Trey Russell uses his small apartment as an extension of his nearby boutique to display accessories in a home setting.

Los Angeles Tiimes / ALLEN J. SCHABEN

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — For Trey Russell, “less is more” is not just a modernist creed but a way of life. In his boutique, Aris, and his second-story garden apartment behind the shop, there is a pared-down yet luxurious aesthetic on display.

Art books in both home and store sit in low, color-coordinated stacks. A row of dark wood boxes in graduated sizes — think Russian nesting dolls — hide the clutter of DVDs, playing cards and remote controls. Objets d’art are deftly juxtaposed: a Nymphenburg porcelain rhinoceros and a grouping of black jacketless books; an Anne Ricketts sculpture of a bronze hand and a slender hourglass. One floral arrangement consists simply of a pale-yellow dahlia floating in a Chinese bowl.

“Whether you’re displaying merchandise in a store or objects in your home, it’s important to give each object breathing room,” Russell says. “I treat each accessory as a piece of art; in a small space, you want everything to be important.”

For the engaging Russell, buying for his gift store — a melange of home furnishings, high-end fashion, consignment clothing, jewelry, teas, chocolates and fresh seasonal flowers — is like putting together a big puzzle. “Every day I get deliveries of new merchandise,” he says. “I have to make it all fit in a small space and make it look attractive.” Which is precisely the challenge so many people face in their homes.

Russell uses his 1,100-square-foot apartment overlooking the rooftops of north Laguna Beach as an extension of the store. It’s as minimalist and restrained as a Beverly Hills boutique. Lilac-gray and violet-slate walls create a perfect foil for his collection of well-edited furnishings, upholstered in a subtle palette of soothing alabaster, beige, gray and chocolate. Like his store, a stylish mix of affordable goods — Pottery Barn shelves, West Elm bookcases and Crate & Barrel chairs — keep company with Christian Liaigre consoles, stingray tables from France and $3,000 Caleb Siemon art vases.

“Style is not about money, but about the mix. I want customers to be able to see the things I sell in my store in a home-like setting. There’s no reason a one-bedroom apartment can’t be just as stylish as a 5,000-square-foot home,” says Russell, who can be seen most days dressed in smart yet casual attire — white Gap jeans, a Polo tee and a jaunty, custom-made linen hat.

Russell keeps his clothes in a well-disciplined bedroom closet. The only furnishings in the room are his California king-size bed and a wall-mounted TV. When he added the bed, the wood closet doors could no longer open, so in typical fashion, the inventive retailer made changes.

New slate-gray, Belgian linen drapes, attached by rings to a metal track, pull back to reveal sports jackets arranged in a trio of subtle, earthy hues. Like items, such as V-neck sweaters, cashmere crews, short-sleeved Polos, long-sleeved Polos and button-down shirts, are precisely folded and stacked in neat piles — not so surprising, since Russell once worked as a fashion sales associate.

“I’m an expert in the art of folding,” he quips.

“Seriously, most people have way too much stuff in their closets — and their homes. There’s no reason to keep a raincoat hanging 365 days of the year when you live in Southern California — really. Just leave out things you really wear and love, and stash the rest away.”

Good advice, especially for those residing in space-challenged apartments.

Just 10 years ago, Russell was living in Florida and working in the hospitality business when he decided to make the move from restaurant to retail and head west.

“I was more interested in watching CNN’s Style with Elsa Klensch and reading Metropolitan Home magazine than in food and wine,” he says.

For the next five years, the garrulous Russell worked as a personal shopper for Prada, followed by a stint at A’Maree’s, a high-fashion boutique in nearby Newport Beach. He spent his spare time as a power seller on eBay, marketing high-end fashion and holding trunk shows at home to recycle “hardly worn haute couture.”

Two years ago, he opened his version of a shop — a gift boutique, he calls it — in a former 1950s Volkswagen dealership. Russell runs it like a friendly neighborhood restaurant.

Customers are welcomed with offers of Pellegrino, cappuccino or a cup of Marco Polo Mariages Freres tea. Then there are the snacks served family-style — Java chips with spicy hummus, a bowl of chocolate almonds or ice pops for kids. On Saturdays, regulars know that mimosas and strawberries are served in the garden behind the store — all the better to wander into his nearby annex — two rooms beneath his apartment building that offer consignment clothing and Missoni linens.

But how does it feel when everything in your home is for sale, one might wonder?

Although he won’t part with his pair of antique tortoise shells — “they’re family heirlooms,” he says — everything else has a price.

“Just the other day, a woman customer came in and fell in love with my linen sofa — gone,” he says with a smile. “It’s OK. I’ll make a new one. Change is always good.”

12 Steps to a Sleeker Style

Here are a dozen of Trey Russell’s strategies for imparting a pared-down, decidedly unfussy sense of sophistication:

1. Mini-gallery: To showcase his collection of black-and-white photographs in the apartment’s hallway, Russell not only added four 3-foot-long picture rails from Pottery Barn but also stood photographs on the floor, leaned against the wall. “It’s like a mini-gallery,” he says. “I can move pictures around easily without wrecking the walls.”

2. Art books, sans jackets: To create a focal point for the living room, Russell placed three bays of espresso-hued West Elm bookcases together to appear as one large piece. He decorated the shelves with low stacks of color-coordinated art and lifestyle books — without jackets — and a few beautiful objects. “Book jackets just get torn anyway; you might as well get rid of them,” he says. “It creates a more monochromatic, less chaotic look.”

3. Less is more: “First rule: You have to establish what’s important to you,” Russell says. “Adorn your home with items you cherish rather than gifts from someone that you don’t really like. As far as closets go, arrange your clothes seasonally: Hang by color and stack like-things together for easy access. Pack away clothes and other items you don’t use. It will make your life so much simpler.”

4. Quality paint color: “Paint is one of the cheapest ways to change the look of your apartment or home — and one of the hardest things to get right. Go for the highest quality paint — Donald Kaufman or Farrow & Ball. They create complex pigments the light will play off of all day long. Pros recommend that you add 50 percent white to create a tint of your wall color for the ceiling. It will make the room feel bigger and keep you from feeling claustrophobic.”

5. Closet drapes instead of doors: “If you have a small room, consider taking out the closet’s doors and replacing them with a handsome drapery on rings that slide along a track. I used a light-gray Belgian linen, and the drapery panels made the room look so much softer. It also gave me more room. Let friends think you have a drop-dead ocean view behind them. Nobody will know it’s a closet unless you tell them.”

6. Repurposing: “When it comes to utilitarian objects, think creatively about how to use them in another way. I recently bought a pair of small glass decanters for holding balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the shop. At home, I fill them with Jo Malone body oil.”

7. Simple floral art: “I like to cut stems off flowers and just float the heads. Dahlias are particularly spectacular that way. I don’t particularly like long stems, except in French tulips. Succulents in concrete and ceramic planters are also a favorite. They require the lowest maintenance of any flower, and if you forget to water them for two weeks, they are still alive and beautiful. They thrive on neglect.”

8. In the box: “When you are living in a small space, you have to come up with creative ways to store things in an attractive way. I like to hide my clutter in a series of different-sized wood boxes. They’re great for holding my DVDs, playing cards, remote controls — anything small.”

9. The great coverup: “I often select a chair shape I like from a moderately priced store, then reupholster it in a better fabric. The two chairs in the living room are from Crate & Barrel. I reupholstered them in a luxurious chocolate mohair. The end result: I get what I want, and in most cases, it’s a faster route to immediate gratification.”

10. Mirror, mirror on the wall: “It’s an old designer’s trick, but I use mirrors to make my store and apartment look bigger. I have a pair of custom-made, alder, 9 1/2-foot-tall mirrors leaning against walls in my store. I have a square mirror over a console by the door in my apartment that reflects the ocean.”

11. Tea for two: “I always keep a tray set up for tea in both my apartment and gift shop. I set out a small teapot and a couple cups and saucers, La Perruche sugar cubes and some Donseumor lemon cookies. Then all I have to do is to bring the water to a boil and steep the tea. The tea tray is a simple gesture that says, ‘Welcome.’ ”

12. Coordinated canine: Russell jokes that his Chinese pug, Edde, fits his subtle, earthy color scheme with his creamy-blond coat and black mask. “It wasn’t done on purpose — to select a dog that goes with my shop and home — but it doesn’t hurt to have a pet that matches your decor. He’s a showstopper, for sure.”

— Barbara Thornburg