{"id":893916,"date":"2026-06-26T10:27:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/893916\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T10:27:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:27:26","slug":"he-turned-his-west-hollywood-apartment-into-an-entertainers-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/893916\/","title":{"rendered":"He turned his West Hollywood apartment into an entertainer’s dream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Julio Miranda-Martin began his apartment search, he had one nonnegotiable: He wanted a dedicated dining room to entertain his friends. He was scouring Zillow in 2025 when a listing for a railroad-style, one-bedroom on the edge of West Hollywood came up that included the requisite dining room. It was also walking distance to his part-time job as a marketing coordinator at furniture store Lawson-Fenning. More importantly, at $2,500 a month it was within his budget.<\/p>\n

Miranda-Martin met with his landlord the same day he found the listing, who told him he looks like his son. Feeling like finding this 950-square-foot apartment was kismet, Miranda-Martin signed the lease and set about creating a sophisticated and color-saturated sanctuary. Miranda-Martin decided he needed to make two major investments before moving in: painting the walls and changing the lighting. \u201cI was finally able to move into a place that I actually like, not just out of necessity. I was like, let\u2019s make it feel like my own,\u201d says Miranda-Martin, who refers to the space as his \u201cliving canvas.\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

The apartment is on the second floor of a fourplex, up a windowless staircase. Miranda-Martin embraced the lack of light and painted it a high-gloss crimson. Without natural light, he hard-wired sconces found on Facebook Marketplace that recall ornamental 18th century candlesticks. They cast a dim but moody light throughout the staircase, ending with an ornate mirror at the top. The mirror shows a glimpse of the apartment\u2019s interior in its reflection when Miranda-Martin opens the door. \u201cEvery time people walk in, especially at night, it\u2019s such a dramatic entry,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s very cinematic,\u201d agrees friend and co-worker Kristin Reeder, who is often a guest at his soirees, \u201clike something from \u2018Eyes Wide Shut.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

1 <\/p>\n

\"Julio <\/p>\n

2 <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

3 <\/p>\n

\"Julio <\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Julio Miranda-Martin\u2019s apartment decor starts in the bold staircase that leads to his door. 2.<\/strong> A mirror at the top of the staircase offers extra depth. 3.<\/strong> Julio Miranda-Martin fills the bookshelf in his dining room with books and treasures. <\/p>\n

In contrast, the living room offers a calmer palette of sky blues and earthy browns. Miranda-Martin tends to choose paint colors based on the light. The living room, with abundant west-facing windows brings in soft, bright light. Miranda-Martin painted it with Benjamin Moore\u2019s Navajo, a flat white, as a backdrop to the softer hues of the furniture he designed at his furniture and lighting company, Studio MM. \u201cIt adds a stillness,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The room is anchored by a large velvet couch in a rich brown. The modular couch is anchored on each side with Art-Deco influenced side tables, lamps and light blue slipper chairs he designed, setting up a cozy tableau for hosting his friends. Pale pink cushioned ottomans provide additional seating that can easily be moved around the room to accommodate additional guests.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A velvet couch acts as a statement piece in the apartment living room. <\/p>\n

(Etienne Laurent\/For the Times)<\/p>\n

French doors separate the living room from the dining room. The chartreuse-infused dining room returns to a more dramatic colorway. With less natural light, Miranda-Martin wanted to play up the idea of dining-room-as-treehouse, reflecting the second-floor foliage visible from the small windows. Rather than trying to brighten the room, he leaned into the moodiness by buying inexpensive, USB battery-powered spotlights that are mounted on the ceiling with magnets. Taking an alcohol marker, he tinted the lights a soft amber, allowing him to highlight the art in the room without adding harsh overhead lighting.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The dining room is meant to reflect the foliage just outside the window.<\/p>\n

(Etienne Laurent\/For the Times)<\/p>\n

A shell-adorned mirror anchors the wall facing the windows and built-in shelving, making the room feel larger. Miranda-Martin sourced two shell-shaped sconces that flank the mirror at an estate sale in San Francisco. Most of the art and home decor comes from Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, or is thrifted from local stores. Estate sales are also a source, though Miranda-Martin feels the rising popularity of these sales in Los Angeles has led to an increase in pricing. \u201cThey\u2019ve gotten so over the top now in L.A. [They\u2019re] super expensive. You\u2019re not really gonna find a deal,\u201d he laments, citing the armed security checking bags recently at some of the hottest estate sales.<\/p>\n

In addition to changing the lighting and painting the walls, Miranda-Martin prioritized the window treatments, with pinch pleat curtains from Ikea. \u201cDrapery can just make a space feel super elevated,\u201d he advises. He prefers a mix of new and vintage decor, balancing both for an eclectic but deeply personal look to his home. He tries not to overthink his aesthetic choices. \u201cI think it\u2019s very instinctual. I\u2019m not really thinking, \u2018Is this in good taste or is this going to be weird?,\u2019 \u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Down the hall, the bedroom\u2019s mostly white design theme returns to a more serene composition, providing a quiet sanctuary. Miranda-Martin removed the headboard from his bed, making it seem like it\u2019s floating between the night tables he designed. \u201cEverything feels sort of streamlined and smooth,\u201d says Miranda-Martin. Like the living room, the bedroom is painted the same flat white but the quality of the eastern light filtering into the bedroom casts a buttery glow.<\/p>\n

1 <\/p>\n

\"Ceramics <\/p>\n

2 <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

3 <\/p>\n

\"With <\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Ceramics fill inset shelves in the kitchen. 2.<\/strong> A glass case in the apartment corridor between the dining room and the bedroom. 3.<\/strong> With its lighter decor, the bedroom was meant to be a sanctuary. <\/p>\n

The small kitchen retains its midcentury charm, but open shelving above the counter provides an airier, more contemporary cupboard to show off Miranda-Martin\u2019s dish and glassware collection. The easier access comes in handy when he\u2019s entertaining. His apartment is the perfect pre-game space for him and his friends before a night on the town. He tries to make sure he pre-batches cocktails before his guests arrive.<\/p>\n

He also likes to host more elaborate dinner parties and game nights. He attributes his love of entertaining to his upbringing as an only child in Downey. \u201cI like hosting because I enjoy being around more people than when I was growing up,\u201d explains Miranda-Martin. His goal, ultimately, is to bring together disparate groups of people from different spheres in a space everyone will feel comfortable in. Dinner parties at Miranda-Martin\u2019s \u201cfeel like an event,\u201d says Reeder. \u201cIt\u2019s something you\u2019re excited for and you want to get dressed up for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m kind of going through a phase right now where I need to be around people,\u201d admits Miranda-Martin. \u201cI think I just hate being alone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Julio Miranda-Martin began his apartment search, he had one nonnegotiable: He wanted a dedicated dining room to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":893917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[362396,144537,1582,276,362397,362398,362400,1532,10758,2961,8143,65480,118963,224,5337,362395,6475,362399,624,130200],"class_list":["post-893916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-apartment-search","tag-bedroom","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-dedicated-dining-room","tag-estate-sale","tag-flat-white","tag-friend","tag-guest","tag-la","tag-light","tag-lighting","tag-living-room","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-miranda-martin","tag-night","tag-ornate-mirror","tag-wall","tag-west-hollywood-apartment"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116815939118610244","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=893916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/893916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/893917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=893916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=893916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=893916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}