Making Old Hollywood Feel New in a 1920s Courtyard Complex

Who lives here?
James (Talent Manager - 28), Megan (Food Stylist/Cooking Show Personality - 29), Steve the Bulldog (6) & Mama the Pitbull (4).

What're the stats?
1 Bedroom/1 Bath/3rd floor loft that we use as an office & 2nd bedroom. 1,330 sq. ft (house). Private patio & garage. Courtyard fountain.

How long have you been here?
4 years in May.

What's the best feature of your house?
Our living room, it's basically the room we live in. It has 26 ft. ceilings, a floor to ceiling chimney and an oversized industrial style skylight. Even on the occasional cloudy day, the natural light is amazing. It also makes our place feel much bigger than it actually is.

What's the worst feature?
Not having a yard for the dogs.

What do you love and/or hate about the neighborhood?
Hollywood has such a cool vibe at the moment. It's been fun to be a part of the development and expansion of the area. The juxtaposition between the old Hollywood and the new Hollywood is endearing. Being able to walk to the Hollywood Farmers Market or Larchmont on a Sunday and see the Hollywood Sign and the Capitol Tower; it's the definitive Los Angeles living experience in my opinion.

What's your approach to decorating?
Keep it comfortable and inviting without being too trendy. Incorporating old with new and mixing thrift store finds with the occasional expensive piece creates a nice balance. Also, don't take it too seriously, we are always moving things around and trying different looks.

Any crazy/interesting stories about your house?
The original owner of the complex was socialite Cornelia Cole McLoughlin, an interesting California character in her own right. Her father was the first republican senator of California and was a very close friend of Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. McLoughlin was one of the first women in America to drive a car and the first Californian woman to be granted a pilots license. She had vast real estate holdings in the early days of Hollywood. The architect/contractor was Pacific Ready-Cut of Los Angeles, which built pre-designed residences that clients could pick out of a catalog. Their headquarters were in DTLA on Spring Street. Because of our location these units had a long-standing relationship with RKO and then Paramount as rentals for talent that was in town.

How'd you end up here?
Having originally been from the East Coast, we both wanted something with that old Hollywood feel. Upset after being outbid on a place in Laurel Canyon, it wasn't until we were far into negotiations on this place that we found out the owner was actually a friend that works in the music division of James' company. After that we felt like it was meant to be.

If you could have any living situation in LA, what would it be?
We would live in that insane house Jason Statham and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley just bought [see it here]; but somewhere near Franklin Village as opposed to Beverly Hills.

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