After moving to Los Angeles from Palo Alto in 2023 with only a standing desk and a bed, Tess van Hulsen and Andrew Chait quickly learned how to furnish an empty apartment without buying anything new.
Since they love to save, decorating together was really fun for them.
In this series, we highlight stylish Los Angeles rentals. From perfect gallery walls to temporary decorating hacks, these renters are getting creative, even in small spaces. And Angelenos need inspiration: Most are renters.
Two years later, her love of thrift stores, antiques, haggling and catering has turned her Westwood rental into a showcase for “second-hand treasures,” says Van Hulsen, 28, who works as a commercial contracts specialist.
“I've always liked things that have history, character and a story behind them,” he says. “Each piece represents a store we love, a lucky find or a successful haggle that ended up bringing home something with history.”
Andrew Chait and Tess van Hulsen relax on the rooftop of their condo, sitting on patio furniture they bought in Venice through Facebook Marketplace.
Meanwhile, Chait enjoys the thrill of searching and haggling. He likes to make deals and even if he walks away, he still feels like he has won.
“I'm good at finding value and Tess has a good eye for style,” says Chait, 32, who works as a development director. “It's something we really enjoy doing together.”
At a time when many Millennial and Gen Z shoppers enjoy hunting for deals on secondhand items, Van Hulsen and Chait also wanted to avoid “quick furniture, poorly constructed materials, and throwaway designs,” according to Van Hulsen. For them, rarely used pieces make their rental special.
“People my age are interested in having family heirlooms and traditional items,” Van Hulsen says, pointing to a silver tray containing her jewelry. “I think it's so fun to entertain and put things out when guests come over. It makes the table look pretty and the plates are great for carrying food upstairs when we're entertaining on our rooftop patio.”
1. A variety of vintage items on display in a display case the couple purchased at the Santa Monica Flea Market. 2. Brass angel candleholders valued at $2 each at a Palo Alto yard sale flank a silver punch bowl. The couple purchased the lithograph in Beverly Hills through Facebook Marketplace.
Except for a few family heirlooms and a few small dressers from IKEA and West Elm, almost everything in her condo is secondhand.
In the living room, an elegant cream linen sofa from Home Consignment Center is the centerpiece. On either side are striped linen armchairs and a wooden coffee table from Facebook Marketplace completes the look, giving the room a relaxed coastal feel.
An antique ashtray Van Hulsen found on Etsy rests on an annotated Cezanne book at an estate sale in Palm Springs.
Dutch ceramic figurines and Asian ginger jars from various thrift stores and estate sales.
Next to the 2-year-old couch is an antique Tiger Oak sideboard from the Santa Monica Antique and Vintage Market. It's filled with her secondhand finds, including silver champagne buckets, candelabras, colorful Mexican ceramics, and a tall revolving server from the Council Shop, a thrift store chain that supports low-income women and families in Los Angeles.
“It's dangerous to live so close to the Council Shop,” Chait says of the nonprofit, which is located a short distance from the couple's rental. “We probably walk there about every two weeks.”
As the couple walks through their home, they remember how each item has its own story.
In the bathroom, a mint julep glass given as a trophy at the 1964 Peacock Hill National Horse Show contains toothpaste and toothbrushes.
“I knew we wanted a neutral sofa,” Van Hulsen says of the sofa that was originally on backorder when they first saw it. “Luckily it is modular, so my mother-in-law and I took it home disassembled in two cars.”
The display case was marked down to $60 at the Santa Monica Antique and Vintage Market because it was missing some glass pieces. “We bought it from a father and son who were very kind,” Chait says. “Tess and I couldn't fit it in our car, so they delivered it to us for $40.”
Van Hulsen adds: “It's narrow and the perfect size.”
In the corner of the dining room, next to a table and eight chairs from the UCLA thrift store that they had to pick up in two trips, sits a charming oak dresser with carved floral details. “I found it on the street during bulky item pickup day in Palo Alto and took it down during a return car trip over the holidays,” van Hulsen says.
1. A matted frame featuring illustrations of St Martin's Church and St James's Palace in London. 2. Chait collection of antique mechanical banks. 3. A bronze duck paperweight.
He also found an old print of Windsor Castle, now hanging in the entrance on Palo Alto Street. “That was the most we ever saved,” he says.
Many of the accessories in their attic, like a bright blue Kitchen Aid mixer (which can cost up to $699 new), coffee table books, and a decorative clam shell, remind the couple of their favorite place: Palm Springs.
“Palm Springs is our happy place,” Van Hulsen says. “We often go there for an evening or a long weekend, and there is a reliable chain of antique stores that we love: Sunny Dunes Antique Mall and Antique Galleries. We continue to expand our thrift store to Rancho Mirage (we love Victoria's Attic Antiques and Collectibles) and La Quinta, and we also go to estate sales.”
The couple plays Phase 10 on the dining room table they bought at the UCLA thrift store.
Now that they're settled, it's easy to forget how difficult it was to find a rental place near Chait's new job in Santa Monica. “It was difficult,” says Van Hulsen. “It was around Christmas and there wasn't much available.”
“People would make deals and offer to pay more than the listed rent,” Chait says.
Finally, they found a bright two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit in Westwood with high ceilings, a loft, and a rooftop patio. “We applied for two other places before seeing this one. It was worth the wait,” says van Hulsen.
Chait grew up in Los Angeles and spent 10 years in the Bay Area. He believes buying secondhand items from strangers is a great way to get to know the city. “Yesterday, when I went to buy someone a wine cooler, we ended up talking about surfing for half an hour,” Chait says. “It's fun to meet new people and hear the stories behind what they sell. Plus, exploring new parts of Los Angeles is always interesting.”
A ceramic beagle rests next to two silver chopsticks.
For them, sticking to a budget is a way to be creative. Whether it's silver trays or things left on the street during bulky item pickup day, the couple is always on the lookout for stylish, affordable finds.
The result is a surprisingly cohesive look with jute rugs, light woods, and striped linens creating a relaxed California coast vibe with hints of Palm Springs and France. “My mom has always been a saver,” Van Hulsen says. “When we lived in London for four years, we collected all kinds of objects and knick-knacks.”
“From the beginning, Tess and Andrew's relationship was bonded over a shared love of hunting,” their mother Dana McCue said in an email. “Their weekends away were never solely about the destination, but also about the 'treasures' hidden in dusty corners and the thrill of the 'find'. Today, their beautiful Westwood Penthouse serves as a living gallery of their love story. Each selected piece is more than just decoration; it is a physical milestone that captures their journey from that first shared discovery to the life they have built together.”
The couple's bed and side tables are among the new items in their condo.
Although some couples building a home together for the first time prefer to buy new furniture, Van Hulsen and Chait have stuck with secondhand pieces, except for their upholstered panel bed, which they bought at Living Spaces. “That's our only big furniture purchase,” Chait says. “Things are very expensive and many things fall apart. And besides, we like stories. That's what excites us: history, talking to people, imagining the life they had before.”
They have a dresser from the Venice Canals that Tess stuffed into her Jeep Cherokee, prints from an estate sale in Carmel, a lamp from Guy on Motor in Venice in Palms, and an antique mirror from San Diego. “We've saved all over California,” says Van Hulsen.
Silver plates are everywhere: on side tables, under cabinets, and also under the bed. “It's not such a bad life to stub my toe with money,” he adds, laughing.
1. A vintage soldier decanter. 2. A vintage case of Navy Cut cigarettes from Palm Springs. 3. Legos, a Nintendo Game Boy and figurine sit on top of a Sony Playstation 4 console. 4. A bronze woman purchased in Laurel Canyon rests to other thrifted items in the dining room. 5. Leather-bound books are sandwiched in between brass duck bookends the couple found at an estate sale in Northern California.
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. For example, Chait recently bought a Frigidaire wine refrigerator for $100 on Facebook Marketplace, but when he got it home, he saw it was too big for their space. (They’re still trying to make it work.) Van Hulsen adds: “I’ve gotten some coffee tables that I ended up flipping because they didn’t work in our space.”
Making a cheap mistake isn’t a big deal when you can just resell the item online.
Now that their condo is furnished, do they have a rule about not bringing in too much stuff?
A photograph of the couple rests next to a painting of Manhattan Beach the couple found on Facebook Marketplace.
“You’re looking at him,” Van Hulsen says, grinning at her fiancé.
“You’re making me sound like the bad guy!” Chait says, laughing.
“That’s part of the fun,” Van Hulsen says as she brings over a sterling silver ice cream scoop engraved with “There’s nothing wrong with me that ice cream can’t fix” in barely perceptible cursive.
“We’re never really done,” Van Hulsen says. “It’s exciting to find new things and imagine how they’ll fit in our home.”
