5 Things Every LA Girl Has in Her Living Room

From estate sale finds, to Scandinavian ceramics, this is your LA girl starter pack.

It’s not hard to know if you’re in an LA girl’s apartment. (I don’t mean to infantilize us, but it’s not a complete misnomer.) It’s the iconic scent of a Maison Margiela candle that billows down the hallway before you enter (guilty), the checkered Harem Modern door mat that signals you’ve found the place (also guilty).

As soon as you’re in, your eye immediately floats to the cream boucle Mario Bellini Cameleonda reproduction chair – or the entire couch, if she decided painstakingly against the brown leather pair of Togos that her go-to vintage seller – they always have a go-to vintage seller – put on 24-hour hold on for her. It’s sitting on a checkered 9x12 rug from Nordic Knots – the same size as her old New York City studio apartment. Before you’ve managed to sit down, she greets you with a Maison Balzac Carafe of alkaline water.

On the vintage etagere, you’ll spy a quirky-and-unexpected coffee table book that shows off an eccentric and niche interest, like spy fiction; the vintage ashtrays and vessels that hold trinkets from flea markets and estate sales; and maybe some sprawling plant.

Still, there’s a reason each of these items took off with unprecedented popularity—and it’s not only because we were stuck inside for two years straight. They’re calming, timeless, and if we’re being honest, it’s easy to make them feel fresh and personal—because they are.

Ahead, five things you’ll always find in an LA girl’s living room, including one that won’t disappear any time soon.

1. Something from an estate sale

The one thing every LA girl has in her apartment is a point of pride: It could be a painting, a vase, or some sort of vintage ashtray, but either way, it’s from an estate sale. You’ll know because she tells you. In fact, estate sales and sprawling flea markets like the Rose Bowl are one of the greatest bragging points of living in Los Angeles – New Yorkers generally have to travel two hours north to Hudson or Peekskill to try their hand at haggling over an elderly couple’s collection of books.

My personal favourite estate sale find is an ashtray made from a mix of black onyx and brown marble stone. The late owner’s family told me she never smoked a day in her life but collected ashtrays because she wanted house guests to think she was glamorous. The day she died, she sent her son – who was happily recounting the story to me at 6 am on a Saturday – to buy her a pack of cigarettes but passed away before he came back.

2. Muuto Kink Vase

The iconic Kink Vase, which is sold at Design Within Reach, among other retailers, is a mainstay. Made by Scandinavian design house Muuto, the unglazed vase is a simple U-tube and looks great holding flowers – or nothing at all. You can sub this out for the brand’s Ridge vase, which is made from earthenware or terracotta, or pretty much anything on HAY’s website and it’ll be equally as likely to be found in an LA girl’s space.

3. Coffee table book stack

While this one isn’t limited to LA girl’s apartments, the simple coffee table book stack is a must-have for a West Coater – and it’s not always on the coffee table. There’s usually one in group about a heritage fashion house, another she picked up from a flea market, and one more that she actually read (well, skimmed). Bonus points if the bindings are facing away; that likely means the sleeve would have otherwise thrown the colour scheme off.

4. A piece of mid-century modern furniture

Maybe it’s the Mario Bellini cloud couch, or perhaps it’s the curved sofa from Rove Concepts – you know the one. It could also be a travertine pedestal, a walnut side table, or a low-profile green marble coffee table. Either way, it looks like it came straight out of a Herman Miller showroom and she’s photographed it at least a dozen times. (For anyone that thinks it’d be crazy to buy the cloud couch, know that three straight seasons of Love Island have been binged on that very couch – comfortably.)

5. A vintage magazine rack

The ultimate flea market find, the vintage magazine pack is the subtle star of the entire room. Depending on the size of the space, the rack might be small enough to hold a single item or substantial enough to hold an entire library. Either way, it offers an easy way to incorporate colour into the room without having to *really* incorporate colour.