Fresno Famous

I'm not a Peeping Tom, I'm not. But the neighbors sometimes leave the curtains cracked and it's hard to resist catching that glimpse, wondering where they got that awesome lamp (probably Target), or why anyone would buy a faux suede couch (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Here, Famous barges in for a closer look at our (and your) neighbors with a new feature, “Home Invasions.” We forego the ski masks and guns.

Donovan Byrn, 41, Creative Fresno member

Stats: Split level loft apartment, 686 square feet

Moved in: September 2006

The essentials: Couch from Interior Illusions, $1,600; Samsung flat screen HD TV, $1,400; bed frame, $70 from an antique store on Belmont and Fulton avenues circa 1996 (the mattress and box spring were free).

Design philosophy: “Make it fit. With the small space, I had to get rid of things that were no longer necessary. Then I just pushed everything else in.”

Favorite place to shop: “Target, CB2, Crate and Barrel, Hive Modern. Interior Illusions, when it was in the Tower, was really cool. It's still really cool, but it's not in the Tower, so I don't get a chance to go there as often.”

Favorite design element: “Architecturally, I like the openness of it. I just like the feeling when I come in the door. Although the stairs are a bitch when you're drunk.”

Favorite piece of furniture: “The dresser upstairs. It took me a while to find it. It was at the Salvation Army on Blackstone.”

Favorite design blog or Web site: “Design sponge.”

How much would you spend on a couch?:“Five or six thousand.”