Latest news with #MidcenturyModern
Los Angeles Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
8 Emmy contenders that show off real-life L.A. locations
There has never been a shortage of TV series that take place in Los Angeles, the longtime hub of the American television industry and its players. But the 2025 Emmy season features such a wealth of shows set and shot in and around L.A. that we couldn't resist spotlighting how several of them use the iconic locale we call home. The Apple TV+ comedy, which follows an interconnected group of co-workers, friends and neighbors, is set mainly in Pasadena and Altadena. Location manager David Flannery, a fifth-generation Pasadena native, notes, 'So often [these cities] play for everywhere else in the world. But we want to show exactly where we are — which is just a little more specific than general L.A. — and that the characters are grounded in very real places.' These sites have included the Rose Bowl, Pasadena City Hall, Pasadena's Central Park (featuring the landmark Castle Green building) and the South Pasadena train station. The Laird and Bishop family homes, with their adjoining backyards, may look like a set but are actually neighboring Altadena houses, both of which survived the Eaton fire. Although Hulu's Emmy-winning comic mystery is the ultimate New York tale, its Season 4 opener sent its crime-solving lead trio to Tinseltown to pursue a movie adaptation of their popular podcast. Co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman, calling in during the show's Season 5 shoot, says, 'Last season had to start in L.A. It really kicks off a season that is specific to cinema, to moving images.' Filming took place on the classic Paramount Studios lot, at the historic Il Borghese condo building in Hancock Park and at an 'ultra-glamorous, deeply L.A.' Hollywood Hills home, which served as studio exec Bev Melon's party house. Creator-showrunner Erin Foster can't imagine her Netflix rom-com about a progressive rabbi and a gentile sex podcaster set anywhere but her native Los Angeles. 'You have to write what you know, and that's what I know,' she says by phone from her West Hollywood home. 'In L.A., people are following their dreams, so it says a lot about who someone is. I think the same applies to locations in a TV show: They all signal where [the characters] are in their life and who they are.' Some of these illustrative locales have included Westwood's Sinai Temple, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown, the Los Feliz 3 Theatre, Calamigos Ranch in Malibu and WeHo's Pleasure Chest sex shop. Seth Rogen and company's raucous creation about a beleaguered movie studio chief is rooted in firsthand experience. 'Seth knows this town very, very well,' says supervising location manager Stacey Brashear. 'He and [co-creator] Evan Goldberg wrote in 90% of the locations, including the [John] Lautner-designed, Midcentury Modern houses that studio executives like to collect.' Among these eye-popping sites are the Silvertop house above the Silver Lake Reservoir and the Harvey House in the Hollywood Hills. Adds Brashear, 'I feel like our locations are actual characters in the show.' Among the Apple TV+ series' many other L.A. locations: the Warner Bros. studio lot, the Smoke House Restaurant in Burbank, Lake Hollywood Park and the Sunset Strip's Chateau Marmont. This Netflix limited series revisits the 1989 murder of wealthy Beverly Hills couple José and Kitty Menendez by sons Erik and Lyle, a crime notoriously connected to Los Angeles. 'It was such a period of decadence and grandeur, and Beverly Hills was kind of the poster child for that,' says production designer Matthew Flood Ferguson. 'I wanted to recapture the [town's] glamour and celebrity culture.' He also notes, of L.A.'s diverse architecture, 'You can get quite a few different looks all in the same place.' These 'looks' included a grand Hancock Park-area home standing in for the Mendendez mansion, Koreatown's Wilshire Colonnade office complex, a 1970s-built Encino bank building, Beverly Hills' Will Rogers Memorial Park and the former Sunset Strip site of Spago, restored to look as it did in its heyday. Unlike past seasons, in which L.A. often subbed for Las Vegas, Season 4 of 'Hacks' is mostly shot and set in Los Angeles. Says Lucia Aniello, co-creator with Paul W. Downs and Jen Stasky, 'Much of [the season] is getting back to the roots of L.A. comedy. It really is a love letter to Los Angeles — and to the comedy world.' Adds Downs, 'The show is a lot about people outside of the industry looking in. By being in L.A., we got to really explore what that means.' Some key locations: CBS Television City, the Lenny Kravitz-designed Stanley House, the Americana at Brand and Echo Park's Elysian Theater; the Altadena estate doubling for Deborah Vance's Bel-Air mansion was lost in the Eaton fire. Loosely based on the life of Lakers President Jeanie Buss, this Netflix comedy is 'filled with a lot of L.A. DNA,' says co-creator and showrunner David Stassen. He adds that, like Buss, the show's star, Kate Hudson, 'is also part of a dynastic L.A. family. Plus, she knows Jeanie, she loves the Lakers and she grew up going to games.' Though much of the season was filmed downtown at Los Angeles Center Studios, location work included the Pacific Coast Highway south of Venice (where Cam, played by Justin Theroux, crashes his Porsche), downtown L.A.'s elegant Hotel Per La and homes in Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills. The L.A. skyline gets quite the workout here as well. Netflix's reimagining of Judy Blume's 1975 novel unfolds in 2018 Los Angeles, where it evocatively explores first love between teens Justin and Keisha. Showrunner and L.A. native Mara Brock Akil considers her adaptation 'a love letter to Los Angeles and to the idyllic life we're all trying to live in this city, where dreams are not isolated to one particular neighborhood.' Key parts of the story take place around Keisha's home in the View Park-Windsor Hills area, with the show's many other L.A. locations including Ladera Park, St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood, the Grove and the Original Farmers Market, Griffith Park and the Santa Monica Pier. Adds Akil, 'A lot of people [in L.A.] are moving around on public transportation, which I wanted to shine a light on too.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
In a state with a dire affordable housing shortage, does the Coachella Valley offer hope?
Along the main thoroughfare of this desert city, just a block from a vibey, adults-only hotel and a gastropub serving boozy brunches, a new apartment building with a butterfly-wing roof inspired by Midcentury Modern design is nearing completion. The property, called Aloe Palm Canyon, features 71 one-bedroom units with tall windows offering natural light and sweeping views of Mt. San Jacinto, plus a fitness room and laundry facilities. When it opens this summer, serving lower-income seniors over age 55, the complex will become the latest addition to the Coachella Valley's growing stock of affordable housing. A decade ago, this desert region known for its winter resorts, lush golf courses and annual music festivals produced just 38 units of affordable housing a year, while the low-wage workers powering the valley's lavish service industry faced soaring housing costs and food insecurity. Fast-forward to this year, and affordable housing units are planned or under construction in all nine Coachella Valley cities, including the most exclusive, and in many unincorporated areas. At least some of that momentum can be credited to a Palm Desert-based nonprofit organization that in 2018 set an ambitious 10-year goal to reduce rent burden — or the number of people spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs — by nearly a third. Lift to Rise aimed to do this by adding nearly 10,000 units of affordable housing in the Coachella Valley by 2028. Some seven years into its decade-long push, Lift to Rise appears well on its way to that goal. It counts 9,300 affordable housing units in the pipeline as of April. That figure includes those in the early planning stages, as well as 940 units starting construction soon, 990 under construction and 1,405 affordable housing units completed. It is notable progress in a state where the dire shortage of low-income housing can seem an intractable problem. Now, some officials and elected leaders say Lift to Rise may offer a path forward that could be replicated in other regions. The Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, stretches from the San Gorgonio Pass to the north shores of the Salton Sea. Its major employment sectors — leisure and hospitality, retail and agriculture — generally produce the area's lowest-paid jobs, putting the cost of renting or buying a home out of reach for many. Coastal areas have a reputation for being unaffordable, but the desert region has a higher share of rent-burdened households than Riverside County as a whole, the state or nation, according to American Community Survey data compiled by Lift to Rise. Addressing the situation comes with its own complications. Many California housing and climate policies tend to support the development of affordable housing in dense, pedestrian-friendly communities with easy access to public transportation, said Ian Gabriel, Lift to Rise's director of collective impact. Such adaptations are difficult in the Coachella Valley, where suburban-style neighborhoods, limited public transportation and months of triple-digit heat have lent themselves to a car-centric lifestyle, he said. And although state policy — and funding priorities — often focus on alleviating chronic homelessness in major urban areas, he said, the Coachella Valley also needs housing for low-wage farmworkers who aren't homeless but are living in dilapidated, financially untenable conditions. All of that makes it harder for the region to compete for state affordable housing dollars, he said. 'We're not saying other folks in coastal areas shouldn't be getting money,' Gabriel said. 'We're saying we need more equitable distribution and a path forward that isn't just a one-size-fits-all, because it's not fitting for our region.' Lift to Rise has built a network of more than 70 people and organizations — among them residents, county officials, funders and developers — with a shared goal of increasing affordable housing in the region. One of the group's early steps was to create an affordable housing portal to track developments in the pipeline and, maybe more important, determine what factors are holding projects back. In assessing those bottlenecks, Lift to Rise identified a need for stronger advocacy, both at the local level and in the policy sphere. So it has launched an effort, Committees by Cities, to help residents develop leadership skills and advocate for affordable housing at public meetings. Modesta Rodriguez is a member of the Indio chapter, attending city council hearings and passing along information to her neighbors. Although she and her family have lived in a development specifically for farmworkers for a decade, she wants to ensure her four children — the oldest of whom graduated from San Diego State University this month — can find housing in the eastern Coachella Valley. 'It's not as if they are going to begin their careers making a lot of money,' Rodriguez said, seated in the kitchen of her tidy three-bedroom apartment. 'For us, these projects are very good, because I know at least they will help my daughter.' Mike Walsh, assistant director of Riverside County's Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions, said Lift to Rise and its army of advocates should get credit for helping to change the narrative around affordable housing in the Coachella Valley. 'When affordable housing projects pop up, they have a built-in network to turn folks out and support those projects, where in the rest of the county, there's not that same sort of ease of turning people out," Walsh said. Walsh recalled that a teacher, a farmworker and a social worker — essentially a cross-section of local residents — spoke up at a recent county meeting. 'It drowns out NIMBYism,' said Heidi Marshall, director of the county's housing and workforce solutions department. The organization aims to spark wider conversation about the fight for affordable housing and living wages through eye-catching billboards that the nonprofit buys along the 10 Freeway during spring music festival season in the Coachella Valley. 'Born too late to afford a home, and too early to colonize Mars' is among their slogans. And when an analysis revealed low-income housing developers were having trouble getting predevelopment financing, Lift to Rise set out to create a funding mechanism to help get projects off the ground. The result is a revolving loan fund known as We Lift: The Coachella Valley's Housing Catalyst Fund. The $44-million fund, supported by public and philanthropic dollars, is intended to bridge financing gaps and accelerate development. The developer behind the Aloe Palm Canyon complex in Palm Springs, the West Hollywood Community Housing Corp., benefited from three loans from the fund totaling more than $11 million. It has already paid back two of those loans. 'I don't know any other regions in California that are doing this at this level of support,' Anup Nitin Patel, the corporation's director of real estate development, said during a toasty morning tour of the construction site. Another Palm Springs project — a partnership between the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition and DAP Health, a local healthcare provider — received a $750,000 predevelopment loan that was repaid at the start of construction. Last June, Sean Johnson moved into that development, which is for low-income people who are HIV-positive or living with AIDS. After struggling to find stable housing, he said it's a relief to pay a monthly rent of $718 for a studio apartment. 'It's going to be something I can sustain, a game-changer for me,' he said. Lift to Rise is seeking a $20-million allocation in the next state budget to scale up its work. As part of that request, it is asking for a one-time $10-million investment into the Catalyst Fund to expand lending capacity across Riverside County. Read more: In America's 'salad bowl,' farmers invest in guest worker housing, hoping to stabilize workforce Sen. Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista) and Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) submitted a budget request on the organization's behalf. Padilla said it's a worthy expenditure, especially as California faces a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. In lean budget situations, Padilla said, the state should focus its investments on programs that are having meaningful impact and have the data to prove it. 'In tough budget times, you have to be very strategic," he said. "And this is a good example of [an effort] that's proven some pretty impressive results.' This article is part of The Times' equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California's economic divide. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
In a state with a dire affordable housing shortage, does the Coachella Valley offer hope?
PALM SPRINGS — Along the main thoroughfare of this desert city, just a block from a vibey, adults-only hotel and a gastropub serving boozy brunches, a new apartment building with a butterfly-wing roof inspired by Midcentury Modern design is nearing completion. The property, called Aloe Palm Canyon, features 71 one-bedroom units with tall windows offering natural light and sweeping views of Mt. San Jacinto, plus a fitness room and laundry facilities. When it opens this summer, serving lower-income seniors over age 55, the complex will become the latest addition to the Coachella Valley's growing stock of affordable housing. A decade ago, this desert region known for its winter resorts, lush golf courses and annual music festivals produced just 38 units of affordable housing a year, while the low-wage workers powering the valley's lavish service industry faced soaring housing costs and food insecurity. Fast-forward to this year, and affordable housing units are planned or under construction in all nine Coachella Valley cities, including the most exclusive, and in many unincorporated areas. At least some of that momentum can be credited to a Palm Desert-based nonprofit organization that in 2018 set an ambitious 10-year goal to reduce rent burden — or the number of people spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs — by nearly a third. Lift to Rise aimed to do this by adding nearly 10,000 units of affordable housing in the Coachella Valley by 2028. Some seven years into its decade-long push, Lift to Rise appears well on its way to that goal. It counts 9,300 affordable housing units in the pipeline as of April. That figure includes those in the early planning stages, as well as 940 units starting construction soon, 990 under construction and 1,405 affordable housing units completed. It is notable progress in a state where the dire shortage of low-income housing can seem an intractable problem. Now, some officials and elected leaders say Lift to Rise may offer a path forward that could be replicated in other regions. The Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, stretches from the San Gorgonio Pass to the north shores of the Salton Sea. Its major employment sectors — leisure and hospitality, retail and agriculture — generally produce the area's lowest-paid jobs, putting the cost of renting or buying a home out of reach for many. Coastal areas have a reputation for being unaffordable, but the desert region has a higher share of rent-burdened households than Riverside County as a whole, the state or nation, according to American Community Survey data compiled by Lift to Rise. Addressing the situation comes with its own complications. Many California housing and climate policies tend to support the development of affordable housing in dense, pedestrian-friendly communities with easy access to public transportation, said Ian Gabriel, Lift to Rise's director of collective impact. Such adaptations are difficult in the Coachella Valley, where suburban-style neighborhoods, limited public transportation and months of triple-digit heat have lent themselves to a car-centric lifestyle, he said. And although state policy — and funding priorities — often focus on alleviating chronic homelessness in major urban areas, he said, the Coachella Valley also needs housing for low-wage farmworkers who aren't homeless but are living in dilapidated, financially untenable conditions. All of that makes it harder for the region to compete for state affordable housing dollars, he said. 'We're not saying other folks in coastal areas shouldn't be getting money,' Gabriel said. 'We're saying we need more equitable distribution and a path forward that isn't just a one-size-fits-all, because it's not fitting for our region.' Lift to Rise has built a network of more than 70 people and organizations — among them residents, county officials, funders and developers — with a shared goal of increasing affordable housing in the region. One of the group's early steps was to create an affordable housing portal to track developments in the pipeline and, maybe more important, determine what factors are holding projects back. In assessing those bottlenecks, Lift to Rise identified a need for stronger advocacy, both at the local level and in the policy sphere. So it has launched an effort, Committees by Cities, to help residents develop leadership skills and advocate for affordable housing at public meetings. Modesta Rodriguez is a member of the Indio chapter, attending city council hearings and passing along information to her neighbors. Although she and her family have lived in a development specifically for farmworkers for a decade, she wants to ensure her four children — the oldest of whom graduated from San Diego State University this month — can find housing in the eastern Coachella Valley. 'It's not as if they are going to begin their careers making a lot of money,' Rodriguez said, seated in the kitchen of her tidy three-bedroom apartment. 'For us, these projects are very good, because I know at least they will help my daughter.' Mike Walsh, assistant director of Riverside County's Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions, said Lift to Rise and its army of advocates should get credit for helping to change the narrative around affordable housing in the Coachella Valley. 'When affordable housing projects pop up, they have a built-in network to turn folks out and support those projects, where in the rest of the county, there's not that same sort of ease of turning people out,' Walsh said. Walsh recalled that a teacher, a farmworker and a social worker — essentially a cross-section of local residents — spoke up at a recent county meeting. 'It drowns out NIMBYism,' said Heidi Marshall, director of the county's housing and workforce solutions department. The organization aims to spark wider conversation about the fight for affordable housing and living wages through eye-catching billboards that the nonprofit buys along the 10 Freeway during spring music festival season in the Coachella Valley. 'Born too late to afford a home, and too early to colonize Mars' is among their slogans. And when an analysis revealed low-income housing developers were having trouble getting predevelopment financing, Lift to Rise set out to create a funding mechanism to help get projects off the ground. The result is a revolving loan fund known as We Lift: The Coachella Valley's Housing Catalyst Fund. The $44-million fund, supported by public and philanthropic dollars, is intended to bridge financing gaps and accelerate development. The developer behind the Aloe Palm Canyon complex in Palm Springs, the West Hollywood Community Housing Corp., benefited from three loans from the fund totaling more than $11 million. It has already paid back two of those loans. 'I don't know any other regions in California that are doing this at this level of support,' Anup Nitin Patel, the corporation's director of real estate development, said during a toasty morning tour of the construction site. Another Palm Springs project — a partnership between the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition and DAP Health, a local healthcare provider — received a $750,000 predevelopment loan that was repaid at the start of construction. Last June, Sean Johnson moved into that development, which is for low-income people who are HIV-positive or living with AIDS. After struggling to find stable housing, he said it's a relief to pay a monthly rent of $718 for a studio apartment. 'It's going to be something I can sustain, a game-changer for me,' he said. Lift to Rise is seeking a $20-million allocation in the next state budget to scale up its work. As part of that request, it is asking for a one-time $10-million investment into the Catalyst Fund to expand lending capacity across Riverside County. Sen. Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista) and Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) submitted a budget request on the organization's behalf. Padilla said it's a worthy expenditure, especially as California faces a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. In lean budget situations, Padilla said, the state should focus its investments on programs that are having meaningful impact and have the data to prove it. 'In tough budget times, you have to be very strategic,' he said. 'And this is a good example of [an effort] that's proven some pretty impressive results.' This article is part of The Times' equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California's economic divide.
Wall Street Journal
13-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Wall Street Journal
‘What to Expect' Author Heidi Murkoff Lists California Home for $7.6 Million
Heidi Murkoff, author of the bestselling pregnancy guide 'What to Expect When You're Expecting,' spends a lot of time on the road advocating for maternal and infant health. So while she and her husband love their Richard Neutra-designed house in Encino, Calif., they aren't able to spend much time there as they would like. They are listing the circa-1951 Midcentury Modern home, which they renovated, for $7.6 million.
Los Angeles Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Inside the colorful, over-the-top home of L.A.'s maximalist queen — and her fave tips
The dining room ceiling, adorned with an unexpected burst of orange floral wallpaper, breathes new life into the 100-year-old house. Similarly, the living room's coral, pink and green wallpaper, the den's bold blue and yellow stripes, and the red pattern-filled speakeasy lounge are delightful surprises that keep you guessing what's next. 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. Their home is proof, as Dazey outlines in her new book, 'The Maximalist: Colorful Interiors for Bold Living,' out May 20, 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. 'Throughout my career, my core message has been to empower people to be who they are and not be afraid to embrace the things they love,' said Dazey, 34. From the outside, the couple's home exudes a subtle charm. However, stepping through the front door unveils a captivating burst of vibrant color and Dazey's signature flower prints, all surprisingly harmonious. 'I worked as an apparel graphic designer and I applied all that to interior design,' she said. 'I know how to put all these things together and make them look nice.' The 'fifth walls,' as Dazey calls the ceilings, are painted bright orange, red and turquoise blue. Floors are lined with vibrant green checkerboard patterns and wall-to-wall carpet. Likewise, the lawn in the back is decked out in checkerboard artificial turf. 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. Underneath the living room ceiling, Dazey has created a plant-filled ledge that cascades over the dining room, adding a touch of nature to the vibrant spaces. Everyone — including the couple's two dogs, Franklin and Yuki, who luxuriate on a pink velvet daybed in the sun — is happy here. 'Living in a maximalist space brings me joy,' said Butler, who handles operations for Dazey's interior design business and their Airbnb and Peerspace rentals. 'Even just looking at the ceiling makes me happy.' Like the Madonna Inn, where the couple recently hosted their wedding, their home is 'fun and quirky and anything but traditional,' Dazey said. 'As a creative person, you get burned out by doing the same thing over and over again.' The couple discovered the 2,300-square-foot, two-story home on a 3-acre lot two years ago. Dazey said there wasn't a lot of interest in the house, as it featured an unusual floor plan with a separate apartment on the first floor with its own entrance. 'The house blew us away,' she said, 'but the strange floor plan confused us.' The house they purchased for $1.75 million was 'turnkey,' and Dazey had fun adding skylights to the beamed ceilings in the living room and redoing the kitchen to feel like an old Italian villa. The couple worked quickly over six months so that Dazey could share her projects on social media. 'Much of our work comes from social media so having a project to share was helpful. That's a big part of our job — creating these spaces.' Her efforts paid off. The entrepreneurial couple now rents their home, along with a pink California bungalow and a bungalow in Palm Springs, for celebrity photo shoots and music videos. (Janelle Monáe, Camille Cabello and James Marsden have all been featured in their rental homes.) It's a unique side hustle, and the couple's success is impressive. 'They are such fun, wacky rentals,' Dazey said. 'Between our Palm Springs Airbnb and L.A. photo shoots, we made $30,000 last month — our biggest month ever.' Added Butler: 'People tell us their kids love our houses.' The home's unconventional layout allows the couple to reside in the adaptable space downstairs while renting out the top floor for photo shoots. Following the recent fires in Los Angeles, they were able to provide housing for families in need on a monthly basis. 'It's been rewarding to be able to help in this way,' Dazey shared. Dazey grew up in Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. Her parents were creative, encouraging Dazey and her sister to be 'colorful and engage in art and pursue' their passion. Not surprisingly, the family had a raspberry-colored kitchen. 'My mom just painted the cabinets in her condo bright yellow,' Dazey said. 'It's wacky. I appreciate it.' After studying fashion design, she made a name for herself in Los Angeles as a fashion designer for Dazey LA and, most recently, as an interior designer. She started her clothing line with $4,000. Over eight years it took off on social media and she eventually sold to stores including Anthropologie. 'There were a few years where it nearly grossed a million dollars in revenue,' she said. 'It helped me purchase the Palm Springs house.' Still, she is best known for her collaboration with drag performer and singer Trixie Mattel on the design of the Trixie Motel in Palm Springs.'Trixie's aesthetic is similar to mine,' Dazey said with a laugh. 'We both love bright colors and florals and retro design.' The collaboration opened doors for Dazey, including an opportunity to design her first collection of home textiles and wallcoverings for Spoonflower and a furniture line for Joybird, which are featured in her home. It also attracted clients who appreciate her fun-loving aesthetic. She has since worked for Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy and TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. 'I've been lucky to work for cool, interesting people,' Dazey said. 'I think that people with a quirky sense of style and taste are interesting and dynamic.' Despite her colorful interiors, Dazey knows what it's like to struggle in a sterile work environment. 'I used to work as an apparel graphic designer in a corporate office and didn't feel inspired as a creative person,' she said. 'When I went out on my own, I worked in coffee shops and I loved it.' Today, she works out of a wall-to-wall pink velvet alcove covered in floral pink wallpaper and dog hair. 'I've designed some office spaces since then and try to make offices feel like a living room,' she said. 'It can affect you creatively and inhibit your productivity. Now that I work from home, I love it.' When asked what it's like living with a maximalist, Butler said he trusts his wife's instincts. 'She went running with color when we got our first place together in Beachwood Canyon. It took a little arm twisting, but it all made sense when I saw it all come together. I learned to trust her process. There hasn't been a single project where it hasn't worked for me.' Dazey, having shifted her focus from fashion design to creating happy interiors, sees the two processes as deeply transformative. 'In my creative journey, whether it's fashion or interiors, I've discovered the power of self-expression. It's about defining who you are and sharing that with the world. The right outfit can change your entire day, just as the act of decorating your home can significantly impact your comfort, productivity and happiness. I love relaying that message — self-expression is more meaningful than aesthetics.' (Excerpted from 'The Maximalist: Colorful Interiors for Bold Living,' Abrams). The old one-two punch When mixing prints, I always like to think of a primary and secondary print. The primary is the main character print, which is more complex and illustrative. The secondary is the companion print — something less bold and usually a different scale. Get some plants already! A houseplant adds color and makes a space feel more homey without making any drastic changes to any of the walls. Plants breathe literal life into a space and help it feel complete. If your rooms don't have any greenery in them, get yourself to your local plant shop — stat! Make your home a gallery This house is bursting with my personal design — and it feels so good. People are often hesitant to display their own artwork, but I say use the walls of your home to broadcast your creativity. Stripes cut sweetness I designed some almost-old-fashioned floral wallpapers for this house, but they're often purposefully paired with a stripe. A strong, graphic pattern, like a stripe or a check, has the power to temper the sweetness of a floral-y-print. Double the fun Half walls abound in this home because I wanted to max out my opportunities for pattern and color play. Adding a half wall to a room in your home is a great way to start experimenting with design on a more complex level. Appreciate the bedroom set Matching bedroom sets have a very 1980s reputation (and not in a good way!), but if the furniture is cool, a coordinate set can be a smart strategy to help a maximalist bedroom feel more uniform. Reconsider wall-to-wall I am predicting a carpet comeback. People love rugs, so why not consider a completely carpeted room? Everything in design circles back around, and I think wall-to-wall is due to be done in a new way.
