Interior Designer | Age: 23 | Home: Los Feliz

Los Angeles magazine, November 2008

Product of his environment: Growing up in a 1,200-square-foot apartment in Chicago, Kyle Schuneman, who began subscribing to Architectural Digest at 13, wondered how design could improve the accommodations of his four-member family. Small is beautiful: After studying production design at L.A. Film School, he specialized in maximizing tiny spaces and creating multipurpose decor for TV stage sets, commercial clients, and homes. For a movie exec, he converted a wet bar into a DVD storage unit that he designed to resemble a bank vault. But can you live with it? Though he rented $30,000 worth of period furniture for a Melrose store launch, Schuneman is better known for timeless looks than for wow factor. “I’ve never once asked a client, ‘What do you want?’ and they were like, ‘I want this place to be innovative.’ That’s not how people live.” Double duty: He custom-makes pieces that serve more than one function. “People are always saying ‘green, green, green,’ but part of multiple uses is that you’re using less furniture.” » Go to kyleschuneman.com.