This Colorful Los Angeles Rental Feels Like a Cozy Vintage Bookstore Filled with Plants
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published now

This Colorful Los Angeles Rental Feels Like a Cozy Vintage Bookstore Filled with Plants

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published now
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Bedrooms
Square feet

850

Sq ft

850

Randi Burley says she’s always been “drawn to spaces that feel warm, creative, and full of life,” so it’s no surprise that she was attracted to this 850-square-foot apartment in Los Angeles’ Mid-City area.

The unit is filled with gorgeous Art Deco details like big windows, French doors, and tons of natural light, which Randi says became the starting point for the space’s design.

Credit: Jesse Tejeda
"Don’t rush it — let your space evolve," Randi advises. "Some of my favorite pieces are thrifted or handmade, and they give my home way more personality than anything bought all at once. I also move things around constantly — sometimes a new layout does more than buying something new."

“I identify as an African American woman born and bred in Los Angeles,” Randi writes. “That sense of identity shows up in my home through the art and literature I’ve collected and LA personality with my home.”

“Overall I’m drawn to spaces that feel expressive, warm, and lived-in, rather than minimal or overly polished,” she continues. “My home reflects that through bold artwork, books, plants, and a mix of textures and objects that feel personal and collected. It’s a space that feels warm, creative, and rooted in who I am.”

Credit: Jesse Tejeda
"I’ve made my rental feel like my own by focusing on layering rather than permanent changes," she writes. "I use thrifted and handmade decor, gallery walls, plants, books, and vinyl to build personality into the space. I rely on renter-friendly solutions like removable hooks, flexible shelving, and textiles to add warmth and define different areas. Rearranging things often also keeps the space feeling fresh and evolving, so it always reflects where I am at the moment."

When she moved in five years ago, she says the space was bright and full of Art Deco details, but kind of bare in personality. After slowly filling the space with “plants, books, and pieces that feel meaningful and collected over time,” the rental is now “cozy, a little whimsical, and very lived-in.”

She describes her decorating style as “less about perfection and more about creating a space that feels calm, inspiring,” and, perhaps most importantly, a space that looks and feels entirely like Randi. “The home is a colorful, plant-filled apartment in Mid City LA that reflects my roots and the way I like to live.”

Resources

Credit: Jesse Tejeda
"In the mornings I enjoy sitting under Appa the tree and reading a book from the unread book tower while sipping a tea latte," Randi writes.
  • Coffee table — Found in the basement of my building
  • Living room rug — Gift
  • Espresso machine — Gaggia

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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