Copyright Los Angeles Times
Jeffrey Hamilton came to live in an empty condominium, as many do, after a painful breakup. “It was a stressful time even though it was an amicable breakup,” says the 38-year-old anesthesiologist. “I had two weeks to move and was desperate to find something.” Hamilton, who is drawn to “gallery-esque white boxes,” ultimately settled in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects-designed condo four blocks away in West Hollywood. With few possessions other than his cats, he proceeded to furnish the unit with secondhand items he found primarily on Facebook Marketplace. During the process, he says, he found himself. “It was the first time I had lived on my own in a long time and it was nice to listen to my own instincts,” says Hamilton, sitting in the living room of his elegant condo, which he now shares with his boyfriend David Poli, his cats Romulus and Remus and Poli’s Husky mix, Janeway (named for Kathryn Janeway, the first female captain on the television series “Star Trek: Voyager”). All the pets are rescues. “Jeffrey likes to say that everything in his apartment is a rescue, including me,” says Poli jokingly. When Hamilton adopted his cats six years ago during his medical residency in San Diego, they were kittens; now, as adults, he says, the spotted Bengal cats have not just grown but have influenced his design choices in his new home. “My original inspiration was to match the furniture to the kitties so I don’t see their cat hair,” he says. “The cats very much informed the color scheme. I find them so handsome; it felt like having matching furniture was practical.” In the living room, for instance, Hamilton chose a camel-colored Curvo sofa in velvet by Goop for CB2, which he found on Facebook Marketplace. Similarly, the accompanying swivel chairs from HD Buttercup and the barstool seats in the kitchen are upholstered in Bengal and Husky-durable textiles that camouflage pet hair. Actor Kit Williamson, a Hollywood friend who has tackled many of his own interior design projects, says Hamilton and Poli’s home is more than just a safe place to land. “I love that Jeffrey’s design for the apartment was inspired by his cats — and that David’s dog not only gets along with the cats, but complements the color palette,” he says. “It’s not just cohesive, it’s kismet.” Hamilton grew up in the Bay Area but has moved around the country for his education and medical training, including stints in New York City, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle. So when he moved to Los Angeles for good in 2022, he found shopping for furnishings on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to be a great way to get to know the city. “It was nice originally because I was new to L.A., and it helped me get a better sense of Los Angeles,” he says. “I ventured to Woodland Hills and Calabasas — I got a lot of vintage stuff in Woodland Hills.” Living alone, Hamilton says, is what allowed him to “find space and time to honor” his own interests a little more. “I think with medical school, residency and fellowship training, I didn’t have much time and space or resources to self-examine, as so much of my time was occupied working and thinking about the wellness of others,” he says. For him, part of his process for creating a welcoming home was focusing on “sustainable goods — things that were used, vintage or local,” he says. That accounts for some of Hamilton’s home decor selections: The CB2 bookshelves from Facebook Marketplace, which store artfully arranged ceramics, books and the couple’s neatly stacked shoes and a travertine dining room table, also from Facebook Marketplace. Down the hall, in their bedroom, is a vintage desk where Poli can work from home several days a week. “It’s a little beat-up, which I like,” Hamilton says. “I like things that are shiny and nice but also beat-up around the edges. Nothing too perfect. “ And then there is the art. “It was important to me to have pieces from either local artisans or artists who are L.A.-based,” he says, noting the tall, plaster lamp in the living room by Kate O’Connor and a graphic stoneware bowl by Chad Callaghan atop his marble coffee table. In the living room, Hamilton hung a large-scale artwork by Texas-based painter Jason Adkins for General Public, a company developed by Portia de Rossi that licenses and 3D-prints artworks. In the den, another Adkins piece for General Public hangs alongside a vintage print by Cy Twombly. “They feel like real paintings,” he says of the Synographs. “You can’t tell the difference. “ Elegant, clutter-free and homey, the condominium is a calm place to come home to after working long shifts, including overnights, at Children’s Hospital. “A sense of calm and serenity was probably a very important implicit priority,” Hamilton says. “My work can be very stressful at times, so having a place of refuge came naturally.” Luckily, balancing comfort and pets is another thing that came naturally to the couple after they moved in together. “We have a nice synergy,” Hamilton says of Poli. “We tend to agree when it comes to interior design.” “I’m more of a minimalist,” Poli says. “Jeffrey likes pillows too much. It’s getting a little busy in here,” he adds, teasing his partner. “I do like pillows,” Hamilton says, noting that he recently bought a sewing machine so he can make his own soft furnishings. “I’ve learned that the best outdoor pillows for pets are from Arhaus. They don’t stain, and they are really durable.” Like many millennials his age, Hamilton often thinks about buying a home but finds real estate prices, combined with the housing shortage in Los Angeles, daunting. “It’s so expensive,” he says. “I keep doing the math, get approved for a mortgage, then see the interest rates and how much you have to put down — and I just can’t do it. My rent is ridiculous, but it’s more economical than any mortgage I’ve seen in West Hollywood.” For now, Hamilton enjoys living in a 30-unit building in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with a rooftop deck overlooking the Sunset Strip. “I don’t need a ton of space,” he says. “Maybe a condo in West Hollywood would be a nice starting point someday.” After all, he’s learned he’s good at starting over.
