After a breakup, a doctor and his cats settle into a charming rental
Jeffrey Hamilton came to live in an empty condominium after a painful breakup, as many do.
“It was a stressful time even though it was a friendly break,” says the 38-year-old anesthesiologist. “I had two weeks to move and was desperate to find something.”
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Hamilton, drawn to “gallery-esque white boxes,” eventually settled on a two-bedroom, two-bathroom Herley Architects-designed condo four blocks away in West Hollywood. With few assets other than his cats, he went into providing second-hand goods with a unit that he found primarily on Facebook’s marketplace.
In the process, he says, he found himself.
“It was the first time I’d lived on my own in a long time and it was good to listen to my own feelings,” says Hamilton, sitting in the living room of her beautiful condo, which she now shares with her boyfriend David Polley, his cats Romulus and Remus, and Polly’s husky mix, Janeway (named for television’s first lady Catherine the Great: Catherine Janeway Traveler). All the animals are rescued.
Black CB2 cabinets Hamilton found at a Facebook Marketplace store are artfully arranged with ceramics, books and his and his boyfriend’s shoes.
“Jeffrey likes to say that everything in his apartment is salvageable, including me,” Polly joked.
When Hamilton adopted her cats during a medical residency in San Diego six years ago, they were kittens; Now, as adults, he says, the Bengal cats have not only grown but influenced the design choices in his new home.
The den offers more pet-friendly options including a Rove Concepts modular sofa that Hamilton bought on clearance. “It’s a bit small for two grown men and three animals,” he says.
“My main inspiration was to combine the furniture with the cats so that I couldn’t see their cat hair,” he says. Cats give a lot of information about the color scheme. I find them very beautiful; It feels like it matches the furniture.
In the living room, for example, Hamilton chose a camel-colored Curve sofa in velvet by Goop for CB2, which he found on Facebook Marketplace. Similarly, the HD Buttercup companion seat and barstool seats in the kitchen are covered in Bengal and husky durable fabrics that hide pet hair.
Actor Kit Williamson, a Hollywood dude who has done many of his own interior design projects, says Hamilton and Polly’s home is more than a safe haven for Earth. “I love that Jeffrey’s design for the apartment was inspired by his cats—and that David’s dog not only goes with the cats, but complements the color palette,” she says. “It’s not just harmony, it’s kismet.”
A second-hand desk from the Facebook marketplace in the bedroom provides space for remote work.
Lint rollers are not needed because Janeway blends in with accessories.
Hamilton grew up in the Bay Area but 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 that shopping for things on Craigslist and Facebook Market was a great way to get to know the city.
“It was good mainly because I was new to L.A., and it helped me get a good feel for Los Angeles,” he says. “I traveled to Woodland Hills and Calabasas — I got a lot of old stuff in Woodland Hills.”
Hamilton says living alone is what allowed him to “find the space and time to honor” his interests a little more.
The Hamilton condo in West Hollywood, designed by Lorcan & Hurley Architects, includes an outdoor patio and rooftop deck with views of the Hollywood Hills.
“I think with medical school, residency and fellowship training, I didn’t have a lot of time and space or resources for self-examination, because so much of my time was spent working and thinking about the well-being of others,” she says.
For him, part of his process for creating a welcoming home is focusing on “sustainable materials – things that are used, vintage or local.”
This accounts for some of Hamilton’s home decor choices: CB2 bookcases from Facebook Marketplace, which stocks artfully arranged ceramics, books and a pair of shoes and a travertine dining table also from Facebook Marketplace.
Down the hall, in their bedroom, is a second-hand desk from Facebook Market where Polly can work from home a few days a week. “It’s a bit of a beat, which I like,” says Hamilton. “I like things that are sleek and beautiful but rough around the edges. Nothing is perfect.”
Romulus reclines on the camel-colored velvet sofa in the living room.
And then there is art. “It was important to me to buy pieces from local artists or artists who are based in L.A.,” he says, noting the tall, plaster lamp by Kate O’Connor in the living room and the graphic stone bowl by Chad Callaghan above his marble coffee table.
In the living room, Hamilton hangs large-scale artwork by Texas-based artist Jason Adkins for the general public, a company founded by Portia de Rossi that licenses and 3D-prints artwork. In the den, another Adkins piece for the general public hangs next to an old print by Cy Twombly. “They feel like real paintings,” he says of the scenographs. “You can’t tell the difference.”
Charming, clutter-free and homey, the condominium is a relaxing place to come home to after a long day of work, including a night at the Children’s Hospital. “Feeling comfortable and relaxed was probably the most important secondary priority,” says Hamilton. “My work can be very stressful at times, so having a shelter came naturally.”
Fortunately, the balance of comfort and pets is another thing that came naturally to the couple after they moved in together.
The open concept kitchen is modern and streamlined.
“We have a good synergy,” Hamilton says of Pooley. “We agree when it comes to interior design.”
“I’m mostly a little guy,” Polly says. “Jeffrey likes the pillows a lot. He’s a bit busy here.” He adds, infuriating his friend.
“I love pillows,” says Hamilton, who noted that he recently bought a sewing machine so he can make his own soft furnishings. “I learned that the best outdoor pillows for pets are from Aarhus. They don’t stain and really last.”
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, difficult. “It’s very expensive,” he says. “I keep doing the math, getting approved for a mortgage, then looking at 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 lives in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in a 30-unit building with a roof deck overlooking the Sun Strip. “I don’t need a ton of space,” he says. “Maybe a condo in West Hollywood would be a good starting point someday.”
However, he learned that he is good at starting.
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