Luxury Pied-à-terre in DTLA

We are well-known for our interior design work on huge estates. Often times we’ll spend 18 months on a project: remodeling, knocking down walls, and creating something entirely new. But when we need to, we can work FAST.

This luxury high rise apartment in downtown Los Angeles came together in under three months. Even though it was a little project, within 90 days it became a project good enough to photograph with Architectural Digest photographer Dave Marlow.

We signed the client in October and finished the project by New Years. The apartment had a gorgeous view to show off, and we wanted to make the space sophisticated and contemporary for the client. Currently, it is their “home away from home” when they are working in downtown Los Angeles.

It doesn’t always have to be a mansion to be a successful project. What made this project successful was that the client trusted us to make the decisions. Like all our projects, we began with a CAD drawing and a floor plan. Being a DTLA high rise on the 22nd floor, we ran into some complications with parking and the accessibility of the freight elevator. The current state of the supply chain also limited our access to supplies. However, because we are established in the business we were able to pull favors to bring everything together.

For example, the bed we chose was not going to become available until May, but our vendor lent us one in the meantime so we could have a completed project. Additionally, on a few occasions by the time we gained the client’s approval of the P.O. the chosen item would already be out of stock. We were able to use our relationships to find new pieces and to buy things off the floor. The supply chain has made it so difficult, but having strong relationships in the industry has helped us overcome.

Every job has its complications, and ours was no different. My assistant had covid, our wallpaper person worked late hours, and furniture was often out of stock. We did not let a single obstacle slow us down. This is how an accomplished AD designer can move through things that would be hurdles for other people.

Donna Livingston