Editor's Letter

 When California Home+Design had the chance to ask seven of Los Angeles’ best designers to tackle a luxe small space, the idea had me instantly excited. The choice of the Hollywood Condos seemed perfect. Designed by Stephen Kanner of Kanner Architects in 2008, the 54-unit building is in the heart of Hollywood and combines the luxury of location and great design with a less-is-more philosophy when it comes to square footage. 

Small space living and design go hand-in-hand. No one, despite their stated disinterest in sourcing the perfect sconce or the history of the chaise lounge, can claim complete disassociation with design once they have attempted to set up a home office in a bedroom or host a dinner for eight in a studio apartment. At the heart of good design is innovative space planning and the desire to make our daily lives better, easier and more enjoyable. 

Most anyone who has moved from the suburbs to the city has experienced a domestic downsizing. Personally, I went from Ohio, to San Diego to San Francisco, gathering experience and shedding personal space along the way. Today, my husband and I live in a cozy condo in downtown San Francisco, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our design muscles get a workout daily, as we decide what to acquire and discard, build and modify.

I’ve seen what so many of these seven designers can do with rambling ranch houses in Los Feliz or spacious Spanish Revivals in the Hollywood Hills, so I can’t wait to see what each will create with a slice of the 1,400-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 3-bath penthouse. How Christopher Kennedy will fit a dining area, living room and lounge into a 35-by-10-foot main room, how Molly Luetkemeyer will re envision a petite mezzanine into a music studio and office, how Erinn Valencich and Brian Patrick Flynn will deck out the two bedrooms and baths to serve a purpose beyond just slumbering, how Christian May will glam up a jewel box of a powder room, how Azadeh Shladovsky will trick out a sliver of a kitchen and the team from Potted will make the outdoor spaces sing and serve as sun-drenched extra rooms. Each space will feature custom, multifunction furniture, and a creative concept fit for the home’s “residents”: a high-style couple who just moved back to their native Los Angeles from New York, where small space living was the norm. They want to prove to their friends that they can express themselves fully and entertain without limits in their new home, and that living with less square footage doesn’t mean sacrificing style. 

See you inside! 

Sincerely,
Erin Feher
Editor-in-Chief