The Renters of This Extremely Cool LA Loft Share Their Secrets of Budget Buys and Keeping Giant Plants Alive

Name:Puno Puno,Daniel Chin Yee,Muad’Dib(the cat), and Frankie (the baby)
Location:Fashion District, Downtown Los Angeles
Size:1500 square feet
Type of Home:Loft
Years lived in:5 years, renting

“It’s been five years since we’ve moved into this loft and did the firstApartment Therapy Loft Tour,” begins Puno, the multi-hyphenate creative and founder of the education platformilovecreatives(@ilovecreativeson Instagram). She rents this big loft in LA’s Fashion District with her partner,Daniel, and it’s where they both live, work, and — since a few months ago — raise their new baby, Frankie. In the past five years since AT toured their home, the expansive space has maintained many of its enviable qualities, namely all the gorgeous light and super cool vibes. But there have been lots of updates, too. “The plants have grown, the sofa got reupholstered from red to white, we painted the floors, and we made a baby (aka our fourth roommate if you count the cat)!” exclaims Puno.

My Style:Previously, we saidDanish Tropical aka “Raindrop Dane Trop”and we’ve leaned into it even more since. I feel like the palette is a lot more cohesive now, but the white floors really help with that.

Inspiration:Our friend and architect, Tyler Thomas ofVenn Studioexposed me to Milo Baughman (which we have a few of his pieces) and Retro Futurism. Lately I’ve been lovingStar Trek Design.

Favorite Element:我仍然不能克服这些窗户。光在sunrise and sunset has a vibe. We’ve been working from home for the past eight years and light contributes a lot to my work happiness!

Also, having a line of sight is another plus with the windows. Being able to see the Eastern Building and even Pollo Loco is the best wallpaper we can ask for.

Biggest Challenge:One of the biggest challenges was the kitchen cabinets and the island color. It SCREAMS apartment rental and it made the kitchen feel dark. We needed a solution that could revert when we eventually moved out — here’s theApartment Therapy Before & After.

Proudest DIY:Painting the floors white! We had to move all the plants and the furniture into the room and then it took about two days to sand and paint (three coats). We usedBehr Premium Interior / Exterior Concrete & Garage White Base No. 900.

Budget:I wanted to print that huge 54×80 photo of bread, but all the quotes I got were well over $1,000. We found a really great price withPictorem(FRIEND15 for 15 percent off)! Total including shipping was $367.

And we get all our rugs from Rugs.com. The10′ x 13′ Snow White Basic Frieze Rugwas $371.21 including tax and shipping. They always seem to have a 50 percent off sale, haha.

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it?Once we had a baby, we had to convert the office into a nursery. Now our desks are in the living room. The wires kill me and I miss having more living floor space, but this is the ideal layout for now. We thought about putting the desks in the dining room and even sharing the nursery, but the light is just so much better in the living room during working hours.

I also love that the office is the nursery now. It feels cozy and since I’m living that breastfeeding life, it’s been nice to have the separation.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have:One thing people ask us all the time is how do we keep our plants alive. Ready for the secret?! Daniel waters all the plants every Sunday until the water drains out and every pot has a hole on the bottom. That’s it!

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice?Learn Figma or some kind of graphic design tool! I used it to create our mood boards and it really helps me shop. Plus! You can collaborate with other people. We actually teach aGraphic Design Courseatilovecreativeswhere you can learn about Figma and Photoshop if you wanted to really go off.

• Behr “Citrus Delight” for the bedroom
• Behr Premium Interior / Exterior Concrete & Garage White Base No. 900for the floors
• “Ultra Pure White” for the cabinets

• Globes —AllModern.com
• Hue lights
• Anjelica Huston Print — I designed the print and the frame is from a vintage shop in Venice
  Clear Acrylic Vanity Bench with White Vinyl Cushion and Chrome Casters (vintage from Etsy)
• Sound Rack Stacking Shelves —Ludovica and Roberto Palomba

• Plants and Pots —Harry Mayesh of HM Plants
• Laminated Pivot Coffee Table —Bi-Rite Studio
• Sofa and Chairs made —Total Design Furniture
• Snow White Basic Frieze Rug —Rugs.com

• Chairs —窝
• Milo Baughman Table —Deja Vu Decors
• Arch Floor lamp —Revivals Palm Springs
• Aarke Carbonator Sparkling Water
• Snow White Basic Frieze Rug —Rugs.com

• Bar Stools —Daniel & Emma
• Bread Print — By Maria Troconis ofGrafikistoprinted on Canvas byPictorem(FRIEND15 for 15% off)
• BrabantiaTrash Can

• Lamp —Entler
• Sheets —Tekla
  Ernest C. Masi Stacking Table

• Rug —Cold Picnic

• Nestig Crib— it changes to larger crib and a toddler bed!
• Nuture& The Glider— Rocking and swiveling is a must when breastfeeding a newborn.
• Lovevery Playset— Gives you so many ideas on how to play with your baby.
• Canopy Humidifier
• Nanit ProCamera — Love this camera!
• Rug and Quilt —Cold Picnic
• Bi-Rite Tubo Bookend
• Bi-Rite Boby Office Trolley by Joe Colombo
• Aspen Table Lampwith Hue Lights (dimmable) — We synced this with theGoogle Nest Miniand now we can say “Hey Google, lower the nursery lights.”
• Gradient Laminate Dresser from Betsu
• “F” Rug made byMindy Nguyen— Creative Director ofilovecreatives.studio
• Posters designed byAlexWifi and Sara Alvarez, printed byGuru Printers
• Snow White Basic Frieze Rug —Rugs.com

Thanks Puno and Daniel!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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