Fed up with LA's skyrocketing rent, these women embraced communal living

Montana (left) and Blakeney are all laughs inside the garage, which is now both women's workspace. Photos: Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times/TNS

When Faith Blakeney, an interior designer known for her all-embracing, soulful interiors, first laid eyes on a charming Spanish rental in Culver City, California, the United States three years ago, the single mother was living with her daughter, Noa, in a 600sq ft (56sq m) granny flat in Palms.

"We lived in an attic," clarifies Noa, now 16.