You might call Drew Michael Scott, founder of Lone Fox, a bona fide design “jack-of-all trades.” The interior design content creator and DIYer has been creating since the tender age of 11, when he launched an eBay store. Four years ago, he conceived his home décor and lifestyle website and brand dedicated to all things vintage, collected, and bespoke. “When I was in college at FIDM, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, I started a menswear YouTube channel,” Scott explains. “After a while, my passion started to grow for DIY projects in the home, so I started a second channel for interiors as a hobby, but the two audiences never crossed over. At the time, I was working part-time at West Elm, and my passion and interest for interior design began to take a front seat, even though everyone was telling me to stick with my menswear channel and content. I have always loved fashion, but I felt like my creativity shined far more in interior design. As my DIY channel began to grow, I realized I wanted to focus my time and energy on creating and evolving that—and thus, the Lone Fox brand was born. The channel really took off during the pandemic because everyone was home, watching YouTube, and updating their spaces and I soon began to see my videos going viral and my subscriber count growing.”
We sat down with Scott, who has been touted by the likes of House Beautiful and Architectural Digest, curated collections for Soho Home, and has a stall at Santa Monica’s The Mart Collective, to hear his design story. Ahead, he takes us inside his 1920s Spanish Revival-style home in Los Angeles and shares his vintage design hacks.
Thanks for talking with us! Tell us your backstory.
I grew up in Tehachapi, California, and I can remember being entrepreneurial from a very young age. When I was 11, I created an eBay store selling lanyards—those braided plastic string ones that you would see Girl and Boy Scouts carry around. You used to only be able to buy the string in 100-yard spools, so I started the store so that people could choose their own colors of string, and I cut them however they wanted. Because they were hard to find elsewhere, it was a pretty successful start.
After receiving a Cricut cutting machine for Christmas one year, I created a YouTube channel dedicated to scrapbooking, and I would post every day after school. The channel had more than 10,000 subscribers within five years and around 1,000 uploads. Around that same time, I created an Etsy store called Hopscotch Craft Supply, where I sold the products that I used in my scrapbooks and crafts. I was homeschooled in 10th and 11th grade, so I had more time to focus on building the Etsy store and running it full-time. It’s still around today, and my parents now oversee it from their home in Arizona.
What’s in the name?
Lone Fox was actually just a name that I thought of one day and it stuck. It was a brand name I held onto in my mind for years before actually creating the Lone Fox YouTube channel. Foxes typically travel in packs and follow the typical path, but a Lone Fox is the fox who steers from the mainstream path and creates their very own identity. I like to think that ‘Lone Fox’ expresses a feeling of individuality and personal expression.
Did you always know you wanted to do this?
I always saw myself having a career that fueled my creativity, and knew I wanted to have my own business someday. I really enjoyed YouTube, but I never thought it would become a full-time job, let alone be focused on interior design. My favorite part of having YouTube channels growing up was editing the videos and creating a name for myself at a younger age. I always had the mindset of ‘I am the only one who can make myself into something,’ which drove me to keep creating content. Over the years, I would brainstorm different ideas for businesses that I could start, but was always drawn back to YouTube, which I became very consistent with.
Although my education path in college was in fashion product development, my time working at West Elm combined with my move into my first apartment in downtown LA was what sparked my love for home decor and interior design. It was the most charming loft apartment with exposed brick, and it inspired me and made me excited to decorate. Being a college student, I had to be creative and cost-effective, so DIY projects were how I was able to have ‘trendy’ decor for a fraction of the price. As my channel started to build, my DIYs turned into room makeovers, and then those room makeovers turned into house makeovers.
Your first big break in design?
I was asked by Architectural Digest to be a part of the first episode of their video series called ‘Levels of Custom.’ I and another designer completely transformed an IKEA Billy bookcase. It was my first time ever working with an entire production team and having a whole film crew at my apartment. It was such a fun shoot and I loved the whole experience. Working with Architectural Digest had always been a dream of mine.
Your dream collaboration?
My own furniture line. It’s something that I’ve been manifesting for a while and I have so many fun ideas that mesh vintage and contemporary silhouettes so nicely.
Describe a typical day.
Every day is so different, but I love that. If I’m not filming a YouTube video, then I’m working on my online store. I usually wake up around 8 a.m. and cuddle my 9-month-old English bulldog, Winston, and order some coffee. I look forward to ordering my coffee every morning and lately, I’ve been obsessed with Dunkin Donuts.
I’ll start going through emails in the later part of the morning and answer anything my management team may need from me. If I am filming a video that day, I’ll usually start filming around 11 a.m., or if I’m uploading a YouTube video, I’ll use that time to finish up any last-minute edits.
Lately, I’ve been focusing a lot on my online store, because all of the holiday products came in. My team and I spent pretty much an entire week photographing all the items, listing them, and uploading everything to the website. Usually, I’ll designate certain days to the online store, especially as new furniture and vintage artwork and decor drop. I love adding new things weekly.
What are you working on now and what’s up next?
In 2023, I bought my first home in Los Angeles—a 1920s Spanish Revival—that had previously been a duplex. Up until that point, I had been doing a lot of smaller-scale DIY projects, but this home gave me the opportunity to work on larger-scale projects and really helped evolve my design aesthetic into what it is today. I have spent the last year or so renovating the upstairs portion, and now that the upstairs is complete, I’m excited to start on the lower half. I have a few exciting projects in the works… stay tuned.
Your favorite go-to vintage decor sources?
I am on FB Marketplace 24/7 and let me tell you, I’ve found SO many treasures.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Los Angeles Thrift Store
This thrift store is located in DTLA and is huge. If you’re looking for furniture, this is a great spot to start. They categorize all of the furniture, making it super easy to find what you’re searching for. The prices vary because they do have a lot of higher-end pieces. Most of their items are in good condition and they always offer great sales. Trust me, you could spend hours there.
This is probably my favorite flea market. It’s the third Sunday of every month and [encompasses] more than 20 acres of decor and antiques at great prices. There are over 800 sellers and free parking, which is always a plus. Compared to the Rose Bowl Flea Market, this one is more home decor and antiques-focused. I’ve gotten to become friends with a lot of the sellers and they are all so friendly and passionate about the history of their items that I get to learn so much about each item I purchase.
I found myself shopping there so often that I applied for a booth [just over six months ago]. I love walking through and browsing all the different booths. I feel the whole shop is very well curated and at a good price point.
Your favorite escapes?
Los Angeles is so big, so even if I am exploring different areas, it still feels like an escape. I love to venture outside the city and go thrifting and antiquing at estate sales, different flea markets, and other antique malls. It’s a fun way to spend the day and get to experience the various pockets of Los Angeles.
Top 3 design hotels?
This hotel is so beautiful. It was restored from a century-old Jarmulowsky Bank. I had the opportunity to stay there in 2023 and it is truly so magical. It’s also located in a great part of the city, near everything.
La Mercerie at Roman and Williams Guild
I visited this hotel on the same trip that I stayed at Nine Orchard, and the French restaurant located inside the hotel is so inspiring—every corner is so thoughtfully designed.
I went for the first time about a month ago. It’s a cocktail lounge and piano bar in the Carlyle Hotel, and the walls are filled with artist/author Ludwig Bemelmans’ whimsical illustrations. It was so unique. I also found my new favorite cocktail there: “The Jackie O.”
Most memorable projects to date?
My previous apartment was such a memorable project. I had moved in during Covid and it was a duplex where my landlord lived underneath me—he was a very kind, older gentleman. Upon moving in, I told him that I did interior design on YouTube and he pretty much gave me free reign to repaint and do whatever I wanted. The apartment was older but had so much charm. I fully transformed all the spaces and got to really be as creative as I could be in a rental. I was able to show him the fully finished apartment tour before he passed away.
Your design philosophy?
I’m all about mixing the old with the new—a 60/40 blend is what I like to go for. When I design a room, I think of ways to create different vignettes within a singular space, whether that be a bookcase or shelf moment, a little seating area with a side table, or a main seating area. I want each room to have different corners to make your eyes wander. I like to create environments that mix comfort and inspiration. I want to live in a space that I truly enjoy and feel inspired in.
Vintage decor shopping hacks?
Look for Craquelure
This is something to look for in artwork—it’s very soft micro cracks on the top varnish of a painting. I personally love how it looks and it’s a sign that a piece is old or antique. I think it adds to the piece, and a lot of the artwork I have in my own home has craquelure.
Seek Authenticity
From cups to bowls to vases and everything in between—I see silver everywhere. There are actually markings on silver that can give you a bit of an indication if it’s real, authentic, or silver-plated. You want to look for a .925 stamp. This means that the makeup is 92.5% silver and the other 7% is another base metal, like copper. You won’t find anything that is 100% silver because it’s too soft to create anything without a base metal. If you see a .925 on the back of anything, it means it is sterling silver.
Bring a Tape Measure
This one is simple, but never leave home without your tape measure. Make sure to measure the space you are specifically shopping for beforehand. You can even draw it out so you can refer to it throughout your shopping day. You never know when you need to measure, make a quick decision, and grab a piece before someone else does.
Best Job Perk?
I absolutely love working on a new room and making it feel totally unlike the last. I love the freedom that comes with my designs, because I mainly work to showcase across my social media platforms as opposed to client work. My designs are always extremely true to my vision.
