This 96-Year-Old LA Rental Has the Dreamiest Original Green Bathroom Tiles

Adrienne Breaux
·7-min read
A plum colored camino-sectional-sofa in a living room.
A car runs past a coffee table with in front of a purple couch.
A gallery wall flanks a framed TV with other decorative items.
Vintage Ikea ENETRI shelf in Light Oak covered in keepsakes, books and plants.
A bay of stain glass windows over looking a street.
A large area rug topped with a wooden table with a lit candle.
Wooden dining room table with vase and candles.
An acoustic guitar sits under a hanging planter.
An oversized Sunrise mirror above a record player and collection.
Dining area next to a record collection in a built in.
An acoustic guitar sits under a hanging planter.
A green walled kitchen with retro cabinets.
A stain glass window above white counter tops.
Framed kitchen artwork next to a planter.
A collection of music protestors in a hallways.
IKEA HAPEN Valet Stand Clothes Hanger in a hallway.
A bedroom with green and teal tiles.
Artwork on a wall with planters, and vases.
A stained glass mirror in a bathroom next to an planter overflowing with plants.
A cat sits on a bed across from the a mirror and small gallery wall.
A Jack Haywood Serpentine Floor Lamp in the corner of a bedroom.
A bedroom with a pendant light.
A Jack Haywood Serpentine Floor Lamp in the corner of a bedroom.

ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: Apartment

LOCATION: Pasadena, California

STYLE: Art Deco, Eclectic, Vintage

BEDROOMS: 2

SQUARE FEET: 1100

After sharing a 500-square-foot apartment for many years, Camille Nichelini; her fiancé, Nilsen Humphrey; and their three cats needed more space. “I spent nearly two years scouring Zillow, Craigslist, and Apartments.com every single day looking for the perfect place to live next,” Camille writes.

Dwellers pose in their living room.

“We were finding that a lot of apartments we fell in love with were just out of our budget, unfortunately. It wasn’t until we had the idea to ask my little brother who was about to graduate from UCSD how he felt about moving to LA post-grad and finding a place we could split three ways.”

A mid century desk with an iMac a top it.

As soon as Camille walked into this rental — a 1100-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in a building from 1929 in Pasadena — she knew it was a fit. “The stained glass bay window, large bedrooms, in-unit laundry room, and, of course, the original tile bathroom are what sealed the deal for me,” Camille continues.

Dwellers pose for a portrait in there living room.

“It’s a great deal for three people in the LA area — we each individually end up paying around $1100 a month. I know a lot of people probably wouldn’t choose to live with their sibling again at this stage in life, but we honestly haven’t minded it,” she continues.

A collection of music protestors in a hallways.

Camille describes the apartment before moving in as having perfect bones. “Had I been actually buying rather than renting, I don’t think there’s a single thing I would change structurally. When it was empty and we signed the lease, I just remember thinking it already felt like home,” she writes.

A cat sits on an elevated cat bed in a living room.

Now that the three of them have lived in the unit for two-and-a-half years, she describes the space as “[r]omantic, eclectic, and vintage-inspired. I like to think I honored the architecture of this unit while putting my own twist on it. A lot of the furniture from our previous unit didn’t mesh well here, so I’ve slowly sold things off on Facebook Marketplace to replace with other unique vintage items that feel better-suited.”

Jade plates hold decorative items in a tiled bathroom.

It’s not a surprise that Camille’s been able to furnish the space with vintage gems. After running the vintage business Resident Objects for five years, Camille recently decided to go back to school to pursue a career in interior architecture.

Resources

A Kitchen Aid blender in the corner of kitchen with white cabinets and green knobs.

PAINT & COLORS

  • Dining Room — House of Hackney “Dahlia”

  • Kitchen — Backdrop “Natural Habitat”

  • Hallway — Backdrop “Gin Blossoms”

A car climbs on a plum colored camino-sectional-sofa in a living room.

LIVING ROOM

  • Camino Sectional Sofa — Sixpenny

  • Vintage Area Rug — RevivalRugs.com

  • Coffee Table — Thrifted for $20

  • TV — The Frame by Samsung

  • TV Gold Frame — Art Deco 

  • Colleen Tapestry — Anthropologie

  • Amber Lewis for Anthropologie Desk — Facebook Marketplace

  • Componibili Side Table — Kartell

  • Table Lamp on Componibili — Sezane

  • Sconce Shades — Amazon

  • Martini Art — Artist Mara Strobel-Lanka // @maraslanka on instagram

  • Throw Pillows — Lulu and Georgia

  • Purple Capsule Mirror — BiRite 

  • “Purse Dump” Print — Artist Sabrina Montella // @sabrinamontella.art  

  • Curtains — Quince 

  • Grove Cat Tower — Tuft and Paw

  • Mostly everything else is vintage

Dining area next to a record collection in a built in.

DINING ROOM

  • Vintage DScan Denmark Dining Table Set

  • Vintage Record Console — Hutch Vintage LA

  • Fan Mirror — Found on Offerup for $20

  • Squiggle Handle Vase — Kuu Pottery

  • Record Player — Pro-ject Debut Carbon

  • Vintage Rug — Thrifted

  • Cat Tree — Mau 

A stain glass window above white counter tops.

KITCHEN

A cat sits on a bed across from the a mirror and small gallery wall.

BEDROOM

  • Striped Bedding — Target

  • Bunny Print — Fiorenza Art

  • Dresser — Vintage from (IG) @sestra_vintage_la

  • Portal Floor Mirror — Betsu Studio (I repainted from the original color purchased)

  • Green Boby Trolley by Joe Colombo — Craigslist

  • Matching Vintage Murano Lamps — Purchased on Offerup for $50

  • Burl Nightstands — Purchased on Chairish and beautifully restored by Kyle William 

  • Yellow Throw Blanket — Slowtide

A green tiled bathroom with green accessories.

BATHROOM

  • Small Stained Glass Mirror — Bad Glass Shop

  • Large Stained Glass Mirror — Vintage from Estate Sale

  • Scalloped Bath Mat — Anthropologie

  • Shower Curtain — Quiet Town 

  • Green and White Checker Towel — Slowtide 

  • Cloud Planter — Mimi Ceramics

Thanks, Camille!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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