Designtripper

When I was planning a trip to LA last month, I wanted to rent a house in Venice–a cool, cozy number just like this art-filled bungalow, where we could cook in a sunny kitchen and hang out on the patio after the kids go to bed. To my crushing disappointment, it was already rented. In fact, it’s currently booked solid through fall–a fact the owner/designer Deborah Rumens credits to its lived-in character. “It’s like home. There’s an amazing book selection–books you’d actually want to read. Down to the Rowenta coffeemaker… Everything we did, we thought about the design of it,” says Deborah, who, with her partner Mike Lee, designed the modern-craftsman bungalow to show-off the custom furniture, interiors and design/build work they do under the name Chinese Jesus.  ”We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if people didn’t have to stay in a hotel, and instead they could have an experience that was more authentic to LA?’ It has a really California feel–a little bit surf, a little bit design, a little bit community. It’s modern and clean but not in a slick Italian way,” says Deborah. “We wanted to let the wood speak for itself.”

The wood she’s referring to–a beautiful cedar-slab dining room table; a coffee table with a geometric walnut base–was designed by Chinese Jesus. The rest is a mix of vintage and  modern. “You can’t really put your finger on a style–which is nice. There’s a little something for everyone.”

The Details
The two-bedroom bungalow is $325 a night, or $2,100 a week. Crib and high chair for little ones. Location couldn’t be better: three blocks from the beach and just around the corner from Abbott Kinney. Beach cruisers provided. Rent it at thehouseinvenice.com.

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