This is the last reveal in my apartment before you guys move in!! If you want to see the rest of the space, I’ve already revealed the kitchen, living room, dining room, and of course the famous closet speakeasy. I’ve done a lot to this space as a renter, and yes, I’ll have to reverse some of these DIYs when I move out (which is sad but also expected). For me, I had the opportunity to live in such an incredible place that fit me and really made me feel at home. I had only one goal when I came here: to make this place feel like home.
As someone who has moved numerous times throughout my life, I know that it can take a lot of time to finally feel settled in a new place (months, years, even). Growing up, I moved around Orange County because my middle/high school was a charter school, so you didn’t have to live in a specific city to attend (shout out to the Orange County School of the Arts). So my parents took it as an opportunity to travel around and try out some different cities. Wherever we go, I’ve always tried to make my room feel like “me” – even if it’s just for a year or two. I think this really helped me with decorating because I had a lot of fresh, blank slates. Then I went to college, and we all know how it goes – you change pretty much every year, and your furniture is just a pile of things you can piece together. So I set up and decorated what I could, but I can’t say that any of my college apartments felt like home (or even beautiful…).
Once I graduated, I rented month-to-month in New York while searching for a job/career, and then I finally got this EHD job in LA and moved into my first studio apartment in Hollywood, and it was the first time I was really able to make my own place feel like home. It took three years before it stopped feeling like a crappy Airbnb and actually felt like mine. But as soon as I dialed it in, life hit me hard, and I moved (again) to New York, only to break up with my ex and come straight back to California, and a few months after that debacle, I moved into this apartment in Los Feliz. So this is my life story: home edition. Going into this place – I really crave the feeling I have in my Hollywood apartment, where I walk in, and every muscle relaxes, and I feel like I can just breathe. Home can give you a sense of peace and security when it is sorely lacking in the outside world. So yes, I did a lot for this apartment (especially those other rooms you see) – but ultimately it felt like home to me, so I was really happy to accomplish that goal.
On the other hand, as a renter, it is important to know what upgrades are due. most of high impact on you and then do They things. This is your permission to drop everything else. In the world of perfect homes it’s important to remember that, sometimes, ‘good enough’ is totally fine – especially in a rental. In my bathroom, I was originally considering putting wallpaper (which I still think would have been awesome) but once I realized my dining room was the room that needed wallpaper more (this wallpaperTo be precise), I invested my time and resources there instead. If I was staying here longer, I would have considered sticking wallpaper, but I really don’t want to get involved in my plans to remove more wallpaper when I move out (it’s a thing, trust me), and this bathroom was already pretty pretty. So I decided to spruce it up a bit and swap out a few little things to make it shine a little more. let me show you…
First
That tile!! Small shelf!! the tub! It’s all very charming. The only weird thing is that that cabinet doesn’t close completely (maybe a new 2026 design trend??) The green vintage tile really just sings – I really found that perfect wallpaper I was going to install but like I said, ultimately it just wasn’t worth the cost, effort and removal. So I cut my losses, and instead came up with some affordable, easy swaps that would make the place look like mine without breaking the bank or spending hours undoing it when I move out. And they were all totally worth it.
So I was looking for design ideas other than expensive (but amazing) wallpaper, and I saw this inspo photo and immediately I knew I wanted to do something similar.
I liked the idea of doing “painted crown molding” to draw your eye upward (and I knew I could find an even easier tenant-friendly way to do it)…
bath mat | towel holder | towel | toothbrush holder | vase (same) Stackable Wooden Bowls | mirror
So this is the new look in the bathroom after my simple tenant-friendly upgrade!! The space has a lot more personality now, and I can take almost everything I like with me when I move out.
I loved the look of that inspo photo – so I used it washi tape In two different colors (I could only find this variety pack, so I ordered 3 sets – so I used 6 rolls total, and it covered the entire room). Now, washi tape doesn’t stick well to dusty surfaces, so I was wary that it would stick since being in the city can cause a lot of dust to accumulate in my apartment, but I did clean the wall thoroughly before applying it, and it stuck – no problem. And it has been kept beautifully for over 6 months now! It has worked really well for this space and will be very easy to remove when I have to move.
washi tape | towels | bath mat | towel holder
those towels So good, I bought a second set for my boyfriend’s house where I will be moving in next month!! They’re a Parachute x Target collab, so the quality is great for the price (Parachute towels are usually $60-$70+) and I think they’ll last a pretty long time because they’re so forgiving (and so soft).
mirror | tussle | knob | outlet cover | towel holder | towel | garbage can | mirror | toothbrush holder | window film
These were really the easiest swaps to make – my goal here is to show you that every space doesn’t need to be completely replaced or remodeled to look and feel better. The first thing I did was replace the hand towel holder This one – This is from Anthropologie and I’ve had my eye on it for a long time. Then, I transformed the boring circular mirror into my dream mirror From Soho Home (which I can’t wait to take with me to my boyfriend’s place), then added new hardware (The old ones were falling apart in my hands which was good, so I didn’t buy extremely expensive ones because I would likely discard these), and then added This beautiful window film To add some more pizzazz.
Oh, and upon moving in, I replaced every single outlet and light switch cover in the apartment These funny brass ones. They were extremely affordable but made such a huge impact on my everyday life.
I’m a firm believer that a shower is basically like having a hot tub inside your home. Bathing here is truly magical. This tub is so exquisite, and if you light some candles, turn on your dirty martini and bubbles, it’s divine.
I usually read on my iPad or Kindle (my sister got me into the fairy smut genre, and I can’t get enough…).my fourth wing, ACOTARAnd glass throne Fans up!), so when it came to style I only had a few physical books, so please enjoy this photo my body By Emily Ratajkowski, hahaha.
The artwork above the tub is some of my very favorites. i found the guy with the skateboard market market In Palm Springs (if you haven’t been – go!), top right is mukki (who I met at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival and now has his artwork in 3 rooms of my apartment!), and then the one above left is actually from my Hollywood studio (it’s a sketch of the view from the Chateau Marmont) Max Gooding Company).
We didn’t get a good photo of the non-electricity-required light fixture swap (this bathroom is quite small and hard to shoot, so thanks) Lyle Works wonders with photos regardless!!) But I wanted to talk about this boob light upgrade that didn’t require any electricity! It was pretty easy – I simply removed the boob light shade, then put the light fixture through the long screws from the original boob light, then secured the same hardware back in place and covered it with tassels. I made a video on it hereSo this would make a little more sense, but it was the easiest DIY so far. Someone joked that it went from boob light to nipple tassel, and I’ve never laughed harder. But yes, I highly encourage you to add a nipple tassel to your boob lights!! It looks much better.
This will always be our little apartment that helped us heal and grow, and I will always be grateful for this place. I hope whoever comes forward loves every bit of it as much as we did. Thanks for reading and checking out all of these makeovers – it means the world!!
*design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photography by lyle nelson
