thousand square feet of blank space might feel intimidating to some, but this apartment’s empty walls and cookie-cutter materials turned out to be a dream come true for Ariane Bartosh. The Los Angeles designer and painter used the space as a blank canvas on which to showcase her love of color, pattern and texture. Now hand-drawn patterns and vintage wallpaper adorn the walls and colorful, quirky furniture fills the apartment with unmistakable personality.
Houzz at a Glance Who lives here: Ariane Bartosh Location: Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles Size: 1,200 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom Budget: $35,000, including labor, furniture and materials
Bartosh had just started on her own as a designer when she found this apartment, so she used it as an opportunity to show off her personal style, painting ready-made white curtains with fabric paint and filling the living room with pink, salmon and orange hues. A 1960s German light fixture — one of several in the house — adds glam to the white ceiling.
Rug: Flokati.com; wall paint: Petal Bloom, Pratt & Lambert
Rug: Flokati.com; wall paint: Petal Bloom, Pratt & Lambert
Most of the furniture is a result of Bartosh’s passion for vintage. The armchairs are Italian Techno chairs from the 1980s, reupholstered in a plush salmon corduroy. She found the vintage Milo Baughman sofa for a steal ($1,000!) on eBay and upholstered it in orange fabric from Osborne & Little. “I’ll find things I like on 1stdibs. And obviously I can’t afford it,” Bartosh says. “So I’ll hunt eBay until I find exactly what I’m looking for.”