Tamra Fago’s historic rental

Artist Tamra Fago stands in the front doorway of her 900-square foot home in the Garvanza neighborhood near downtown L.A.

A brick path, lined with garden chairs, leads to Tamra Fago’s house.

Tamra Fago works on a computer in the living room. Though cozy, the former graphic designer’s space is filled with all sorts of pieces that combine to create a charming whole.

Sculptural hats are mounted on steel wire trees. Her high-end chapeaus ($200 to $650) are carried at Camille DePedrini in South Pasadena and at CruModerne.com.

In the dining room, a West Elm Parsons desk is sandwiched between two white and birch-legged seats atop a bold, zigzag-patterned rug. On the table, Chilewich’s brass-colored vinyl runner in a coral pattern.

A plate collection graces the dining room wall.

The galley-style kitchen features wood countertops and open shelves.

In the kitchen, colorful bottles enhance the windowsill.

Inside her house, the whites, creams and blue-grays of the walls and chocolate of the hardwood floors are offset by Fago’s vintage modern aesthetic. “I’m a minimalist when it comes to basic forms, but then my artistry takes over,” she says, adding: “My head is always in the clouds.”

Though constrained in space, Fago’s home is an ever-changing canvas.

Chaise and artwork in the living room

In the bedroom, the roofline and period windows hint at the Garvanza home’s Victorian roots.

A black and white window seat in the bedroom plays off the room’s neutral tones.

Sand dollars and colorful coral accessorize a table in the bedroom.

Paper angel wings are a distinctive wallcovering in the stairwell.