Adam's Downtown L.A. Loft
Hello, my vintage vultures. Today, I'm taking you on a fantastic tour of a Downtown Los Angeles home. This rad place belongs to Adam Pogue aka mrpoguemahone. He's a super talented fella. We met through blogging and after following his home adventures on instagram, I messaged him out of the blue one day and said, "I want to photograph the shit out of your place. Thanks." Haha.
My heart is simply aching for all his DIY and upcycled projects, like his indigo patchwork sofa. It reminds me of Japanese Boro textiles from the 19th century. It's absolutely beautiful. I love that everything in his home feels like it's made with love. Every piece feels incredibly personal because Adam finds ways to add his personal touch to it, like knitting a quilt for his record player. Why didn't I think of doing that to mine? That's so good.
I left his home utterly inspired. I admire his DIY skills and I applaud him for not being afraid of using walls as a canvas to create art, and also bringing the outdoors in. Can we say, Jungalow?! Adam's home is fun, whimsical and filled with art and soul. I can't get enough of it. I would like to have my housewarming there. Ha!
Anyway, enough chatter from me, I'll let Adam fill you in on his creative stories. Take it away, Adam!
I moved to Downtown LA three years ago and have never met my landlord. I responded to a craigslist ad that had been posted for a while. He gave me the code to the lock box and I would come here at different times of day, or night, and just hang out. I moved from a duplex in Boyle Heights that was kind of classic LA. It had an original Batchelder tile fireplace and built-ins and pocket doors, which were amazing, but I felt like I needed to respect those details and create space around them. I ended up wanting a space that wasn't so specific, so I loaded my Scion Xb and headed over the bridge.
The space has gone through several transformations in the last few years. For a time, I had an IKEA bookshelf separating the "bedroom" from the rest of the space. I replaced that with curtain panels that I sewed together and dip-dyed. They're not a solid separation, but they create an intimate space that feels separate.
I also created the rolling ottoman and benches for the TV and under the windows. The ottoman is upholstered in dyed black canvas and has a washable quilted top (I have two cats). The benches are 10' x 12' dark stained doug fir on plumbing pipe frames. They used to be stacked with books on the lower level and the TV on top, but I wanted a bench, so I separated them. The wall behind the TV is stucco on masonry. I'm not so comfortable with hanging things in masonry, so my boyfriend (at the time) had painted a beautiful chevron pattern, which I recently re-painted.
I got the couch in an "as-is" section of a local shop like 10 years ago for $150. It's huge and comfortable and I like the shape of it, so when it needed an update (and re-upholstering was too pricey) I ended up patch-working over the original upholstery. It took me a year of random hours with scrap fabric and spare time to cover most of the visible surfaces. I recently started re-covering the re-covering.
I also ended up painting the credenza and replaced the legs with wheels so I can easily roll it away for projects, or gatherings, that require more space. I originally made the hanging above the bed as a knotted fleece rug and the sconces on either side are upside-down plant pots with rope-wrapped wiring.
I found the glass coffee table and my workspace shelving at St. Vincent de Paul's (amazing thrift store) for $85 all together. The desk and the bench (between the "bedroom") I got at a vintage shop, and used The Brick House refinishing method. And the plants! Some I've had for years, but most are from clippings. The stacked plants in the living room are attached to a drainpipe from the roof through the apartment
As for the rest, I try to choose things I love. I generally enjoy old, handmade and well designed pieces. I set aside spaces for things that are sentimental. Kind of shrines in a way.
I guess I feel a home should be as beautiful and unique as you are!
