{"id":7780,"date":"2025-06-23T10:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T10:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/7780\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T10:46:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T10:46:15","slug":"l-a-artist-finds-charming-rental-after-being-evicted-from-apartment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/7780\/","title":{"rendered":"L.A. artist finds charming rental after being evicted from apartment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After living in her two-bedroom apartment in Los Feliz for more than a decade, Debra Weiss<\/a> encountered a problem experienced by many renters in Los Angeles: She was evicted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved into the apartment in 2014, and four years later, my landlord sold it to a wealthy family who bought it at a loss,\u201d said Weiss, 69, who works as a textile artist. \u201cThey knew they couldn\u2019t evict us due to rent control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Not <\/a> <\/p>\n

In this series, we spotlight L.A. rentals with style. From perfect gallery walls to temporary decor hacks, these renters get creative, even in small spaces. And Angelenos need the inspiration: Most are renters.<\/p>\n

When the landlords put the three-unit complex on the market in 2022, however, they offered Weiss $50,000 to move out \u2014 far more than the amount required by law<\/a> \u2014 to make the building easier for them to sell. She declined, concerned it would affect her Social Security benefits<\/a>, as there is a limit to how much one can earn and still receive full benefits.<\/p>\n

Then, last February, the three tenants received eviction notices under the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to evict renters<\/a> from rent-controlled apartments if the building is being torn down or removed from the rental market. It\u2019s currently for sale for $3.2 million.<\/p>\n

As a senior, Weiss was entitled to a full year\u2019s notice because she had lived in her unit for more than a year. Still, she knew she would eventually have to move out of the comfortable 1,200-square-foot duplex, for which she paid $2,670 a month in rent.<\/p>\n

\"Artist <\/p>\n

Artist Debra Weiss stands in her dining room where she often works as a fiber artist. <\/p>\n

When she began looking for another apartment in the area, Weiss quickly learned that she could no longer afford to live in Los Feliz. \u201cThe apartments were so much more expensive than what I was used to paying, and they had no parking or a washer and dryer,\u201d she said. (Weiss was paid $24,650 in relocation assistance, which was taxed, due to her age and the length of time she lived in her Los Feliz apartment.) <\/p>\n

She also visited some small studios and considered purchasing a TIC, or Tenancy in Common<\/a>, where buyers purchase a share in a corporation that owns a building. However, to secure a loan, she\u2019d need someone to co-sign. \u201cEven though they are cute, they are tiny and not necessarily in the best neighborhoods,\u201d she said. Another option, a Craftsman apartment near USC, wasn\u2019t in a good walking neighborhood, something that was important to Weiss. It was also dark and hundreds of dollars more a month than her previous apartment. \u201cI\u2019m almost 70 years old and I need light to work,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"A \"Handknitted \"A <\/p>\n

Handknitted sculptures, embroidered weavings and a tufted rug adorn the guest room. <\/p>\n

When her son-in-law spotted a charming two-bedroom apartment near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for $2,950 a month on Zillow, Weiss decided to check it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy initial reaction was, \u2018I want this,\u2019 \u201d Weiss said of the fourplex.<\/p>\n

The rental had high ceilings, oak floors, ample sunlight, an appealing fireplace, a garage and a washer and dryer. A newly redone modern kitchen felt out of character for the 1930s building, but that didn\u2019t bother Weiss. \u201cThe kitchen is a blank canvas,\u201d she said of the all-white cabinets and countertops. \u201cThe white background makes all of my stuff stand out,\u201d including ceramics by Mt. Washington Pottery<\/a> and Altadena artist Linda Hsiao<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Artist <\/p>\n

Weiss knits a sweater for her granddaughter with yarn she purchased in Japan.<\/p>\n

Concerned that the landlord wouldn\u2019t want to rent to her because of her age, she was pleasantly surprised when she got the apartment. \u201cThe light is amazing,\u201d Weiss said. \u201cI was initially worried about some of the modern touches like the overhead lighting, but it floods the room with bright light that allows me to work at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly a year after moving in, Weiss has filled the apartment with her stitched collages, quilts and the artworks of others, many of which she described as \u201ctrades.\u201d \u201cI like color and pattern and objects,\u201d she said as she pointed out some Japanese ceramics on her buffet and a dress that she crocheted with scraps of fabric, yarn and metal.<\/p>\n

In the guest room, a wall hanging composed of three separate weavings in a gingham check pattern is embroidered with a series of characters she based on her 5-year-old granddaughter\u2019s drawings. \u201cIt\u2019s about people coming together in chaos and supporting each other,\u201d Weiss said. \u201cI like the pattern; it reminds me of eating together on picnic tables.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ceramics, \"Ceramics \"Dried \"Debra <\/p>\n

\u201cI like objects,\u201d Weiss said of the many treasures and collections of things that are featured throughout her rental. <\/p>\n

On the opposite wall of the guest room above her sewing machine, a series of metal sculptures she knitted with copper and silver hangs alongside cloth dolls and purses. In the corner, a cowl made of macrame, textiles and yarn adorns a mannequin. There\u2019s also a colorful latch hook rug that she made with acrylic yarn that looks more like artwork than a functional accessory. <\/p>\n

In her bedroom, a coverlet that Weiss assembled from vintage quilts adorns the bed.<\/p>\n

The long hallway ends at the laundry room and is lined with her colorful quilts, some of which are mounted on Homasote board, along with weavings and stitched works, which, like her cooking, are improvisational.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work without planning and respond to the materials and see what it becomes,\u201d she said. \u201cI start knitting and see where it goes. I get excited about the material, and then I go for it. \u201c<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

The hallway in Weiss\u2019s apartment is lined with her artworks. <\/p>\n

Much of the wood furniture in her apartment was made by her father, who died 13 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had this since my kids were little, and you can see all the markings,\u201d she said of the hutch in the corner of her dining room. \u201cMy dad made it 40 years ago for the Van Nuys house I grew up in.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is here, at the dining room table that her father made, that she works, hosts workshops and teaches lessons in fiber art, collage and stitching. Later this year, she hopes to host a sale of her work at a holiday open house in her apartment. <\/p>\n

\"A \"A \"A <\/p>\n

Weiss is an expert in mixing texture, pattern and color in her Mid-Wilshire apartment. <\/p>\n

The mixing of colorful Persian rugs, textiles, natural materials, chunky wood pieces and intricately knitted metal sculptures creates a warm balance throughout her apartment.<\/p>\n

Bursting with color and pattern, the rooms offer a sense of calm that Weiss appreciates as a woman who raised three daughters alone and has had to pivot during major life changes. Over the years, she has run a clothing company, Rebe, which closed in 2019 due to economic uncertainty, declared bankruptcy and sold her Woodland Hills house. Most recently, she was forced to weather the eviction process. <\/p>\n

\"Debra <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been an entrepreneur,\u201d said Weiss, who works six to eight hours a day at home and sells her artwork and sewing patterns on her Specks and Keepings<\/a> website and at L.A. Homefarm<\/a> in Glassell Park. \u201cI\u2019ll always figure out a way to make money by selling the things that I make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though the process of having to move was stressful, Weiss is happy with her new home and neighborhood. \u201cI take the Metro bus everywhere and hardly ever drive,\u201d she said. \u201cI go to the Hollywood Farmer\u2019s Market on Sundays. Kaiser is nearby and I can walk to LACMA. Everything worked out perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Artist <\/p>\n

Weiss pulls out a drawer of her flat files cabinet filled with her artwork. <\/p>\n