Carmen and Lupita's Home Tour

We were so happy to meet Carmen and Lupita and visit their apartment in Hollywood, CA.  Since we met the couple through Paula, it was only befitting that Paula was also able to join us on the day of the home tour.  With it's brick walls, local energy and everything you can imagine within walking distance, the couple instantly fell in love with the place.  Over the years, they have filled the home with vibrance, life and color.  After getting to know Carmen and Lupita, we couldn't imagine the place any other way.
Both are in a creative industry and love travel, music, film and anything design related.  Read more about them below.

 

You guys have a great place in the middle of Hollywood.  How long have you lived there and what first attracted you to the space?

We have lived in this unit for a little over three years.  When searching for an apartment we wanted something that had character. We were attracted to this building because of the location, the exposed brick and the French windows, which were in pretty bad shape and unfortunately replaced the moment we moved in.  

Our complex was built in 1925 and has a big neon sign on its roof that is registered as a historical monument when we first saw the exterior we liked that it had a bit of an old Hollywood feel.

How would you describe your individual styles and personalities and how is it reflected in your home? 

I think our style evolves depending on the space we are living in.

Carmen: I’ve always liked splashes of color in my home.  I think my style is modern mixed with a little mid century. I like a lot of different textures coexisting in one space. I like to pay attention to detail.

Lupita: I like found pieces and some natural and vintage elements mixed with modern.

You are both in a creative industry.  What are your biggest sources of inspiration?

There are so many things that inspire us!

I think for us it’s traveling, art, film, and music - really everything around us.

Where did you purchase some of your larger furniture pieces?  We love the couch!

We get pieces that feel right to us whether it’s a chair or artwork and eventually it all comes together.

Our couch is from Blueprint – we picked out the fabric and they upholstered it.

The media console is from Bo Concept, and the coffee table from DWR.  

The table in the kitchen was our first coffee table – we now store wine bottles on it and use it as a seating spot in the kitchen. We got it at the Melrose fleamarket.

Some of the bedroom pieces are from West elm, the dining table from Crate and Barrel, and our wall bar is a DVD console from IKEA.

You have some amazing unique art pieces.  Please tell us about some of them.  

Living room:

- El Mac ‘Ixtaccihuatl’ print (purchased at Self Help Graphics) (This is our favorite piece because we’ve always admired El Mac’s public artwork (murals) around town.

- Old Chola by Old Chola

- Angry Panda Woebot by Aaron “Woes” Martin

 The smaller prints in the living room are from a store in Torrance called Pop monster.

- NoH8 Statues of Liberty – by Cartoonist/ArtistLalo Alcaraz

- Drowning Girl, Roy Lichtenstein

Kitchen:

- Owl serigraph by David Weidman

- Graciela Iturbide exhibit poster

- Emiliano Zapata print by William Acedo

  

Hallway:

Original limited edition posters for the Hollywood Bowl: Café Tacuba, Baaba Maal/Yeasayer, Hot Chip/Omar Souleyman, and Liza Minnelli.

Bedroom:

- Cuban Woman and La Gua Gua by Agustin Gainza

- Woman in dress – Megan Hughes

- Vintage French magazine cover with Maria Felix

What is your favorite home item/find? 

Our favorite item is probably our coffee table. We found it at the now defunct DWR outlet in Palm Springs. It’s really functional and has sideboards that pull out in every direction.

Favorite thing about your home?

We like that it’s welcoming and everything we have for the most part has a story to it – or reminds us of a great moment or adventure we’ve had together or with friends/family.

What’s next on your to do list or shopping list?

We are actually in declutter mode so our shopping list is limited. But we are looking for storage options for our record collection.

About Carmen and Lupita:

Carmen: I am the Director of Admissions at a film school and a freelance Editor. I have an obsession with good strong coffee. When travelling we bring our own stovetop aluminum espresso maker. I love a good weekend brunch, documentaries, and reading about food and restaurants – but I can’t cook (although I am getting a little better.)

 Lupita: I am an Editor at MWP in Santa Monica and have an addiction to Tapatio (it’s actually on my company bio.) I like 80’s cheesy movies and zombie everything; books, movies etc.  I am also very passionate about cooking and barbequing.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Hollywood?

In the summers we love going to the Hollywood bowl shows and the Thursday night farmers market at Yamashiro.  We love that we can walk everywhere. Our home has become the meeting place for all of our friends. They have a glass of wine or cocktail and then we’re off.  

We often go to the Piano bar. It’s a cool, little laid back spot with live music.

Happy hours at Loteria or Sadie and burgers at the Bowery or Stout.

Hiking at Griffith – It has as a beautiful view of the city when it’s not covered with smog, it’s not too crowded and parking is easy (if you park on Fern Dell).  

We have a Sunday ritual to go to the Hollywood Farmer’s market. We love getting fresh herbs, flowers and cheese – tons of cheese.

We are slowly building our collection of records and being close to The Record Parlour and Amoeba has been very convenient.

K&L Wines is our go to wine shop down the street. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable – they know us by name now. For every dinner party, gift idea we head over and they always have great selections.

We heard you are part of a fun but very intense dinner club.  What are some of your favorite dishes and drinks you like to prepare for the group?

Our dinner club is a lot of fun. There are about 12 of us with an occasional guest. We meet about once a month and try to make most of the items on the menu from scratch. We are really proud of our last meal: Cochinita Pibil, slow cooked pork in banana leaves, garnished with pickled onions and paired with black beans, cilantro rice, and hand made tortillas (we actually bought the hand made tortillas from Cinco Puntos in Boyle Heights which actually sells the best tacos ever). The dish was paired with fresh margaritas.

You also have a great bar collection.  What are some of your favorites?

Scotch:  Lagavullin 16, Springbank, Auchentashon 3 wood, Macallan, and Faultline.

Rum: Ron Zacapa from Guatemala

Ariston Aspacie Brut Rose Champagne

Bourbon: Black Maple Hill

Whiskey: George Dickel, aged 9 yrs., Tennessee whiskey

Don Maguey Vida Mezcal

Fortaleza Tequila

No Vodka in our diet.