Fed up with LA's skyrocketing rent, they embraced communal living
LOS ANGELES -- When Faith Blakeney, an interior designer known for her all-embracing, soulful interiors, first laid eyes on a charming Spanish rental in Culver City three years ago, the single mother was living with her daughter, Noa, in a 600-square-foot granny flat in Palms.
"We lived in an attic," clarifies Noa, now 16.
"I had been dreaming of a house," Blakeney recalls. "My boyfriend and I had been hunting for a house for a while. When I saw the turmeric-colored rental, I thought, 'This is the house.' I sat on the curb outside the house and prayed. I envisioned us in the house. I manifested the house. The neighbors must have thought I was crazy."
Her manifestation worked. After calling the homeowners and sending them a portfolio filled with photographs, their personal history — even their credit scores — Blakeney, 45, got the three-bedroom rental, even though it was a huge leap of faith, financially speaking.
