“You don’t know when you move into a rental how long you’ll live there, but we’ve been here for four years—and we’re still finding ways to make it more cozy and organized,” Rachel Connors says of the Venice Beach bungalow she’s lovingly fixed up with her husband and creative partner, Joe Demin. Together, they founded Yellow Leaf Hammocks in 2011, a Shark Tank–anointed company that sells woven hammocks made by the Mlabri tribe in Thailand.

When Rachel first cast eyes on what she calls the “lovely, high-ceilinged empty box,” she loved the spacious outdoor area, the wall-to-wall sliding door that facilitates an easy indoor/outdoor connection, and the rich history of the place.

It was once the clubhouse of a summer camp compound that’s supposedly the stuff of legend among in-the-know locals. Still, upon signing the lease in 2020, the couple knew they would need to build up the yard with greenery and invest in making their kitchen more hospitable.

“When we moved in, there was just dead vegetation and dirt everywhere,” Joe says, so the couple brought in bundles of plants like bougainvillea and fire sticks that have since grown several feet tall. Now, he describes the outdoor space as “really lush, like you’re stepping into paradise.”

The backyard is where the couple spend the majority of their time, surrounded by friends and neighbors, so it’s gotten the most love. Since move-in, they’ve kitted it out with a firepit, an inflatable jacuzzi ringed by wicker seating, a surf rack, a BBQ area, and a shed for food and supply storage.

It's frequented by the close-knit circle of creatives who live in this rental community. The neighborhood formed a pod at the height of the pandemic that’s still tighter than ever, congregating for dance parties around the firepit, dog play dates, and time spent lounging in the hammocks Joe and Rachel have strung up behind the house.

Inside, a custom kitchen island with lots of hidden storage—created in collaboration with a local woodworker—has become “the heartbeat of the house,” Rachel says. It helps demarcate the living room and kitchen in their open-plan space.

The kitchen island ended up spurring a flurry of other DIYs and updates around the property, from the makeshift pots-and-pans rack made from a shower rod to the custom wooden crate in the living room that houses their five-year old dog, Camp.

All this customization has started to feel second-nature for Joe, who says “Once you can create something, run a Kickstarter for it, and go through the experience of getting a patent on a product, making a kitchen island doesn’t seem so intimidating anymore.”

Joe, who became something of a wine and spirits connoisseur during the early days of the Covid pandemic, even made use of the cooler temperature in their subterranean walk-in closet (a rarity in California) to build out a space under his slacks and shirts for a makeshift wine grotto. “We’ve got an abundance of hammocks and booze,” Joe jokes as he touts their premium amenities.

As he contemplates the rental home they’ve built together, Joe wonders out loud: “Are we crazy to do so much stuff?”

But when they really think about it, the answer is undeniable: Worth it. “It’s a pretty magical place to be,” Rachel says.

Have you taken on an ambitious Rental Revamp—or do you know someone who has? We want to hear about it! Reach out to edit@dwell.com with photos and a brief description.

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The Maximalist Magic of Josh & Matt’s Melbourne Home

Nick Laciok’s DIY Düsseldorf Flat Is a Perpetual Work in Progress

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Rachel Connors and Joe Demin, Yellow Leaf Hammocks / @yellowleafhammocks

Also Appears In

Rental Revamp: Two Shark Tank Champs Find Paradise in a Former Venice Beach Campground