It’s the final reveal in my condominium earlier than I transfer you guys!! If you wish to see the remainder of the area, I already revealed the kitchen, front room, eating room, and naturally, the well-known closet speakeasy. I’ve finished A LOT to this area as a renter, and sure, I’ll need to reverse a few of these DIYs after I transfer out (which is gloomy but additionally anticipated). To me, I’ve gotten to reside in such an unimaginable area that healed me and really felt like residence. That was my one aim when transferring in right here: to make the area really feel like residence.
As somebody who’s moved a ton of occasions all through their life, I do know it may well take so much to lastly really feel settled in a brand new area (months, years, even). Rising up, I moved throughout Orange County as a result of my center/highschool was a constitution faculty, so that you didn’t have to reside in a particular metropolis to attend (shout out to Orange County College of the Arts). So my dad and mom took that as a possibility to maneuver round and check out some totally different cities. I all the time tried to make my room really feel like “me” wherever we went – even when it was only for a yr or two. I believe this actually helped me get into adorning as a result of I had so many recent, clean slates. Then I went to varsity, and everyone knows how that goes – you progress just about each single yr, and your furnishings is only a hodgepodge of issues you’ll be able to scrounge collectively. So I arrange and embellished what I might, however I can’t say any of my school residences have been homey (and even cute…)
As soon as I graduated, I sublet month-to-month in New York whereas job/profession looking, after which I ultimately landed this EHD job in LA and moved into my first studio condominium in Hollywood, and that was the primary time I used to be actually in a position to make my very own area really feel like residence. It took a stable 3 years earlier than it stopped feeling like a barebones Airbnb and truly felt like mine. However proper as I dialed it in, life threw me for a loop, and I moved to New York (once more) solely to interrupt up with my ex and are available straight again to California, and some months after that debacle, I moved into this condominium in Los Feliz. In order that’s my life story: residence version. Transferring into this area – I actually simply craved the sensation I had in my Hollywood condominium, the place I’d stroll in, and each muscle would chill out, and I felt like I might simply breathe. House can provide the feeling of peace and security when the world outdoors lacks a lot of it. So yeah, I did so much to this condominium (particularly in these different room reveals you noticed) – however I FINALLY received it to really feel like residence, so I used to be actually blissful to perform that aim.
On the flip aspect of issues, as a renter, it’s essential to know what upgrades are going to be the most high-impact to you after which do these issues. That is your permission the depart the remaining behind. It’s essential to recollect on the earth of image good houses, generally, ‘ok’ is completely wonderful – ESPECIALLY in a rental. In my toilet, I used to be initially contemplating wallpapering (which I nonetheless assume would’ve been superior) however as soon as I spotted that my eating room was the room that wanted wallpaper extra (this wallpaper, to be precise), I invested my time and sources there as a substitute. Had I been right here for longer, I’d have thought of wallpapering, however I actually didn’t need to add to my plate of taking much more wallpaper down after I transfer out (it’s a factor, belief me), and this toilet was already fairly dang cute. So I made a decision to only elevate and swap a number of small issues to make it shine a bit brighter. Let me present you…
BEFORE
That tile!! The little shelf!! THE TUB! It’s all so cute. The one wonky factor is the truth that that cupboard simply doesn’t shut all the best way (possibly a brand new 2026 design development??) The inexperienced classic tile actually simply sings – I really discovered the right wallpaper I used to be going to put in however like I mentioned, it in the end simply ended up not being price it for the associated fee, effort and elimination. So I reduce my losses, and as a substitute got here up with some reasonably priced, straightforward swaps that may make the area really feel like mine with out breaking the financial institution or having to spend hours undoing it upon transfer out. They usually have been all completely price it.
So I used to be on the lookout for design concepts aside from costly (however superior) wallpaper, and I noticed this inspo picture and instantly knew I wished to do one thing related.
I beloved the concept of doing a “painted crown moulding” to attract your eye upward (and knew I might determine an excellent simpler renter-friendly technique to do it)…
Tub Mat | Towel Holder | Towel | Toothbrush Holder | Vase (Comparable) | Stackable Wood Bowls | Mirror
So that is the brand new view into the toilet after my easy renter-friendly upgrades!! The area has a lot extra character now, and I can take virtually every part with me after I transfer out, which I really like.
I beloved the look of that inspo picture a lot – so I used this washi tape in two totally different colours (I might solely discover this selection pack, so I ended up ordering 3 units – so I used 6 rolls whole, and it coated the entire room). Now, washi tape notoriously doesn’t stick effectively to dusty surfaces, so I used to be cautious that this might maintain up since my condominium can gather numerous mud being in a metropolis, however I simply totally cleaned the wall earlier than I utilized it, and it caught on – no drawback. And now it’s held up nice for over 6 months! It genuinely labored so effectively for this area and will likely be really easy to take away when I’ve to go away.
Washi Tape | Towels | Tub Mat | Towel Holder
These towels are so good, I purchased a second set for my boyfriend’s home that I’m transferring into subsequent month!! They’re the Parachute x Goal collab, so the standard for the worth is superior (Parachute’s towels are usually $60-$70+) and I believe they’ll final a reasonably very long time since they’re so forgiving (and are so so smooth).
Mirror | Pulls | Knobs | Outlet Cowl | Towel Holder | Towel | Trash Can | Mirror | Toothbrush Holder | Window Movie
These have been really the simplest swaps – my aim right here is to point out you that not each area wants an entire overhaul or rework to appear and feel higher. The very very first thing I did was swap the hand towel holder to this one – it’s from Anthropologie and I had my eye on it for a LONG time. Then, I modified out the boring round mirror to my DREAM mirror from Soho House (which I can’t wait to take with me to my boyfriend’s place), then added new {hardware} (the outdated ones have been crumbling in my fingers which was cool, so I didn’t purchase tremendous costly ones as a result of I’ll seemingly be leaving these), after which added this gorgeous window movie so as to add some extra pizzazz.
OH, and upon transferring in, I swapped each single outlet and light-weight change cowl within the condominium to these enjoyable brass ones. They have been tremendous reasonably priced however made such a huge impact to my on a regular basis.
I’m a agency believer {that a} tub is mainly the identical as having a sizzling tub inside your home. Taking a shower right here is definitely magical. This tub is so good, and if you happen to mild a number of candles, get your soiled martini and bubbles going, it’s DIVINE.
I often learn on my iPad or Kindle (my sister received me into the fairy smut style, and I can’t get sufficient…My Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, and Throne of Glass followers RISE UP!), so when it got here to styling I solely had a number of bodily books, so please get pleasure from this picture of My Physique by Emily Ratajkowski, hahaha.
The artwork items above the bathtub are a few of my absolute favorites. The skateboard man I discovered at Market Market in Palm Springs (if you happen to haven’t been – GO!), the highest proper is by Mucci (who I discovered on the Laguna Seashore Sawdust Pageant and have now put his paintings in 3 of the rooms in my condominium!), after which the highest left is definitely from my Hollywood studio (it’s a sketch of the view of the Chateau Marmont by the Max Gooding Co).
We didn’t get a superb picture of the no-electrical-required mild fixture swap (this toilet is fairly small and exhausting to shoot, so shoutout to Lyle for doing a tremendous job with the images regardless!!) However I wished to speak about this boob mild improve that required NO ELECTRICAL! It was tremendous straightforward – I simply took off the boob mild shade, then put the sunshine fixture via the lengthy screw from the unique boob mild, then secured the identical {hardware} again on and coated it with a tassel. I made a video on it right here, so it’ll make a bit extra sense, nevertheless it was the simplest DIY ever. Somebody joked that it went from boob mild to nipple tassel, and I’ve by no means laughed more durable. However sure, I extremely encourage you so as to add a nipple tassel to your boob mild!! It seems to be so a lot better.
It will all the time be our girly little condominium that helped us heal and develop, and I’ll without end be glad about this area. I hope whoever strikes in subsequent loves each little bit of it the best way we did. Thanks for studying and testing all of those makeovers – it means the world!!
*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Images by Lyle Nelson
