Check Out This DIY Masterpiece in L.A.

Set designer Lee Levy's decorating strategy is simple: “Look at what you have. If you don’t like it, just change it,” she says. It doesn't have to break the bank. Since she moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Seth Powsner (he's also a set designer), that has been their guiding principle for crafting a totally bespoke home in a Highland Park rental. When Lee spotted the place with high wood-beam ceilings in a Craigslist ad, she was immediately smitten. “I don’t really like renovated places,” she explains. “They're often cheaply done and don't have charm.” She'd rather make her own fixes, “on the cheap and renter-friendly.” As in, any cosmetic changes must be removable.