The Renters of This Extremely Cool LA Loft Share Their Secrets of Budget Buys and Keeping Giant Plants Alive

published Nov 4, 2022

The Renters of This Extremely Cool LA Loft Share Their Secrets of Budget Buys and Keeping Giant Plants Alive

published Nov 4, 2022
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Style
Bedrooms
Square feet

1500

Sq ft

1500

Name: Puno Puno, Daniel Chin Yee, Muad’Dib (the cat), and Frankie (the baby)
Location: Fashion District, Downtown Los Angeles
Size: 1500 square feet
Type of Home: Loft
Years lived in: 5 years, renting

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Credit: Puno

“It’s been five years since we’ve moved into this loft and did the first Apartment Therapy Loft Tour,” begins Puno, the multi-hyphenate creative and founder of the education platform ilovecreatives (@ilovecreatives on Instagram). She rents this big loft in the Emil Brown Lofts building in LA’s Fashion District with her partner, Daniel, and it’s where they both live, work, and — since a few months ago — raise their new baby, Frankie. In the past five years since AT toured their home, the expansive space has maintained many of its enviable qualities, namely all the gorgeous light and super cool vibes. But there have been lots of updates, too. “The plants have grown, the sofa got reupholstered from red to white, we painted the floors, and we made a baby (aka our fourth roommate if you count the cat)!” exclaims Puno.

Credit: Puno

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Previously, we said Danish Tropical aka “Raindrop Dane Trop” and we’ve leaned into it even more since. I feel like the palette is a lot more cohesive now, but the white floors really help with that. 

Credit: Puno

Inspiration: Our friend and architect, Tyler Thomas of Venn Studio exposed me to Milo Baughman (which we have a few of his pieces) and Retro Futurism. Lately I’ve been loving Star Trek Design

Credit: Puno

Favorite Element: I still can’t get over these windows. The light at sunrise and sunset has a vibe. We’ve been working from home for the past eight years and light contributes a lot to my work happiness! 

Credit: Puno

Also, having a line of sight is another plus with the windows. Being able to see the Eastern Building and even Pollo Loco is the best wallpaper we can ask for. 

Credit: Puno
A GIF that showcases the changes to their rental kitchen.

Biggest Challenge: One of the biggest challenges was the kitchen cabinets and the island color. It SCREAMS apartment rental and it made the kitchen feel dark. We needed a solution that could revert when we eventually moved out — here’s the Apartment Therapy Before & After.

Credit: Puno

Proudest DIY: Painting the floors white! We had to move all the plants and the furniture into the room and then it took about two days to sand and paint (three coats). We used Behr Premium Interior / Exterior Concrete & Garage White Base No. 900

Credit: Puno

Budget: I wanted to print that huge 54×80 photo of bread, but all the quotes I got were well over $1,000. We found a really great price with Pictorem (FRIEND15 for 15 percent off)! Total including shipping was $367. 

And we get all our rugs from Rugs.com. The 10′ x 13′ Snow White Basic Frieze Rug was $371.21 including tax and shipping. They always seem to have a 50 percent off sale, haha. 

Credit: Puno

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Once we had a baby, we had to convert the office into a nursery. Now our desks are in the living room. The wires kill me and I miss having more living floor space, but this is the ideal layout for now. We thought about putting the desks in the dining room and even sharing the nursery, but the light is just so much better in the living room during working hours. 

Credit: Puno

I also love that the office is the nursery now. It feels cozy and since I’m living that breastfeeding life, it’s been nice to have the separation. 

Credit: Puno

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: One thing people ask us all the time is how do we keep our plants alive. Ready for the secret?! Daniel waters all the plants every Sunday until the water drains out and every pot has a hole on the bottom. That’s it! 

Credit: Puno

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Learn Figma or some kind of graphic design tool! I used it to create our mood boards and it really helps me shop. Plus! You can collaborate with other people. We actually teach a Graphic Design Course at ilovecreatives where you can learn about Figma and Photoshop if you wanted to really go off. 

Resources

Credit: Puno

PAINT & COLORS

Credit: Puno

ENTRY

  • Globes — AllModern.com
  • Hue lights
  • Anjelica Huston Print — I designed the print and the frame is from a vintage shop in Venice
    Clear Acrylic Vanity Bench with White Vinyl Cushion and Chrome Casters (vintage from Etsy)
  • Sound Rack Stacking Shelves — Ludovica and Roberto Palomba
Credit: Puno

LIVING ROOM

Credit: Puno

DINING ROOM

Credit: Puno

KITCHEN

Credit: Puno

BEDROOM

Credit: Puno

BATHROOM

Credit: Puno

NURSERY 

Thanks Puno and Daniel!

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