Erin’s Warm and Colorful Los Angeles Loft

Name: Erin
Location: Downtown — Los Angeles, California

Mehmet Bozatli and Erin Eisinger say that despite their strong personalities, they find a natural harmony when collaborating — which they do often. Both work in the creative industries (he as an architect and developer, Erin as an interaction and service designer), and they co-founded their first joint venture —FourByNorth Studios— in Istanbul, Turkey, nearly six years ago. Last summer, they decided to combine their love of design, interiors and craftsmanship into their latest co-creation, Floorplan Rugs in Los Angeles.

The open space of their 1,000-square feet Downtown Los Angeles loft is a departure from their Istanbul digs, so they decided to pack light, bringing only a small set of collected art, books and keepsakes, Sophie the Cat, and a few of their favorite rugs.

They wanted their new space to reflect their style and showcase their collectibles, and also to serve as the HQ for Floorplan and FourByNorth (which they continue to run remotely). This meant creating multiple places to work and lounge comfortably and finding attractive but functional ways to store files and stacks of rug and textile samples. They bought used filing cabinets from Craigslist to divide the work and living space — a piece that turned out to be from an Ogilvy Office in Culver City. They built simple IKEA shelves next to their desk, and used metal storage baskets from World Market to organize their rug samples and magazines.

Erin is a vegetarian who loves to cook and thinks (hopes!) that seeing beautiful (healthy!) food makes you more likely to eat it. She relies on fresh herbs for both Turkish and American dishes, and uses the apartment’s large window wells to grow simple things in mason jars and small pots, like basil, mint, rosemary and cilantro. Their kitchen’s facade is sleek and dark, and they wanted to balance its weight with color and texture. Dishes are stored in an open, vintage metal bookcase, with mason jars of grains and nuts stored on top. Fresh or dried fruit is always on the kitchen table.

They’re both drawn to well-made vintage pieces, so much of their furniture was discovered at LA’s flea markets, Craigslist and antique stores, which mingle with newer finds from West Elm, CB2, World Market and IKEA.

Their most precious possessions, though, are those they’ve acquired over the years. Mehmet dutifully collects original drawings from Geof Darrow, Peter Bagge and David Lapham. Erin prefers photography, block prints from a studio in Nashville, and curios she’s picked up in her travels, like a handmade clay wine carafe from Avanos, Turkey, or a matador’s cap from Pamplona.

While they’ve settled into loft living, the main thing they miss from their apartment in Istanbul is their music room. They could play together in there or close a door; now, they rely more on noise canceling headphones or a well-planned schedule.

Thanks, Erin!

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