Katy & Todd’s Musical Mash-Up

Name: Katy Goodman and Todd Wisenbaker
Location: Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Size: 700 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years; rented

So having 15 guitars may not sound minimal, but I’m convinced indie rockers Katy Goodman and Todd Wisenbaker of the band La Sera are nailing efficient living. With minimalist sensibilities (Katy owns one pair of pants), the two have incorporated their impressive instrument collection into a charming design scheme that is perfect for their 700 square foot apartment. It’s a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, and nowhere near as cheesy as this sentence.

The laid back couple has outfitted their one-bedroom apartment with a mix of vintage and modern vintage-inspired pieces, and while this mid-century mash-up aesthetic may be a popular way to achieve a streamlined home, Katy and Todd’s space feels very unique to them.

The two are selective with what they display, and their pared down collection of books, themed art, and signed records provide instant conversation and insight into the lives of these two world-traveling musicians. My short visit yielded stories of chance encounters with Morrissey, tours with Jenny Lewis, and custom Christmas gifts from Ryan Adams. I was feeling pretty cool by the time I left, and, in my opinion, making your guests feel cool is a sure sign of a well-designed home.

Our Style: While I lean heavily towards minimalist design, Todd is more into knick knacks, so I designed our apartment somewhere in the middle. I would say our apartment is “cowboy organic cabin ranch minimalist”.

Inspiration: The bedroom is definitely inspired by minimalist zen getaways. It’s very sunny, with a little color here and there, but mostly white. The living room is definitely Todd’s country guitar zone, so there’s a lot more western / ranch stuff going on, but we try to keep it as uncluttered as possible. The kitchen is where we put everything super bright, happy and colorful.

Favorite Element: Personally, the bedroom. This is the space where I spend most of my time and it’s super relaxing to hang out in our king size bed covered in pets (2 cats and a dog). Todd makes a lot of instagram and youtube videos based in the living room, so that’s definitely his favorite zone. My favorite item is the dog blanket hanging above our bed. Todd’s favorite item is his ’64 Fender Stratocaster.

Biggest Challenge: Designing a 1 bedroom apartment that has about 15 guitars on display at all times. We have a few guitars hanging on the walls, 6 of them on the large guitar stand, 4 on individual stands, and at least one or two in the bedroom. All of the guitar cases are hidden in the closet, under the bed, and under the couch. We have a lot of guitars.

What Friends Say: “This place is so YOU GUYS”. I think this is in reference to the quantity of guitars and animals.

Biggest Embarrassment: The balcony. A family of pigeons recently decided to live out there, so the whole thing is covered in bird poop. The babies were so small and adorable that we just gave them the balcony. You win this time, pigeons. Also, our couch arms have been destroyed by our cats, so now it’s the cat couch. You win this time, cats.

Proudest DIY: I built the console table on the balcony! I’m pretty proud of that one, and now it houses all of the plants. Also, I assembled the bookcase in the living room all by myself, that was pretty annoying/challenging.

Biggest Indulgence: The big framed artwork above the couch. It was the last puzzle piece that our apartment needed, a huge piece of art that we both loved, and we finally found it and splurged a bit. Spending just a little money on framed art made us feel like adults. It was cool.

Best Advice: Recently I discovered that if I watch just one less hour of TV a day, I can keep my apartment really clean and cook a lot of delicious meals. Who knew?! Also, I like to decorate with themes, for example, all of our big living room artwork features trees. Pick a theme and go crazy!

Dream Sources: Hutch Vintage, Please and Thank You Store in LA, Melrose Flea Market, Rose Bowl, West Elm, and Todd says “constantly scouring craigslist and ebay”

It’s a rental, and all the walls are white.

• Bench: Wood top custom made from jlswoodwork on Etsy.
• Brown Painting: Hutch Vintage
• Cowboy Hats: Stetson and
• Nosotros Cat Hat: Todd’s mom
• Wood Crate: Vintage
• Bolo Tie: Vintage

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