Whew! Whew for a whirlwind of a project. Whew for me being SO friggen proud of myself for how it came out. Whew for me being done with it. I was hired by Emily Henderson to design a pop-up home for Air BnB in the middle of the Downtown L.A. Arts District. It was designed with actress Lake Bell in mind, and I also had to take into consideration the Arts District location and a short three-week time frame. It was crazy, and crazy fun… And here it is!!
The space inside was teeny tiny. Besides Ida’s nursery, it’s the smallest bedroom I’ve ever designed…
Here’s my little spiel on the interior of the space and why I chose everything that’s inside, where it’s from, etc.
The vibe: Eclectic North-African caravan goes on vacation in the Arts District.
The Moroccan feel, highlighted by Schumacher’s Cordoba and Medina wallpapers, the vintage Berber rug and the vintage Moroccan platform beds (from Badia) are juxtaposed with modern elements–like the faceted Hal side table from Twentieth and the copper Real Good Chair from Blu Dot.
The space features mixed metallics as a nod to the industrial nature of the Arts District.
The vintage copper reading lamp and the 1970’s gold side tables (from Hernandez) are prime examples. I chose the The Blu Dot Real Good Chair also because it looks like origami–and with Little Tokyo just blocks away it speaks to the cultural mix of the neighborhood. Similarly, the vintage Mexican floral tray is a nod to the Mexican heritage of the area–the Arts District is located just across the bridge from Boyle Heights– a predominantly Latino neighborhood.
The large King Palm Tree–a plant super prevalent in both Morocco and L.A. is used here to bridge the Moroccan flavor of the design with the L.A location. The airy fabric draped overhead is meant to create intimacy and warmth in the space.
Outside the Kithouse, Moroccan lanterns set the tone.
Bougainvillea trees (a huge, colorful part of the East L.A. landscape) frame the space. Disco-ball planters from local artist Bianca D’amico of Chapparal Studio give the outside a little sparkle and speaks to the nightlife in the area.
The abstract art painted on the patio, and onto the patio chairs by J. Crown bridges the colors and patterns of the Arts District with the geometric motifs and colors in the space.
The pop-up home reflects an eclectic mix of cultures and eras, materials and patterns, all meant to converge to create a little exotic oasis in the heart of the most effervescent area of Los Angeles.
Huge thank-you’s are in order.
To my team: Jason Rosencrantz, Natalie Gluck and Faith Blakeney y’all squashed it.
To Emily and to AirBnB.
To Melissa and Carol, Adam and all the other helpers/rad folks making appearances.
And to Ida’s Grandparents for the extra babysitting!
And a HUGE thank you to Laure Joliet, one of my favorite lens ladies, for these AMAZING photos. Damn you make me look good lady!
Design by Justina Blakeney
Photos lovingly snapped by Laure Joliet
Oh my gosh, there are so many things to obsess over in this space!!!! I LOVE those side tables and the fact that they are vintage has my heart going pitter patter. The space kept me guessing at every turn but still seems so cohesive. Magical and inspiring!
this is the tiniest, grooviest pad ever.
I mean, can I move in here? This place looks rad. The colors and patterns used are phenomenal.
yay! goooooo justina, you’re on fire. love this!
What a fun project! I was so happy to see your name along with the other designers! I just adore that you kept your jungalow spirit (of course), but did such a thoughtful job of incorporating touches of east LA and the arts district. I especially love your mix of metallics- I’m obsessed with that lately! Also totally digging your use of the Real Good Chair- it’s never been one of my favorite Blu Dot pieces, but it works brilliantly here. You’ve made me a convert! (I actually didn’t know it came in that finish, which makes it infinitely more cool to me)
I’m bursting with joy just looking at this space, Justina! LOOOOOVE it! Perfection!
Gorgeous Justina! Truly brilliant use of space to create an eclectic yet fluid jewelbox of domain. As a mom to young children who own my own business I know what a committed hustle it must have been to get this done in the amount of time you had. Great work, so worth the considerable effort and creativity that you poured into this project. Congratulations, may this lead to more fulfillment of your dreams…
I want to go to there……♥
Awwww yeah, looks a.mazing. Awesome job!
It looks amazing. Our bedroom isn’t much bigger than this, so it’s a great inspiration.
I want to live there! That bed is perfection.
You always manage to cram so much GOOD into such small spaces… Love it!
Loving those brass/copper (?) birds on the wall…where are those from?
cool right?! They are vintage– I found them on Etsy–but they’re not very rare. If you do an etsy search for “brass seagulls” they will probably show up!
thanks!
I want to stay there in January!!!! ;)
can i move in??? it is super cute!!!
Dream room!
Love it! You go, girl!
You did an AMAZING job! Would love to stay in this room! You really know how it works!
Justina – you rock my world! Tell us more about the artwork on the wall. The candy coloured bougainnvillea is gorgeous – also a common garden plant in southern African. Love it!
Ahh yes! The artwork on the wall is by Scott Campbell, who is also a tattoo artist and the husband of actress Lake Bell, who the space was designed after!
This is beautiful.
Hi Justina.
I saw this article on Refinery29 and it looks like Lake Bell is taking credit for this project?!? Very confusing….
Keep on the good work!
June
hi June. Thanks for letting me know. It is certainly annoying the way the article is framed — that they did not mention me at all. I will be sending them an email for sure. Have a nice weekend!
Hi! Love love love this look. Where did you get those amazing pillows?
I got most of them from Badia Design in North Hollywood!
Seems like every time I see a space I adore, it turns out to be your design. Your sense of style and color and fun are an inspiration!
Wow, simply stunning.
Love the north African and latin collision, both so vibrant and harmonious. Please can you tell me more about j. Crown? Who did the abstract art on the patio?
It was actually my husband who did it! He used a silly Pseudonym :D
I keep looking for a bed like the carved one (with the headboard and carved frame, not the daybed). I’ve even looked at Badia Design. Where can I find a bed like that? I really want a platform bed with hand-carving on all sides of the frame. If you don’t know where to find one, can you give me some search words to use? Is the carving a specific style or from a specific region? THANK YOU!!!!
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