A San Francisco Boho Beach Rental Apartment

Name: Christina Higham and fiance Daniel Kadvany
Location: Outer Sunset — San Francisco, California
Size: 800 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, renting

Daniel and I moved into our little beach apartment about three years ago—the location sold us immediately. It’s steps away from San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. This was our first home together so it was definitely an exercise in blending both of our styles and needs. I’m an interior designer so I am definitely opinionated on the design front—Daniel is an avid surfer and works from home—so ample storage and a workspace was important. We transformed the second bedroom into an office or what we call “The Board Room.” We made a custom plywood storage bench and had cushions made with my favorite blue marbled Rebecca Atwood fabric that reminds me of the ocean. Daniel made the wall-mounted board rack to house his ever-growing collection of surfboards.

In the living room we hacked an IKEA BESTA unit and put a custom piece of wood along the top to create a floating credenza—I love that this frees up some floor space for all of my design books and provides hidden storage. The art around our TV is a mix of things I’ve picked up here and there and Daniel’s own photography.

The inspiration for our home is definitely our surroundings—the beach first and foremost and our neighborhood of the Outer Sunset. When I think of being in the Sunset I think of the beautiful dunes, the ocean, and the washed-out sherbet hues of all the homes—that Sunset vibe is definitely present in our little beach house!

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Bohemian, beach house, eclectic, earthy, artful.

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room in our home is our bedroom—it gets such amazing light and when we wake up we can see a sliver of the ocean from our window!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I found the mid-century modern blue lamp in my bedroom from Goodwill—I saw it in the window and was ecstatic when I found out it was only $8. It’s hands-down one of my favorite pieces in our home and it’s definitely the cheapest!

Any advice for creating a home you love? Although it can be tempting when moving into a new home, don’t feel pressure to buy everything in your home at once. I think nailing down anchor pieces is a good idea but slowly collecting pieces that really speak to you over time is the way to make your home feel really you. I love visiting our local flea market every month and seeing what new treasures catch my eye!

Thanks, Christina!

• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour & House Call Submission Form.