This Is Not IKEA: TINI founder Alexis Hadjopulos’ eclectic house
By Lizzie Garrett Mettler
As co-owner and creative director of the vintage home decor emporium TINI, short for This Is Not IKEA, Alexis Hadjopulos has won fans with the kind of quirky sensibility and lack of pretense that is defining a new breed of Los Angeles tastemaker: the populist connoisseur. A mix of high and low, vintage and modern, designer-label buys and garage-sale finds plays out in his house, where chalk graffiti provides the backdrop for a piano that Hadjopulos affectionately calls “the Elton John.” An Eero Aarnio bubble chair hangs in back. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Hadjopulos, pictured here with Rocky, lives in a two-bedroom house built in 2008. It has three levels, including a first-floor suite that Hadjopulos rents to a friend. The artwork at the base of the stairs depicts the image of Kate Moss over blown-up text from a pulp romance novel; it’s by Mr. Brainwash, a.k.a. Thierry Guetta. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Though Hadjopulos seems to have little sentimental attachment to most of the furniture in the house, there is one piece that he would never let go: an oversized black and white image of an early photograph of Daryl Hannah that he scored at a garage sale. He loves its ‘80s-ness, he loves that it’s not a well-known photo of the actress, but most of all, he loves that he paid $1 for it. “I wouldn’t sell that photo even if I could get $5,000 for it,” he says. “I mean, it might be worthless, but to me it’s priceless.” The chair came from a thrift store in Burbank. He thinks the antique imagery is a decal of some sort. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Hannah’s coy gaze looks over an oval marble dining table that Hadjopulos recently purchased at the L.A. store Blueprint (at a discount, of course). (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
A rare bit of bright color in the dining area. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
The patio, off the dining area. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the Hollywood Freeway as it winds through the Cahuenga Pass in L.A. Many people don’t understand the appeal of having a view of the 101, Hadjopulos says, but to him it’s an urban river that provides a calming white noise and sense of movement. “At night you just see the lights and it’s like looking at a piece of art,” he says. “I love it.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Hadjopulos in his living room. His store may be packed to the rafters with decor, but his home is pared down with only occasional bursts of TINI style -- eclectic vintage arranged to slightly haphazard effect. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
The Darth Vader bust holds a set of action figures; he bought it at a garage sale for $20. He liked “Star Wars” as a kid but isn’t “crazy about it, like some people.” He just likes the way the piece looks. Same goes for the Beatles. He doesn’t claim to be a mega-fan. “I love Mariah Carey too,” he says, “but I am not about to put her up on my walls.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
The kitchen counter was installed by the builder. Hadjopulos likes it because it’s different. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
More art by the stairs leading up to the bedroom. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
In the bedroom, Hadjopulos skipped a traditional rug in favor of artificial turf, which his dog has mistaken for real grass only once. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Instead of a traditional headboard, the bed is backed by a floating photo on canvas by Alysia Cotter. The lights are inexpensive pendants from West Elm. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Yup, that’s a parking meter in the corner. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Hadjopulos sits in his bedroom under the gaze of Mr. Brainwash art. “He’s not afraid to take risks,” business partner Tom Whitman says. “He will put a traditional midcentury piece and seamlessly tie it in with something like an old motel sign. Most of the time it works.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
The anchor of the bedroom is Gaetano Pesce’s La Donna lounge chair with ottoman, bought at Siglo Moderno. The surrealist yellow throne colors a bedroom where Salvador Dalí might have felt at ease. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
“At one point, everything in my room was from IKEA. Everything,” Hadjopulos said, referring to his move from Mexico to L.A. to pursue a career in music. For two years he made do with four pieces of furniture: a mattress on the floor, a dresser, a television and a floor lamp. There’s nothing wrong with IKEA, Hadjopulos says. Most people just don’t want to feel as if they’re living inside a store catalog. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
In the bathroom, the vibe is not so TINI. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
“Alexis is not going to try to impress you with his catalog of obscure designers,” says Whitman, co-owner of TINI and ThisIsNotIkea.com. “His talent is his natural eye. He knows how to have fun with design. He isn’t tied down by the rules.”
More home photo galleries: Peek inside the bold, the beautiful, the clever and the crafty (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)