“It was a stressful time, even though it was an amicable breakup,” says the 38-year-old anesthetist. “I had two weeks to move and was desperate to find something.”
In this series we spotlight LA rental properties with style. From picture-perfect gallery walls to temporary decor hacks, these tenants are getting creative, even in small spaces. And Angelenos need the inspiration: Most are renters.
Hamilton, who is drawn to “gallery-like white boxes,” eventually settled in a Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects-designed two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment four blocks away in West Hollywood. With few possessions other than his cats, he proceeded to furnish the unit with second-hand items he found primarily on Facebook Marketplace.
In the process, he says, he discovered himself.
Black CB2 shelves Hamilton found in the Facebook Marketplace store, artfully arranged ceramics, books and his and his friend’s shoes.
“It was the first time I lived alone in a long time and it was nice to listen to my own instincts,” says Hamilton, sitting in the living room of his elegant apartment, which he now shares with his friend David Poli, his cats Romulus and Remus and Poli’s Husky mix, Janeway (named after Kathryn Janeway, the first female captain on the television series “Star Trek: Voyager”). All pets are rescues.
“Jeffrey likes to say that everything in his apartment is a rescue, including myself,” Poli says jokingly.
When Hamilton adopted his cats six years ago during his medical residency in San Diego, they were kittens; now, as adults, he says, the spotted Bengal cats have not only grown, but have also influenced his design choices in his new home.
The den offers more pet-friendly choices, including a Rove Concepts modular sofa that Hamilton bought on clearance. “It’s a bit small for two grown men and three pets,” he says.
“My original inspiration was to match the furniture to the cats so I don’t see their cat hair,” he says. “The cats set the color scheme really well. I think they are so handsome; it felt like matching furniture was practical.”
In the living room, for CB2, for example, Hamilton chose a camel-colored Curvo sofa in velvet from Goop, which he found on Facebook Marketplace. Likewise, the accompanying HD Buttercup swivel chairs and bar stool chairs in the kitchen are covered in durable Bengal and Husky textiles that camouflage pet hair.
Actor Kit Williamson, a Hollywood friend who has done many of his own interior design projects, says Hamilton and Poli’s home is more than just a safe place to land. “I love that Jeffrey’s design for the apartment is inspired by his cats – and that David’s dog not only gets along well with the cats, but also complements the color palette,” he says. “It’s not just cohesive, it’s kismet.”
A vintage desk in the bedroom provides a place to work remotely.
No lint rollers are needed because Janeway blends in with the decor.
Hamilton grew up in the Bay Area but has moved around the country for his education and medical training, including stints in New York City, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle. So when he moved to Los Angeles for good in 2022, he found shopping for furniture on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to be a great way to get to know the city.
“It was originally fun because I was new to LA, and it helped me get a better idea of Los Angeles,” he says. “I ventured to Woodland Hills and Calabasas – I have a lot of vintage stuff in Woodland Hills.”
Living alone, Hamilton says, allowed him to “find space and time to respect his own interests a little more.”
Hamilton’s West Hollywood apartment, designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, features a terrace and a rooftop deck with views of the Hollywood Hills.
“I don’t think my medical school, residency, and fellowship training left me with much time, space, or resources to explore myself because I spent a lot of my time working and thinking about the well-being of others,” he says.
For him, part of his process for creating a welcoming home was focusing on “durable goods – things that were used, vintage or local,” he says.
That explains some of Hamilton’s interior design selections: the CB2 bookshelves from Facebook Marketplace, which hold artfully arranged ceramics, books and the couple’s neatly stacked shoes, and a travertine dining table, also from Facebook Marketplace.
Down the hall, in their bedroom, there is a vintage desk where Poli can work from home several days a week. “It’s a little worn, which I like,” Hamilton says. “I like things that are shiny and beautiful, but also worn around the edges. Nothing is too perfect.”
Romulus leans back on the camel-colored velvet sofa in the living room.
And then there is the art. “It was important to me to have pieces from local LA artisans or artists,” he says, looking at the large plaster lamp in the living room. Kate O’Connor and a graphic stoneware bowl Chad Callaghan on top of his marble coffee table.
In the living room, Hamilton hung a large work of art by a Texas-based painter Jason Adkins for General publica company developed by Portia de Rossi that licenses and 3D prints artworks. In the study, another Adkins piece for General Public hangs next to a vintage print by Cy Twombly. “They feel like real paintings,” he says of the Synographs. “You can’t tell the difference.”
Elegant, uncluttered and homely, the condominium is a peaceful place to come home to after long shifts, including overnight stays, at the Children’s Hospital. “A sense of calm and serenity was probably a very important implicit priority,” says Hamilton. “My job can be very stressful at times, so it was only natural that I had a refuge.”
Fortunately, the balance between comfort and pets is something that came naturally to the couple after they moved in together.
The open kitchen is modern and sleek.
“We have a nice synergy,” Hamilton says about Poli. “When it comes to interior design, we often agree.”
“I’m more of a minimalist,” says Poli. “Jeffrey likes kisses too much. It’s getting a little crowded in here,” he adds, teasing his partner.
“I like pillows,” says Hamilton, noting that he recently bought a sewing machine so he can make his own upholstery. “I’ve learned that the best outdoor pet cushions come from Arhaus. They do not stain and are very durable.”
Like many millennials his ageHamilton often thinks about buying a home, but finds real estate prices, combined with the housing shortage in Los Angeles, daunting. “It’s so expensive,” he says. “I keep doing the math, getting approved for a mortgage, then looking at the interest rates and how much you have to put down – and it just doesn’t work out. My rent is ridiculous, but it’s more economical than any mortgage I’ve seen in West Hollywood.”
For now, Hamilton is happy to live in a 30-unit building in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with a rooftop deck overlooking the Sunset Strip. “I don’t need a lot of space,” he says. “Maybe an apartment in West Hollywood would be a nice starting point someday.”
After all, he’s learned that he’s good at starting over.
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