Lifestyle
The L.A. Flower District is full of surprises. Here’s a DIY guide for newbies
• The Los Angeles Flower District features more than 70 vendors in two neighboring markets downtown — the Original Los Angeles Flower Market and the Southern California Flower Market.
• Combined, the two markets are a vast kaleidoscope of natural and unnatural (i.e. human-altered) blooms, such as perfect roses dyed black and Dodger blue.
• The savings can be significant over retail bouquets, but whether it’s a DIYer’s dream or nightmare depends on planning ahead — and being bold.
Flowers are ubiquitous in Southern California and so easy to procure, from the buckets of seasonal blooms at your local supermarket to the gaudy $5 bouquets hawked at many freeway off-ramps.
But there are times when off-the-rack arrangements just won’t cut it. You need serious flowers — distinctive, unusual and befitting a special occasion.
You could go to a florist or floral designer and pay them to do the honors. Or, like many enterprising DIYers, you could go to L.A.’s downtown Flower District, save some money and — gulp — do your flowers yourself.
Stanley Hudson, an Emmy-nominated costume designer for “blackish” and “Grown-ish,” browses greens to complete an arrangement for his 15-person dinner party.
That’s what Stanley Hudson was up to the morning before a dinner party he was hosting for 15 friends. At 9:30 a.m at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, his arms were full of cone-shaped paper bundles, and he was making a final purchase of greenery to finish off his distinctive display.
Hudson is a costume designer — an “Emmy-nominated costume designer,” he noted gravely, with a twinkle in his eye, so he’s not one to do things halfway. This was a special dinner party with dear friends, and a supermarket bouquet wasn’t going to cut it.
So he made a quick, early-morning trip to the flower district and visited his favorite vendors at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market and across Wall Street at the Southern California Flower Market.
“I usually go with the smaller vendors who buy from the smaller farms, because they give you the better deal,” he said, browsing for filler greens at one of his favorites — Eliseo Valle’s stall #15 at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market — which specializes in locally grown greens and fillers, such as stems of dried, almost translucent pink bougainvillea flowers.
People whisked around Hudson pulling wagons piled high with blooms or balancing large bundles of bouquets on their shoulders. Several were making video calls, discussing the flowers available that day. In between the customers, vendors were constantly on the move, expertly moving buckets of flowers from nearby coolers onto the floor or stripping faded petals and leaves from new bunches of flowers.
The markets open around 4 a.m. for wholesale buyers and to the general public at 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., most shoppers are non-trade people, sporting the narrow stickers indicating they’ve paid their $2 admission fee (which allows access into both markets) to browse and buy.
Top left, Scabiosa stellata display their unique look. Top right, colorful gerberas on display. Lower, imported tulips burst with color at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market in Los Angeles.
Long Beach Realtors Loree Scarborough and Tessa Owen were holding several fat bundles of blue hydrangeas around 8:30 a.m. while considering long stems of orange ranunculus for a client appreciation event later that day. The bouquets they made would be gifts for their clients, Owen said. Her trick to making the arrangements was having a base centered on hydrangeas but being open to any special accent flowers that caught her eye.
“You have to be adventurous,” said Levi Snyder, a florist who dashed into the market around 9 a.m. to pick up more flowers for a last-minute order. As a professional flower seller, he appreciates his customers, “but our typical client is not adventurous,” he said. DIYers have an advantage if they want unique floral displays “because the big guys aren’t necessarily doing those kinds of arrangements … if you want to stand out and be an individual, don’t be afraid to be bold.”
Long Beach Realtors Tessa Owen, left, and Loree Scarborough made a quick early trip downtown to get hydrangeas and other flowers for a client appreciation event later that day.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Nearby, bride-to-be Emily Marriott was intent on saving money. She had four people in tow — her fiancé, David Cohen, along with her mom, sister and future sister-in-law — to help carry all the flowers she was purchasing for their small wedding at Pasadena City Hall the next day. Everyone in her group was laden with two or three cone-shaped bundles — a couple dozen each of ranunculus, sweet peas, lisianthus, Queen Anne’s lace, spray roses and large roses in ivory and white.
Marriott is a commercial interior designer who now lives in Portland, Ore., but grew up in Arcadia. As her group stood by juggling their parcels, I asked if she had any tips for people doing their own wedding flowers.
“Don’t,” blurted her mother, Rebecca Marriott, who laughed along with everyone else, but kept sneaking anxious peeks at her watch. The big event, after all, was less than 24 hours away.
But Emily had a plan. She’s been visiting the flower market for years, and had previously made arrangements for family events and bridal showers. She knew she wanted all-white bouquets. She’d already ordered her vases online, and she wasn’t willing to spend the thousands of dollars she’d been quoted to have someone else prepare all the flowers for the wedding and reception with 28 guests.
Orchids are always a popular plant at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market.
She did have someone else make her bridal bouquet, but despite the last-minute pressure, doing the other flowers herself “is just astronomically less [money],” she said. “You have to have a vision, at least, when you get here, but there’s a lot of inspiration on Pinterest that’s amazing. If you know how many bouquets or centerpieces you need, you just have to find enough blooms for each arrangement.”
They ended up spending about $550 to create the six large arrangements that would line the wedding aisle and were later moved to the reception dinner table, “but they only used about $350 worth of the flowers,” Sarah Marriott, Emily’s sister and maid of honor, reported the following week, after the wedding couple had left for their honeymoon. “We also made a flower crown and had a basket of petals for the flower girl, and we still had enough flowers left over that I was able to make four or five large arrangements” for friends and family.
The Original Los Angeles Flower Market official entrance on Wall Street, and the Southern California Flower Market directly across the street make up the bulk of the Los Angeles Flower District. The markets have been in business for over 100 years.
Even though they bought more flowers than they used for the wedding, Sarah said the savings were considerable. “Emily was quoted $250 per arrangement [if a florist did the work]. She also said most florists had a $7,000 to $15,000 minimum, so it was challenging to even find a florist to take on a smaller wedding.”
Are you inspired yet? Maybe you’re planning a wedding, a large family gathering or just want to go all-out for the holidays. The Los Angeles Flower District is a great place to explore and get inspired, but advance footwork is crucial for success.
Visit at least twice
The six large floral arrangements that Emily Marriott made for her small wedding after shopping at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market the day before. She used the arrangements to line the aisle during the actual wedding and then decorate the table during the reception dinner that night. Marriott was quoted a price of $250 each for six arrangements from a florist; instead, she spent $550 on several dozen white ranunculus, sweet peas, lisianthus, Queen Anne’s lace, spray roses and large roses. (Sarah Mleynek Photography)
Here are some tips for navigating L.A.’s flower markets.
The choices at the flower district can sometimes feel overwhelming, like this colorful swirl of ranunculus, so before you buy for a special event, scout out your options first and then make a plan.
Consider the first visit an inspirational scouting trip. Marriott visited the market a month before her wedding to get ideas and find out what flowers would be available the day before her wedding. You don’t have to go that far in advance, but unless you’re a regular market visitor, make sure to tour both markets at least a day before you’re ready to buy, to discuss prices and availability with the vendors.
Browse the several shops at the market that sell everything you need for floral arrangements, from wreath frames to flower food (important for pre-soaking, see below) to vases, ribbons and bows. You may end up buying your vases at a thrift store or online, but wholesale accessory stores like Moskatels at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market and GM Floral Co., which covers the second floor of the Southern California Flower Market as well as a much smaller space at the original market, can provide inspiration too.
Vendor talk is vital
Don’t just assume the flowers that are there today will be available next week. If you see something you love, talk to the vendor to make sure they’ll have more the day you’re ready to purchase.
Make a plan
Armed with what you’ve learned, decide how many arrangements your event will need, create a budget and then decide on a color scheme and your main anchor flowers, such as giant mauve proteas, fluffy balls of hydrangeas or dependably lovely roses, which come fresh, dried or preserved — a process that keeps them pliable and long lasting — in a stunning array of colors.
Left, sliced log slabs make decorative plates and platters. Right, colorful displays at the Original Los Angeles Flower Market.
Figure out how many anchor flowers you’ll need, and roughly how many filler stems — such as greens, draping clusters of amaranth or smaller flowers like baby’s breath — are required to make each arrangement. Just be sure to leave a little room in your budget for magic; a bold flower you might have missed the first time can make your arrangement pop.
Go early
A woman who makes funeral wreaths pulls a cart overflowing with flowers and accessories.
Admission is $2 for the general public (a.k.a. “non-trade” people), which gives you a sticker that provides entry into both markets. The hours are a little trickier.
Technically, trade people with wholesale badges can shop between 4 and 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday; the markets are open to the public from 8 a.m. to noon (except Saturdays when public entry starts at 6 a.m.), but even the vendors and ticket takers can’t seem to agree on whether you have to be a wholesaler with a badge to buy before 8 a.m.
Sonja Rei Strand, marketing director for the Original Los Angeles Flower Market, said it’s safest to follow the admission times on the website (which are different than the signs posted over the entrance). But one vendor told me, “If they pay their $2 to get in, they can buy whenever they want.” You have been warned.
Either way, make sure you get there at least by 8 a.m. because some vendors start loading up to close as early as 11 a.m., and time passes quickly when you’re in the thrall of flowers.
Bring help — and water
Both markets have their own parking structures and there are other parking lots around them, charging about $10 to $12, depending on the day. (Most only accept cash.) You’ll definitely get your steps in visiting these markets, so if you have to go alone, bring a wagon or cart to carry all your flowers, because even a couple of those paper-wrapped flower cones quickly get unwieldy as you’re walking around. And try to keep them upright, so they don’t get smooshed by the other bundles while you‘re making your rounds.
Also, bring buckets half full of water in your car, to keep the flowers hydrated during your drive home. And be sure to get those flowers home or into a cool place as soon as possible. Marriott had a bucket station in her sister’s basement, where she immediately put her flowers after getting home from the market.
Flower-arranging expert Linda Prendergast recommends pre-soaking by putting your freshly cut stems in warm (not hot) water for 12 to 24 hours before you start your arrangements, with Floral Life Crystal Clear flower food added to the water to keep them well hydrated and looking fresh. (You can also find Floral Life products at the wholesale accessory stores.)
The Original Los Angeles Flower Market is a colorful collection of flowers and accessories in downtown Los Angeles.
Bring cash
Some vendors add an extra fee for credit card charges under $50; if you plan to spend many hundreds of dollars, a debit or credit card should be fine, but if you just want a smaller display for a dinner party, you can save yourself some dough by paying in cash. Ask your vendors about this when you’re scouting.
Aisha Harris’ pop culture superlatives include (clockwise from top left) Hedda, Marty Supreme, Serena Williams at the Super Bowl, Sabrina Carpenter’s lyrics, Love Island USA and Friendship.
Amazon, A24, Getty Images, Peacock/Photo illustration by Emily Bogle/NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Amazon, A24, Getty Images, Peacock/Photo illustration by Emily Bogle/NPR
Well, 2025 has been a year. A year women on reality dating shows got fed up with “apolitical” men; a year a pair of filmmaking brothers both released solo projects about semi-famous athletes; a year a series finale ended in fecal waste. So much happened, and frankly, much of it feels like a blur.
For better or for worse, these cultural moments stood out.
Film’s nerdiest moment: “Aspect Ratios with Sinners Director Ryan Coogler”
YouTube
This Kodak video is a most perfect union of art and commerce, just like Sinners itself. In his distinctive, soothing Bay Area drawl, Coogler got super technical about the differences between each of his movie’s available formats, while breaking things down in easily digestible layperson’s terms. At a time when theater attendance continues to struggle, he made the best case for big screens, and he didn’t need existing IP to do it.
Best running joke at an awards show: “Thank you, Sal Saperstein!” The Studio
YouTube
In retrospect, host Nate Bargatze’s dreadful Boys & Girls Club donation bit at this year’s Emmys only made The Studio‘s parody of running gags on awards shows that much funnier. The bit starts when Adam Scott, playing himself, accepts a Golden Globe and impulsively thanks the guy who let him crash on the couch before his career took off: studio exec Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz). Soon, every other winner – Quinta Brunson, Jean Smart, Aaron Sorkin, Zoë Kravitz – is thanking Sal, too. Most of them have no idea who Sal is. But even better is how each iteration of the corny, beaten-to-death joke eats away at Seth Rogen’s spotlight-seeking studio head Matt Remick.
Best Safdie brother feature: Marty Supreme
Josh Safdie (left) and Timothée Chalamet on the set of Marty Supreme.
A24
hide caption
toggle caption
A24
Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is … fine: Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, in a naked play for artistic credibility, barely has to stretch to play MMA champion Mark Kerr (the wig is doing much of the “transformation”). So in the matchup of solo Safdie bro sports movies, Josh’s Marty Supreme is the clear if imperfect victor. Timothée Chalamet’s wannabe table tennis champion is absolutely insufferable from beginning to end, but the movie bucks the typical narrative and turns out to be the frenetic tale of a cocky hustler who needs — and to a point, gets — a swift ego check.
Most awkward breakup: Huda and Chris, Love Island USA
Chris Seeley (left) and Huda Mustafa in Season 7 of Love Island USA.
Peacock
hide caption
toggle caption
Peacock
It was obvious to everyone with eyes that chaotic “mamacita” Huda Mustafa and blasé sleepyhead Chris Seeley were never going to happen; even they knew it. So the setting for their inevitable ending could not have been more magnificent or fitting: a romantic dinner in the middle of a candlelit pond, cordial vibes quickly descending into an exchange of various grievances. (“Why won’t you cuddle with me at night?” “Why won’t you let me get my sleep?”) Then, right in the middle of their breakup, with Huda on the verge of tears, an unnamed woman in an evening gown appeared out of nowhere, waved hello, and proceeded to serenade them with “Moon River.”
Most satisfying breakups: Sara and Ben; Virginia and Devin, Love Is Blind
Ben Mezzenga (left) and Sara Carton in Season 8 of Love Is Blind.
Netflix
hide caption
toggle caption
Netflix
The whole premise of Netflix’s bizzarro pod-based “social experiment” is inherently political, but Season 8 was the first in which political conflict played such an unambiguous part of the dating process that the producers presumably couldn’t downplay it through clever editing. Progressive-minded Sara Carton and Virginia Miller both spent much of their on-screen time trying to get their respective fiancés, Ben Mezzenga and Devin Buckley, to discuss issues including abortion, racial justice, and queer rights. Both men repeatedly deflected and refused to take a clear stance, any stance. It took the women far too long to heed all those “apolitical” red flags, but when they finally did and ended their relationships, it felt like a triumph.
Pettiest cameo: Serena Williams at the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Serena Williams performs onstage during the Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 9, 2025.
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
In a most pathetic move, Drake filed a lawsuit in January against Universal Music Group, the label he shares with Kendrick Lamar, for “defamation” over “Not Like Us.” Of course, Lamar performed the song at the Super Bowl anyway — but to rub salt in the wound, he brought out fellow Angeleno (and Drake’s alleged former paramour) Serena Williams, who was briefly spotted crip walking with a cool vengeance. Surely, Drake wept. (And then wept again, when a judge dismissed his suit.)
Most ridiculous mathing: Materialists
Dakota Johnson (left) and Pedro Pascal in Materialists.
A24
hide caption
toggle caption
A24
Credit where it’s due: Unlike most movies, Celine Song’s romantic dramedy about a matchmaker torn between a wealthy suitor and her working-class ex isn’t interested in painting wealth and class abstractly – her script engages with actual numbers to contextualize it. (Pedro Pascal’s character’s penthouse is worth $12 million!) But one data point just doesn’t add up, and that’s Lucy’s (Dakota Johnson) matchmaker salary of $80K a year before taxes while living in a spacious one-bedroom in New York City, without parental help. How?
Best Lonely Island album: Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend
YouTube
If her 2024 album Short n’ Sweet was notably cheeky and teasing, like a burlesque performance by way of a pop star, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend went for the broad humor of a Lonely Island-era SNL Digital Short. Nearly every track seems calibrated to be taken un-seriously, from the chintzy disco-flavored “Tears” to the yacht-rock-y “Never Getting Laid.” But the Loneliest track has to be “When Did You Get Hot?”:
Congratulations on your new improvements
I bet your light rod’s, like, bigger than Zeus’s
Hey, wait, can you lift my car with your hand?
You were an ugly kid, but you’re a sexy man
Most depressingly apt series finale: And Just Like That…
Cynthia Nixon in And Just Like That…
Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max
hide caption
toggle caption
Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max
With less than 10 minutes remaining in the conclusion of a beloved decades-long franchise, a bathroom toilet overflowed with excrement. This was caused by a very minor character who’d appeared in just five episodes total (played by Victor Garber, his talents wasted). Poor Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) spent her final full scene on her hands and knees, cleaning it up. Pretty much sums up most of the AJLT viewing experience.
Sickest musical number: Mr. Milchick and his marching band, Severance
Tramell Tillman in Severance.
Apple TV
hide caption
toggle caption
Apple TV
I could hardly tell you anything about the plot points in Season 2 of one of the most opaque shows currently on TV, but the pure pleasure derived from watching authoritarian manager Mr. Milchick celebrate Mark’s (Adam Scott) completion of the “Cold Harbor” file cannot be denied. It’s as if a more sinister Carlton Banks joined an HBCU marching band. Tramell Tillman earned that Emmy, and this moment is a huge reason why.
Best best friend: Nikki, Dying for Sex
Jenny Slate (left) and Michelle Williams in Dying for Sex.
Sarah Shatz/FX
hide caption
toggle caption
Sarah Shatz/FX
When Molly (Michelle Williams) is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she’s inspired to end her unsatisfying marriage and pursue sexual pleasure for the first time. But as much as Dying for Sex is about Molly’s journey, it’s also very honest about being a full-time caretaker, through the eyes of her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate). Nikki’s commitment to Molly becomes a full-time job, to the point that she neglects her own career and emotional wellbeing, and the strains become evident. Slate’s performance is tremendously raw and empathetic, and the friends’ unshakable bond under the worst of circumstances is the heart of the series.
Best bromance: Dennis and Roman, Twinless
Dylan O’Brien (left) and James Sweeney in Twinless.
Roadside Attractions
hide caption
toggle caption
Roadside Attractions
The circumstances that allow for the budding friendship between prickly gay man Dennis (writer and director James Sweeney) and dim-yet-compassionate himbo Roman (Dylan O’Brien) are knotty and uncomfortable when eventually revealed in the movie Twinless. Yet watching this unlikely duo bond over similar traumas is a sweet and funny experience; in one of the year’s best scenes, Sweeney deploys a split screen during a house party, underlining their differing personalities while drawing them even closer together. It’s complicated but they’re connected, for better or worse.
Most diabolical bromance: Craig and Austin, Friendship
Tim Robinson (left) and Paul Rudd in Friendship.
A24
hide caption
toggle caption
A24
Alas, the bromance between meteorologist Austin (Paul Rudd) and marketing exec Craig (Tim Robinson) in Friendship is extremely short-lived, but the fallout is catastrophic. Cringey. Awful. Dying-from-secondhand-embarrassment. Because men like Craig — men lacking any shred of social EQ or self-awareness but still desperate to forge strong friendships, like any human — can’t handle rejection. Writer-director Andrew DeYoung has crafted one of the weirdest and most apt depictions yet of the current “male loneliness epidemic.”
Most vindictive ex: Hedda, Hedda
Tessa Thompson in Hedda.
Prime
hide caption
toggle caption
Prime
Given all Hedda (Tessa Thompson) is up against as a mixed-race woman born to a white father out of wedlock in mid-century England, her naked ambition to maintain a high social status can be understood. But the lengths she unabashedly goes to are ice-cold, nasty, and truly unforgivable. In one lavish evening, she tries to destroy several people’s lives, but perhaps her most humiliating deed is allowing former lover and now-rival Eileen (Nina Hoss) to enter a room full of peers — all men — while Eileen is experiencing an, *ahem* wardrobe malfunction. Thompson’s commitment to Hedda’s delicious depravity is everything.
Sweetest prayer: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Josh O’Connor (left) and Daniel Craig in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Netflix
hide caption
toggle caption
Netflix
If you’ve seen it, you know: This is the scene. After the murder of controversial firebrand Msgr. Wicks (Josh Brolin), his noted rival Rev. Jud (Josh O’Connor) is a prime suspect and looking to clear his name. While chasing a lead, Jud ends up on the phone with a chatty construction company employee (Bridget Everett), and what begins as a mildly annoying interaction becomes a tender expression of compassion when she asks him to pray for her and a sick relative. Time to solve the murder is ticking by, but Jud is called to his duty, and he beautifully serves.
Most haunting ending: It Was Just an Accident
YouTube
The past is never dead, as the saying goes, a sentiment felt acutely throughout Jafar Panahi’s timely film about Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a former political captive who kidnaps someone he believes was one of his tormentors. The temptation for vengeance abounds, but Vahid and others wonder, to what end? Can past trauma be overcome or just merely subdued? The final quiet moment, after much has happened and been said, is the image of the back of Vahid’s head as he pauses in his tracks, having sensed the eerie presence of an all-too familiar sound. With the news that Panahi, a vocal critic of the Iranian government, has been given a year-long prison sentence and a two-year travel ban based on charges of propaganda, the ending echoes even louder.
And still more
A few honorable mentions for my 2025 pop culture yearbook:
Most charming misanthrope: Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), Pluribus
Best inevitable death: Erik (Richard Harmon) and Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner) via an MRI machine, Final Destination: Bloodlines
Breakout performers: Tonatiuh, Kiss of the Spider Woman; Miles Caton, Sinners
Best movie about an artist dad trying to reconnect with his estranged children: Sentimental Value
Worst bad show: All’s Fair
Doing the most with the least: Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best (and ok, only) “truthstorian”: Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), The Lowdown
Greatest show-within-a-show: “Teenjus,” The Righteous Gemstones
As a design writer, I feel lucky to get to peek inside some of Los Angeles’ most iconic homes.
This year, I visited many places, from Midcentury Modern landmarks by Edward Fickett and Raphael Soriano to humble apartments filled with Facebook Marketplace finds.
The rooms that stayed with me long after I left were not always the most luxurious or expensively furnished. Instead, they were the ones that made me smile and left a lasting impression of the person who lives there.
Here are the 14 rooms that resonated with me this year and the people who live in them who inspired me even more.
A colorful, sun-drenched kitchen in Mount Washington that connects to nature
(Mariah Tauger / For The Times)
Priced out of much of Los Angeles, architect Lindsay Sheron and her husband Daniel bought a vacant hillside lot in Mount Washington and proceeded to design and build their own home. Working over a three-year period, the couple served as general contractors and did much of the work themselves. The kitchen is a standout, featuring bright green custom kitchen cabinets painted Raw Tomatillo by Farrow & Ball, which add vitality to the single-wall layout. A custom metal hood by Practice Fabrication, powder-coated the color of a Pixie tangerine, adds a sense of fun.
“I wanted our house to feel really warm and bring nature inside,” says Lindsay, referring to the Western hemlock tongue and groove planks that she and Daniel installed on the walls and ceilings. “Wood does the heavy lifting in accomplishing that.”
Tour the custom built home here.
In Hollywood, a stunning living room that’s filled with second-hand furnishings
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Caitlin Villarreal felt giddy the first time she stepped inside the Whitley Heights rental, a storied 1926 Mediterranean-style penthouse with towering ceilings, hand-carved wooden beams and a pair of arched bookcases alongside an oversize fireplace.
“It had good energy,” Villarreal said of the 1,500-square-foot apartment she rents in a historic neighborhood where Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin and Bette Davis once lived. “It’s iconic just by standing tall year after year. It has floor-to-ceiling Old Hollywood windows that blow open unexpectedly just like in the movies. It doesn’t feel like a rental. It feels like a forever home.”
Tour the Hollywood penthouse here.
A Midcentury Modern dining room in Studio City that Raphael Soriano would approve of
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Architect Linda Brettler’s list of things she loves about her Raphael Soriano-designed home is long, even though the all-aluminum structure, which was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1997, was in desperate need of updating when she purchased it in 2021. “I like doing projects like this where I get to have my own hand and feel, but I’m still honoring what was here,” Brettler says. “I’m trying to create an idealized version of what the house would look like now.” In the dining room, a reproduction of a Millard Sheets painting, rendered by Cal Poly Pomona students on Tyvek, is mounted on a cork-lined wall. Above the painting, she has mounted a projector screen for movie nights and video games.
Tour the historic all-aluminum home here.
A modern West Hollywood living room decorated with pets in mind
(Kit Karzen / For The Times)
“My original inspiration was to match the furniture to the kitties so I don’t see their cat hair,” anesthesiologist Jeffrey Hamilton says of the West Hollywood condo he shares with his boyfriend David Poli, his cats Romulus and Remus and Poli’s Husky mix, Janeway. “The cats very much informed the color scheme. I find them so handsome; it felt like having matching furniture was practical.”
In the living room, Hamilton chose a camel-colored Curvo sofa in velvet by Goop for CB2, which he found on Facebook Marketplace. Similarly, the accompanying swivel chairs from HD Buttercup and the barstool seats in the kitchen are upholstered in Bengal and Husky-durable textiles that camouflage their rescues pet hair.
“Jeffrey likes to say that everything in his apartment is a rescue, including me,” says Poli jokingly.
Tour the West Hollywood condo here.
A surprising Silver Lake kitchen that doubles as a retro video store
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Chris Rose fondly remembers the days when he worked at the independent video store I Luv Video in Austin, Texas.
Now an L.A.-based writer, director and producer, Rose, 41, recalls the Austin store’s eclectic assortment of cult oddities and world cinema.
Although he can no longer visit the video store, Rose doesn’t have to go far to rent these days, as he has brought a similar yet distinctive collection to the kitchen of his one-bedroom bungalow in Silver Lake.
Tour the Silver Lake apartment here.
Two college friends transform a Glassell Park living room (and garage) into an art-filled escape
(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)
Antonio Adriano Puleo didn’t intend to renovate his traditional 1946 bungalow, but after consulting with architectural designer Ben Warwas, who told him he could transform the house into a “forever home,” the artist changed his plans.
“The living room wasn’t big enough, and it featured a huge red brick fireplace that had doors on either side of it, leading to the backyard,” said Warwas.
The living room of the main house is now open and airy, with custom cabinets and millwork by James Melinat that showcase the artwork Puleo made himself and the pieces he has collected for more than 30 years. The living room’s fireplace is gone, but the wooden mantle remains atop a console behind the sofa, graced with a series of colorful ceramic planters by Ashley Campbell and Brian Porray of Happy Hour Ceramics.
“Little tweaks totally transformed the house,” Warwas said.
Tour the house and ADU here.
A fabulous wet bar in a West Hollywood apartment that’s perfect for parties
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Growing up in a small town outside of Cleveland, Tyler Piña was fascinated by Los Angeles and the glamour of Hollywood.
“My dad grew up out here, and it’s where my parents met,” says the 33-year-old screenwriter. “I remember looking at old Polaroids of them in the ‘80s and seeing how much fun they had.”
His attraction to Los Angeles, however, was more than just nostalgia. “I was mesmerized by the landscapes and architecture,” he says.
Looking back, he can’t believe he realized his dream of moving to Los Angeles from San Francisco in 2018 and eventually renting a Midcentury Modern penthouse by Edward Fickett steps from the Sunset Strip.
“A Midcentury Modern penthouse on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of West Hollywood, with a bar in the living room? I mean, does it get more iconic? I am, in no way, cool enough to live here,” says Piña.
Tour the Midcentury apartment here.
A bedroom in Beachwood Canyon is transformed into an art-filled office (and occasional guest room)
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
When Natalie Babcock and Samuel Gibson found a listing for a sunny apartment in Beachwood Canyon five years ago, they immediately fell for the two bedroom’s charming built-in bookshelves, faux fireplace, hardwood floors and formal dining room. Practical amenities such as an in-unit laundry and a garage, which are often elusive in Los Angeles rentals, didn’t hurt.
Today, however, the couple says they are most impressed by the sense of belonging they have found in the community just outside their 1928 Spanish fourplex. Here, where tourists and brides in wedding gowns often pose for photographs in the middle of the street in an effort to capture the Hollywood sign in the background, Babcock and Gibson have become part of a larger family. “Everyone knows our dogs’ names,” says Babcock.
The couple’s taste is vibrant, and the colorful interiors reflect their sense of fun and love of design. They painted one wall in Gibson’s office a dramatic Kelly green, which makes the white-trimmed windows and his extensive art collection pop.
“Art is one thing that I am always happy to spend money on,” Gibson says.
Tour the Beachwood Canyon apartment here.
A treasures-filled living room in Eagle Rock that’s a colorful showstopper
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Isa Beniston and Scotty Zaletel are romantics. Not just in their love for each other, which they are as vocal about three years in as budding high school crushes, but also in the way they describe the contents of their 412-square-foot one-bedroom apartment. They can recall the season they discovered each treasure — from fruit-shaped throw pillows to more than 30 animal portraits — and the cross streets of the flea markets from which they bought them. They gush about the time they’ve spent together in fabric stores and flooring supply shops as if they were dimly lighted restaurants primed for date night.
“We both just love stuff,” the two said in near-unison.
— Lina Abascal
Tour the 412-square foot apartment here.
A tricked-out garage/ADU in Venice that serves as an office, gym and family hub
(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
“They’re fun,” architect Aejie Rhyu says of the creative couple Will Burroughs and Frith Dabkowski, as she walked by the undulating two-story ADU she helped them realize.
Rhyu’s assessment helps to explain the joy that permeates the family compound, from the pink Los Angeles Toile wallpaper in the bedroom (humorously adorned with illustrations of L.A.’s beloved mountain lion P-22, the La Brea Tar Pits and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre) to the tricked-out garage on the first floor, which includes overhead bike storage, an espresso maker, a mini-fridge and a large flat-screen TV that allows Sydney-born Burroughs to watch Formula One car races and cricket games at 4 a.m. when his family is asleep.
Burroughs even installed a subwoofer speaker beneath the sofa to give the garage the feel of a movie theater during family movie nights. “Jack went flying off the couch when we watched ‘Top Gun,’ ” he said of their son, laughing.
Tour the two-story ADU with a rooftop deck here.
A serene guest room in Mid-Wilshire that’s a light-filled studio for a textile artist
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
After living in her two-bedroom apartment in Los Feliz for more than a decade, Debra Weiss encountered a problem experienced by many renters in Los Angeles: She was evicted.
When her son-in-law spotted a charming two-bedroom apartment near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Zillow, her initial reaction was, “I want this,” Weiss said of the fourplex.
The rental had high ceilings, oak floors, ample sunlight, an appealing fireplace, a garage and a washer and dryer.
In the guest room, a wall hanging composed of three separate weavings in a gingham check pattern is embroidered with a series of characters she based on her 5-year-old granddaughter’s drawings. “It’s about people coming together in chaos and supporting each other,” Weiss said.
Even though the process of having to move was stressful, Weiss is happy with her new home and neighborhood. “I take the Metro bus everywhere and hardly ever drive,” she said. “Everything worked out perfectly.”
Tour the sunny Mid-Wilshire fourplex here.
A ’70s-inspired speakeasy/lounge in Highland Park that’s hidden behind a bookcase
(Carianne Older / For The Times)
Standing beneath a glittering tiered chandelier in her pink “cloffice,” designer Dani Dazey shares the essence of her colorful style: “From the wallpaper to the artwork, my home is a reflection of me right now,” she explains. “It’s a personal and hip twist on traditional design.”
Rather than embrace rustic farmhouse style or minimalist Midcentury Modern design as is often the case in Los Angeles, Dazey has taken the Highland Park home she shares with husband Phillip Butler and given it an over-the-top maximalist spin.
The speakeasy lounge, accessible through a hidden door sliding bookcase, is a ‘70s-inspired sanctuary with a modular sofa, curtains and wallpaper in the same floral pattern.
Their home is proof, that our homes should make us happy by reflecting who we are. In Dazey’s case, that translates to bold color, lush textures and retro vibes.
Tour the Highland Park home here.
A memento-filled living room in Long Beach is an ode to ‘the people we love’
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A sense of fun permeates the rooms of Cecilia and Abraham Beltran’s colorful one-bedroom Midcentury apartment in Long Beach.
“We both have a deep passion for Midcentury design and color,” Cecilia shares.
The Beltrans’ apartment encapsulates their design sensibility and “above all, the people we love,” Cecilia says. There’s bold, Midcentury Modern-inspired furniture the couple found on Craigslist, tongue-in-cheek smiling pillows and the “Hole to Another Universe” wall decal by Blik, which can be removed when they move. Peppered throughout the space are mementos from their travels, such as the limited-edition art print “La Famille” purchased on a trip to London in 2023.
Ultimately, Cecilia says, she wants the apartment “to feel like us. I think we pulled it off.”
Tour the Long Beach apartment here.
In Reseda, an apartment where every antique tells a story
(Stephen Ross Goldstein / For The Times)
When Evelyn Bauer, 97, downsized from her four-bedroom home in Sherman Oaks to an apartment in Reseda in 2014, the longtime collector and antiques dealer was forced to relinquish many of her personal belongings.
“Collecting is my passion, my addiction, and I’m so happy to be afflicted with it,” says Bauer, whose two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at an independent living facility for seniors is filled with furnishings and decorative arts from her 65 years as a collector.
Step inside her living room, and the vast collection of antiques feels like entering the former Encino Antique Center, where she was once the proprietor during the 1990s. Each item has a story, a memory and a unique charm that she cherishes.
“There’s always room for one more gem,” she says.
Tour the Reseda apartment here.
On-air challenge
Every answer today is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts BE- and the second word start D- (as in “bed”). (Ex. Sauce often served with tortilla chips –> BEAN DIP)
1. Sinuous Mideast entertainer who may have a navel decoration
2. Oscar category won multiple times by Frank Capra and Steven Spielberg
3. While it’s still light at the end of the day
4. Obstruction in a stream made by animals that gnaw
5. Actress who starred in “Now, Voyager” and “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”
6. Two-time Conservative prime minister of Great Britain in the 19th century
7. Italian for “beautiful woman”
8. Patron at an Oktoberfest, e.g.
9. Dim sum dish made with ground meat and fillings wrapped in a wonton and steamed
10. [Fill in the blank:] Something that is past its prime has seen ___
11. Like the engine room and sleeping quarters on a ship
Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge came from Robert Flood, of Allen, Texas. Name a famous female singer of the past (five letters in the first name, seven letters in the last name). Remove the last letter of her first name and you can rearrange all the remaining letters to name the capital of a country (six letters) and a food product that its nation is famous for (five letters).
Challenge answer
Sarah Vaughan, Havana, Sugar.
Winner
Josh McIntyre of Raleigh, N.C.
This week’s challenge (something different)
I was at a library. On the shelf was a volume whose spine said “OUT TO SEA.” When I opened the volume, I found the contents has nothing to do with sailing or the sea in any sense. It wasn’t a book of fiction either. What was in the volume?
If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Wednesday, December 24 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.
To Give FIFA’s Roblox Deal Context, Look at YouTube
Video: Who Is Trying to Replace Planned Parenthood?
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office
Video: Uber Clears Violent Felons to Drive
The 2025 pop culture yearbook, from pettiest cameo to nerdiest movie moment
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Video: Who Is Trying to Replace Planned Parenthood?
Comer summons Minnesota officials as House probes massive social services fraud
Germany charges ex-Syrian prison guard over Assad-era abuses
Weather tracker: Further flood watches issued across California
DHS responds after reports CISA chief allegedly failed polygraph for classified intel access
-
Iowa1 week agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Iowa1 week agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine6 days agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland1 week agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
South Dakota1 week agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
New Mexico5 days agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
Detroit, MI7 days ago‘Love being a pedo’: Metro Detroit doctor, attorney, therapist accused in web of child porn chats
-
Maine5 days agoFamily in Maine host food pantry for deer | Hand Off