A DESIGNER’S 540-SQUARE-FOOT LA APARTMENT IS A MASTER CLASS IN COLOR MATCHING

One of the things that surprised interior designer William Hutton most about his recent move to Los Angeles goes against a common stereotype of this city. “We live in a tight-knit area where everyone knows each other,” he says. “It’s heartwarming to be surrounded by great neighbors.”

When William and his husband, Kevan Loney, a video designer and animator, decided to leave their pasts in Brooklyn and Jersey City behind to start fresh in the Hollywood Hills, they were used to perception not entirely matching reality. They never knew their neighbors when they lived on the East Coast, even if their prior haunts were more pedestrian-friendly. And while history may have been easier to stumble upon there, it wasn’t necessarily present in many of the available properties. “Most apartments are white boxes,” William says. “Unless they’re in a brownstone, but even those often get stripped.”

The couple went west in January 2023 and met the warm California winter with perhaps a bit of newcomer’s luck. Set in a quiet circle of historic homes that have stood for a century, William and Kevan found a 540-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment that had maintained the mundane thrill of being impressively untouched. “It had character,” William says. “We were drawn to its 1920s history—the barreled ceiling, the large fireplace, the original kitchen cabinets—and we loved that there were windows on all sides.”

William and Kevan, who also live with their cat, Sage, and dog, Finn, imagined a place that could strike a balance between being visually interesting and deceptively practical. When new friends and neighbors arrived, ushered in from the perpetual sunlight, they hoped they’d feel welcomed into an eclectic living room that could host a good hang. A built-in nook in the hall could act as a casual bar, while a pattern-heavy kitchen could still accommodate a desk for shared work-from-home days. Sure, the bedroom and bathroom were compact, but they were primed to show off William’s knack for personality too. It was all just a matter of figuring it out.

“Our move from one coast to the other was an emotional and physical journey, so my main goal was to create a home,” William says. “While our little bungalow is small, it packs a punch.” The couple took their time to settle in and made the process part of getting acquainted with the area: Side tables were spotted at Long Beach Flea Market, a Tito Agnoli chair was brought down from Santa Barbara, and they crisscrossed through traffic for Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace finds. William punctuated the bar nook’s shelf with peel-and-stick paper that resembles walnut and picked an equally removable tropical print to play with the existing checkerboard floor in the kitchen. The pair painted the bathroom’s ceiling and added crown molding, but DIY projects were rather minimal. Much of their focus centered on creating a layered palette from furnishings that could read as intriguing yet effortlessly laid-back. It should come as no surprise that such a description is, well, so LA.

“Even color can feel neutral with the right balance,” William says. “There are so many colors within our home, but it’s not overpowering.”