My Style: Eclectic, little tchotchkes/trinket heaven, cozy, lived-in

Inspiration: From within, imagination, everywhere

Favorite Element:  My trinkets. I think they add warmth and personality to any space. They sort of tell a story about a person, without actually having to say anything at all. But I do love telling a story behind every piece collected. It also gives a space the sense of it truly feeling lived-in, versus something mass manufactured or seen in a catalog.   

Biggest Challenge: Although my apartment is a good size for one person, it is the smallest space I have lived in by myself in LA so far. I think it’s classic Scandinavian in how you approach to maximize your space. I like to host dinner parties for at least four to six people at a time. I have a really small dining table that can only seat two to four. So getting things like the hallway bench, and using that as a seating option for dining guests, and getting the side stool table, and utilizing it as a seat are great solutions for that. Also using your wall space as forms of storage—building shoe shelves, etc. Another challenge is holding myself back from getting lots and lots of trinkets! I definitely want to avoid my apartment from looking too cluttered! 

Proudest DIY: It wasn’t so much DIY, but an accidental pairing. I was moving one day, and I had two pieces of random objects that belonged to two different exes. I meant to throw them out. When I moved into my recent place, it sort of served as a temporary side living room table until i found a new one. The bottom portion was an old Canada Dry wooden box with wheels, ex #1 had built me so we could have a makeshift herb garden when we had a loft together in 2012. My last ex was a jewelry designer and had this flat jewelry display case he was gonna trash. That serves as the top portion of my side table. I decided to put all my traveling tchotchkes stuff in there to help alleviate the look of my apartment looking overly cluttered. So now I love that little makeshift table, because now it serves some warm memories and is a little home for all my travel collecting. Also I get compliments from friends and guests alike on it all the time.

Biggest Indulgence: I would say it would be my credenza. It’s from a local wood-working company called California Modern Woodworks, and it’s from one of my favorite furniture shops to scope out in Highland Park called Sunbeam Vintage. It was my first grown-up purchase, and I knew it would tie my space together the most. It was $1200, and I had never spent that much on furniture before, but I am glad I did because it makes the rest of my place look more expensive than it really is. I also find the credenza to be a timeless piece to me, so I can rock it in my living room if not forever, for a very long time. Most other things I have sourced through flea markets, mixed in with things ranging from Target home items, to some West Elm items, and some accents from Urban Outfitters, to name a few. 

What’s your best home secret? Again, maximizing what you got. Utilizing empty wall spaces. Investing in a few quality pieces to tie your room together, i.e. my credenza, my marble Menu world clock, a good vintage arm chair. Being a master at mixing those quality things with low-end items, so it doesn’t look like an Urban Outfitters/IKEA catalog. Target and IKEA are all great places to still shop at to get some good basics for the home; it’s all about going with timeless pieces.

Oh also! I enforce a strict no-shoe policy in the home. It’s gross what our shoes can track in, especially when you live in the heart of a city. Most Sundays I spend the time to vacuum and steam mop my wood floors! That is my best secret for cleaning. It’s a sustainable and effective way to sterilize your floors. No use of chemicals, and the hot steam disinfects your floors and gives an unparalleled clean feeling. They’re a $60 Amazon buy, and I love it so much! 

Thanks, Mo!

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