Sunset Beach star Susan Ward (Meg) and her boyfriend, artist Joe Hanson, recently moved from the actress' Brentwood apartment to what had once been Hanson's gallery space - a penthouse apartment just a few blocks away.

"I first moved into this place three years ago," explains Hanson. "Then I changed it into the gallery when we moved in together. About two months ago, we moved in here because we wanted to cut down on the expenses of having two places."

And so the great move began. "First we moved the cats," remembers Ward of her three little troopers - her own cat Velvet and Sawyer and Buffy, recently acquired from her mother. "Then we moved some clothes. Then the dining room chairs. Finally, we had the movers come in and finish everything up."

The process was a little difficult because their new abode is slightly smaller than the last one, but Ward is quick to add that the new apartment has many advantages. "This place has hardwood floors and amazing shutters - and such an incredible view!" she says.

"We always have tulips on the table because tulips are my favorite," says Ward. "We both like color," adds Hanson. "The yellow tulips with the purple painting behind it. It's a nice, fresh change to come home to."

"The open-air feeling is a lot more our lifestyle," notes Hanson. "The other place was very negative, but it was dark. We moved in here and intermingled both of our tastes." So after mingling their tastes, what happened to the rest of their stuff? "We have a three car garage that's full of a bunch of stuff," admits Hanson, which is also where he has set up a studio to work on his painting (and house his '68 Camaro). "We have enough furniture in our storage space to probably furnish two or three houses!" adds Ward with a laugh.

The couple's luxurious bed is one of the few new items in the apartment. I got it at Leonardo's on Third Street," says Ward. I had been looking at it for a few months and woke up one morning and decided that I had to go get it that day. They stained it for me and came here to put it together. I feel like a queen in my bed. It's big and tall and fluffy. There are 40 pillows laying around everywhere, and the cats get lost in them," she adds with a laugh. "It's quite funny."

While they're also considering getting a house, for now, they are happy with their deluxe apartment in the sky. "The neighborhood is great," Ward beams. "We have a grocery store right here. And San Vincente has shops and restaurants. We even walk out in the morning and have breakfast, usually at Jamba Juice or Noah's Bagels."

Hanson shows his colorful paintings to potential customers over the Internet. His website (at highergroundgallery.com) now boasts almost 40 of his creations. "You can click on a thumbnail-sized picture of a painting and get a full screen image with pricing information," he explains. "I've also got a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page set up interview style," Naturally Ward is a big fan of the site. "I go to Joe's website every day because he's always doing new stuff," she says. "I'm proud of him! It's beautiful seeing all his artwork up there."