clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Touring a Collector's Little Vintage Treasure Trove in Los Feliz

Welcome to House Calls, in which Curbed tours the lovely, offbeat, or otherwise awesome homes of regular Angelenos. Think your space should be featured next? Drop us a line with a few photos and details about your place.

Photos by Heather Lemmon / Lemmon Tree Photography

When Laura wrote in to Curbed to submit her 700-square-foot apartment in the hills of Los Feliz, near Griffith Park, she painted a picture of a fantastic, live-in vintage store. "When my friends in college were buying cheap beer, I was collecting furniture," she wrote, and by now she's amassed a hearty assortment of Mid-Century Modern pieces by the likes of Eero Saarinen, Hans Wegner, Isamu Noguchi, and Charles and Ray Eames, which she's incorporated into her home. And it doesn't stop there. "My living room is a collection of 50s Chinese Kitsch in red, black, jade and yellow," and the bathroom is home to all of her adorable retro travel souvenirs. An interior designer by trade, Laura tells us, "Every corner is a chance to showcase a fantastic little collection!" Here's a look inside her place:

Who lives here?
Laura, 42, interior designer; Brando and Waldo, my two dogs

What are the stats?
One bedroom, one bathroom; a pool; covered, gated parking; and a grill area.

What's the rent?
$1,500+.

How long have you been here?
Six years.

What's the best feature?
The gorgeous row of Ponderosa pines right outside my living room and the beautiful view of the hillside (and no neighbors) from my bedroom.

What's the worst feature?
Not having a balcony, like some of the other units do.

What do you love about the neighborhood?
Living right next to the Mulholland Fountain and Griffith Park. Super easy access for dog-walking.

What's your approach to decorating?
Displaying all my collections. I have been collecting for longer than I haven't been. These things tell tales of where I've been, what I'm interested in, and they fill me with nostalgic feelings. I believe that any person's collections ultimately will "go together" because they have one thing in common: you!

Any crazy/interesting stories about your place?
Some people have been living here FOREVER.

How'd you end up here?
I was renting a place on Hollywood Boulevard and Fairfax. The noise from the traffic was so bad, the quiet would wake me up at 3 am when the noise would stop. I needed a quieter, gentler place to live.

How's your landlord?
Awesome. They take impeccable care of the place—always doing little renovations and repair jobs to make everything better.

If you could have any living situation in LA, what would it be?
To live off the grid in Ojai.


Follow Curbed's House Calls on Pinterest.
· House Calls [Curbed LA]