On Friday the 13th of March, 2020, like countless other people, Martha De Perez lost all her sources of income overnight: her AirBnB bookings were cancelled and within 48 hours, her job as the floral designer for the Jimmy Kimmel show, was suspended indefinitely, as the production went on hiatus because of Covid 19.With ‘Superhost’ status, De Perez’s most popular Airbnb loft was the, ‘Vampire Lair’.
With the pandemic raging, due to massive cancelations she had to close it and pack its eclectic collection of furniture and other accessories away in storage.
Now, eighteen months later, as LA County continues on its road to economic recovery, De Perez’s, ‘Paris Studios LA’ on PeerSpace.com, gets converted to the, ‘Vampire Lair’, through the month of October. PeerSpace matches photographers, models and film productions, with people who have photogenic locations.
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“This is one of my favorite incarnations of the space ever!” says De Perez, of the 780 square foot loft that boasts of five crystal chandeliers, two fireplaces, two chaise lounges, (and a coffin that doubles as a coffee table, for October only.)With a living room housing other antique furniture, gold trimmed walls and doorways and a bedroom fit for royalty, the living quarters provides endless possibilities for dramatic vignettes.
Making, ‘Paris Studios LA’, was the best therapy for De Perez. Having visited France over a dozen times before the pandemic, but with travel all but impossible, de Perez decided to transform her living quarters into a space that invoked a sense of the French. “Initially I wanted to recreate that Paris mood just for myself. Now I take joy in providing it for models and photographers, so they don’t have to fly there themselves!”
“Most of the pieces in the space are collected from old sets; from previous jobs I’ve had or Facebook Marketplace.”
By doing that, De Perez makes contact with the previous owner of the piece makeover and the story behind it. “It’s important to me that the furniture has a past.”
Once at Paris Studio, the furniture would often get a makeover: reupholstered, painted or otherwise embellished to fit the Parisian theme. With a background as Downtown Art Walk’s, and Phantom Galleries Art Curator, Martha knows that presentation is paramount. She’s constantly perfecting the aesthetics.
Come November, the loft will see some seasonal additions. “For the holidays, I will have a large gilded tree and a life size Victorian Saint Nicholas, in addition to other trimmings. Book early for those Christmas cards!”
De Perez loves sharing the space and welcomes her guests with Parisian tea, fancy fizzy drinks and plenty of Madeleine cookies.
When asked what’s next for this constantly transforming- reimagining-never settling for one thing for too long-artist, De Perez perks up and answers, “I’ve been looking at properties in France, I hope that in two years when I retire, I can be ready to buy a fixer upper Chateau in the country side near Paris. I look forward to making it into a bed & breakfast; mainly focus of listing it for filming location.”
‘Paris in the Twenties, a Vampire Lair’, loft can be booked through PeerSpace.com. “I look forward to collaborating with artists to bring their visions to life at Paris Studio. Let’s get creative!”
