the upper level which simulates home.

Name: The Cool School Location: Glendale; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,000 square feet Years in Business: Opened January 6, 2014 When designing a workspace, it can be tricky to create a functional design without using typical office furniture. Los Angeles art space The Cool School, with its minimal design and custom furniture, is such an inspiration for this reason. The furniture blends in with the architecture and lets the artwork be the focus in the space.

Name: Brian Gennett, interior and furniture designer Location: Hollywood Dell; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: Almost 2 years You may remember Brian from his New York city house tour a few years ago. He has since moved to Los Angeles, so it is fun to see how he’s adapted his furniture to a completely different space.

Name: Louiza Babouryan, fashion designer Location: Sherman Oaks; Los Angeles, California Size: 400 square feet Years in business: 3 years Louiza’s studio is a great example of how fashion and interiors can combine to create a beautiful space. She didn’t set out to design her studio per se, but just filled the space with necessary fashion objects — collections of books and magazines, mannequins, and mirrors.

Name: Lucie Ayres, interior designer at 22 Interiors & Chris Ayres, author & journalist Location: Hollywood Hills; Los Angeles, California Size: 2,750 square feet Years lived in: 7 years Lucie and her husband Chris bought their house after falling in love with the dramatic living room and the history of the home. The 1927 Spanish Colonial was previously owned by Hollywood developer Charles C. Toberman, known as “Mr.

Name: Drew Fuller, actor, and Ceara McAuliffe, of Middle Sister General Vintage Location: Hollywood Hills; Los Angeles, California Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years Drew grew up at the beach in Orange Country and Ceara was raised in Venice, so they wanted their Hollywood Hills home design to have a connection to the coastal lifestyle.

Name: Scotti Sitz, creator of GARDE (lifestyle, gift, and home accessories shop) Location: Hancock Park; Los Angeles, California Size: 2,600 square feet Years lived in: 4 months Scotti’s home reminds me of the classic California Spanish-style interiors you find in Malibu or Santa Barbara. The home (and its inhabitant) carry such elegance and beauty without being overly fussy.

Name: Charlie Location: Echo Park – Los Angeles, California Room Size: 120 square feet Charlie was just a baby when she made her first Apartment Therapy debut in her family’s house tour. Her itty-bitty room barely fit a crib and a small play area and I was very curious how her room would transform as she grew older.

Name: Ara Katz and Chris Ovitz Location: Abbot Kinney Boulevard; Venice, California Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years Ara and Chris decided to move in together and looked endlessly for a loft, but couldn’t find the right space. They kept coming back to a loft building on Abbot Kinney as the model for their dream home, but every unit was already occupied. Ara constantly kept her eye on the building and after a long wait, a unit was finally available.

Name: Annah Zafrani – SVP Media Promotions, Universal Pictures & Co-owner of Loren Stewart, and Benny Zafrani – Owner of Honeydew Intimates Location: Valley Village — Los Angeles, California Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 11 years When Annah and Benny decided to start a family, they also decided to move to the Valley into a family-friendly neighborhood. They found a new home with a great floor plan with a logical flow, located on a quiet tree lined street.

Name: Janel Holiday Huff, Interior Designer and Principal of Janel Holiday Interior Design, and Jim, Freelance Maverick Design Curator and Captain of soon to be opened Blu Dot Showroom in San Francisco Location: San Francisco, California Size: 1,350 square feet Years lived in: 6 1/2 years Janel and Jim’s home is feminine, or maybe it’s eclectic, and/or Mid-Century modern — I would say it really can’t be defined by one particular style.

Name: Alex Cole & Sarah Brady: Alex is an art director, and Sarah was in the trend forecasting business for 11 years prior to opening Platform with Alex. Location: Highland Park – Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Alex has lived in the house for 6 years, Sarah has lived there for close to 3 years. I took a few looks around Alex and Sarah’s home and asked Alex where he has lived. I could tell that he had lived in a few international cities. His face lit up.

Name: Bill Johnson and Leah Forester Johnson, wife, mother, and blogger Location: Venice – Los Angeles, California Size: 3,300 square feet (main house), 1,000 square feet (man cave) Years lived in: 8 years (approximately 2 years since the remodel) If you’ve ever believed in fate, keep reading: this story is for you. I am not just showing you a beautiful house on the boardwalk in Venice — this home has a special story behind it.

Name: Jennifer Chong – Designer & Photographer Location: Belmont Heights – Long Beach, California Size: Around 400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years Jennifer’s small space proves that you can be happy living with just what you need. She loves to travel, so she would much rather have experiences than expensive stuff. Still, with all the fun artwork, graphics, and small accessories, her live/work space is very lively and inviting.

Name: Tracy Metro, TV host and designer and Marty Metro, Owner of UsedCardboardBoxes.comLocation: Belmont Shore – Long Beach, CaliforniaSize: 1975 40′ Harbor Master Houseboat Years lived in: Owned 5 years Who would pass up an opportunity to photograph a house boat (and not just any house boat)? Tracy and Marty’s home away from home is such a nice break from the stress of keeping up in the big city.Tracy and Marty have really fallen in love with the local bay community.

Name: Carol LeFlufy, Photographer’s Agent – Eye Forward AgencyLocation: Silverlake – Los Angeles, California Size: 1400 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 4 1/2 years I was referred to Carol through a friend, and couldn’t wait to see her home in person. Can you believe that her home was built by a young architect in his 20s?

Name: Peter Hassler: web producer by day, designer by night Location: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New YorkSize: Whole house roughly 4,000 square feet, owner living area roughly 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 9 years What I love most about the East Coast is the really old architecture, especially brownstones! Peter lives in my dream home, with tall ceilings, original moulding, and stunning woodwork everywhere. His mix of old and new and how it plays off each other really works in his home.

Name: Marjorie Skouras Location: Hollywood, California Size: 3200 square feetYears lived in: 24 years A few weeks ago I was driving up the canyon to go for an afternoon hike. I literally had to pull over when I saw Marjorie’s place. It was a very interesting looking house with a life-sized taxidermy figure staring back at me through the window!I was in for a very special treat when I met the owner, Marjorie. She is so warm and welcoming — it felt like I knew her for a long time.

Name: Dabito / Graphic Designer + Photographer / Old Brand New Location: Carthay Circle – Los Angeles, California Size: 1000 square feet Years lived in: Five months Dabito’s apartment is in a beautiful historical building with original detailing. I love how he contrasted that classic architecture with his mid-century modern furniture and decor. What also makes his place so amazing is that almost everything was thrifted or purchased second hand.

Name: Cameron (5)Location: Sherman Oaks, CARoom Size: 16′ x 16′ Now that Cameron is five years old, he wanted a cool, big boy room. The room is definitely all boy and the graphic wallpaper and bold colors give it a more modern aesthetic. The space is pretty large for child’s room, so his parents were faced with the challenge of dividing up the room into different play areas. Designer Shirry Dolgin helped bring the design together to create a special room for Cameron.

Name: Lisa Borgnes Giramonti (Embroidery artist/writer/creator of A Bloomsbury Life blog) & Piero Giramonti (President of Dangerbird Records) Location: Los Feliz – Los Angeles, California Size: 2500 square feet Years lived in: 4 years When you walk into Lisa and Piero’s home, you instantly forget that you are still in Los Angeles. The wood burning fireplaces, dark walls, and black painted bookcases are definitely not typical of what you would find in an LA home.

Name: Faith Blakeney Location: The Treehouse – Los Angeles, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 2 years I spent a warm Sunday hanging out with Faith at her bohemian treehouse. She is one stylish lady (and, yes, she is the sister of Justina Blakeney). When Faith moved from New York a few years back, she looked at place after place on Craigslist only to get frustrated because she had her heart set on lving in Venice.