Name: Local filmmaker Ben Steinbauer & Louisa Hall
Location: West Campus neighborhood in Austin, Texas
Size: 1 Bedroom
Years lived in: Rented 4 years
It's not everyday you get to see Austin apartment inspiration on the silver screen, but it was during a viewing of the hilarious documentary Winnebago Man, about Jack Rebney who became an internet sensation when footage of an RV sales tape gone horribly wrong went viral, that we spotted what would be our next house tour. Cozy, warm and with a healthy sense of humor, Ben and his girlfriend Louisa have done a stand-up job of creating a great-looking home in a tiny Austin apartment.
It was a rainy day when we went to shoot Ben's home. Located in a big, historical old house that's been split into several apartments, the University of Texas' campus, where Ben teaches film, can be seen from the windows. Walking into the home, we were bowled over with how much personality this place has. Older pieces of furniture mix with Ikea purchases to create just the right combination of old and new. Louisa and Ben are both big readers and writers, so their living room is filled with lots of books, as well as a nice-sized record collection. A warm lamp next to a big, oversized chair next to a shelf of books was calling our name on that rainy day, but alas, we had to remain professional and continue with our photo shoot. The living room isn't arranged quite the same way as it was in Winnebago Man, but the key elements that make the space so hip are still there.
Our favorite element to this home is just how real, sensible and accessible it is; we felt immediately comfortable in this place (comfortable enough to take our wet-from-the-rain shoes off and pad around a stranger's home barefoot). We echoed the same sentiments that Ben says his friend often comment about the apartment: it feels like a tiny apartment in New York City rather than in Austin. As we mentioned, humor plays a big part in both Ben's life and his home. A delightful surprise is the large-scale photo of Ben from his high school football team hidden behind a closet door. Not to be the only one with an embarrassing photo around, Ben also framed and hung a photo of his girlfriend (who happens to be a world famous squash player) on the wall--though in a more conspicuous location. All over the place are spots of humor: mustaches on photos, plastic ears on mirrors and a shark toy guarding over the pots and pans. But the place is also practical. With two people sharing such a small apartment, it was necessary to get smart about storage, like raising the bed very high to store stuff underneath, utilizing hooks on doors, draping the yoga mats over a door and storing kitchen supplies in cabinets even when the doors don't quite close all the way.
AT Survey:
My/Our style: Wooden and cozy.
Inspiration: Book-lined studies and used record stores.
Favorite Element: The big picture windows and the artwork made by our friends.
Biggest Challenge: All the corners.
What Friends Say: They say it feels like a NY or San Francisco apartment.
Biggest Embarrassment: The white walls.
Proudest DIY: The garden out front and the window boxes full of herbs.
Biggest Indulgence: Books.
Best advice: Lots of plants and flowers.
Resources:
Furniture: Ikea, Off the Wall, Craigslist
Lighting: Low lighting, lots of dimmers
Window Treatments: Curtains in Bedroom Pier1, curtains in living room IKEA and Pottery Barn.
Flooring: Hardwood
Paint: Old and white
Beds: Hand made wooden frame, mattress by Serta
Artwork: Ben Dowell, Thor Rinden, Samantha Krukowski, Taylor Holland, Shane Brown and many others
(Thanks, Ben and Louisa! And we wouldn't mention this if we didn't mean it--Winnebago Man was hilarious. We not only encourage you to check out a screening of the film in your city, we'd also feel remiss if we didn't mention that pre-sales of the DVD, which ship November 2nd, 2010, are available!)
Images: Adrienne Breaux
We've had amazing response to our Apartment Therapy House Tour Submission Form. While we will work with homeowners of our favorite homes to feature full tours, we will also share the best as House Calls -- short, quick tours of readers' homes. Submit your home here.
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love the space! so great to see a place that looks LIVED IN!
This is a nice, lived-in look apartment. The owner has a good sense of style and comfort. I'm not crazy about all the bookcases, though. I think he probably needs to edit some and opt for a bit more symmetry in terms of size and placement of the bookcases. Overall, I really like his space.
Lots of personality, but my claustrophobic self is gasping for air. Too much stuff in too little space!
wonderful space, looks very cozy, and, as megvetsch said, lived in.
Love it. Anyplace with that many bookcases is home to me! Absolutely beautiful, cosy, original.
Just my kind of place :-). Cozy and bookish, and stylish too. Doesn't hurt that the unit itself has fabulous "bones".
cute! i love the dining area the best. definitely cozy. those breuer cesca chairs make anything homey.
This house tour made me so happy. Tons of books and lots of plants totally make a happy home. Thanks for the lovely reminder!
I loooove the sense of humor in this apartment. I suppose you'd have to have one if you're a professor living in West Campus amongst all the college students.
I really love that lawnmower print. It definitely fits in with the Winnebago Man theme.
Overall, it has a good energy, but I think they could benefit from a little editing.
Would love to see the garden and window boxes. Love how cozy the place is!
This is just soooo Austin.
holy bookcases batman!
i love how comfortable it feels...it's probably a fantastic place to watch a movie on a rainy day and make some popcorn on the stove.
they sure do have a lot of things, and i LOVE housetours like that...because it reminds me of my own cramped apt =)
Please don't edit! I think it's just right.
And before anyone critiques you for the pictures hung "too high" over the doors...let me tell you how great I think they are. My mom does that and it makes going thru a door a more interesting activity
I especially love all the molding and the lawnmower. And I also definitely like the pics above the doors.
Cute! The painting in the dining room stresses me out a bit; makes me think of black mold.
This is great! Thanks for the tour, AT. I actually noticed the apartment in Winnebago Man and wondered about it. It's really cozy and stylish.
Also, though Winnebago Man is very funny, it is also deeply touching. In fact, I teared up at couple of points. Lovely film and lovely home!
Viva Austin!
Ben is really attractive. I wouldn't mind if he were my professor. ;)
Yeah, too much stuff.
I love this so much. It's so cozy and friendly, and even though it's a little cluttered, I think that adds to the charm of it. :)
Also, yay Austin!
I LOVE this- it's a bachelor's pad, through and through. I love AT because y'all showcase all kinds of homes, from large to teeny, in all styles, shapes, colors (or lack of). It'd be a boring site if all your house tours were exactly the same.
The only thing that I noticed that I would change would be the addition of a bedskirt. But hey, I'm a girl, that's kinda what we do :)
I love it! It looks authentic, comfortable, and full of personality. It looks like a place where I'd want to hang out.
The kitchen cabinets are lovely!
Congratulations on having a 1 bedroom apartment, with so many things in it, that's so clean and tidy. I know from experience that that takes a lot of housework. Although it may look like a bachelor's pad from the lack of frilly/fragile/formal furnishings, according to the text Louisa and Ben live here as a couple.
I have those dining room chairs and love them, but I remember somewhere a ways back, someone made rude remarks about them. Oh well, each person likes different things.
While I'm not crazy about homes that look overly designed, this place is on the other extreme. Has some personality, but not much style.
(they need to turn the house blessing stick the right way up in pic 44, over the sink.)
reminds me of my older brothers first apartment - all his stuff from his bedroom at home mixed in with garage sale finds - if a girl lives her she is well hidden!
i get the 'functionality' of this apartment, but should it have really been showcased on here??? what i don't get is what is so special about it....
I've been reading Apartment Therapy for a very long time but never bothered to register to make comments. Now I feel bad that I finally registered and I don't like the apartment, actually I don't "get it". What some people consider cozy I consider cluttered and clutter makes me very uncomfortable. When I go to someone's home that is cluttered I come home and clean and throw things away because I can't stand it. He has some interesting art but the magnets on the fridge make me want to tidy up.
Your apartment is set up very similarly to mine. Usually, when someone showcases their apartment I am left thinking it's either too expensive for me to replicate, too artsy-for everyday use or just to modern. I have to say that I will use some of what I saw to help me with the functionality of my oddly shaped tiny apartment. I thought that was partly what this site was for - but ho-hum. I will take what I can use and ignore the rest. This apartment looked like a place I would feel comfortable sitting down and having a conversation with someone in as well as looking neat and tidy. Not everyone likes to hide their books and knick-knacks away.
Rocky on!!!
Love this place. Totally cozy. Love all the books and albums and pieces of life. Love that it doesn't look like it came out of a designer magazine. It's real and wonderful!
:) You have Dostoevsky books! Cool. I read The Brother's Karamazov, my husband's read more, like Crime and Punishment (he enjoys the Russian novels).
Not a bad look for a bachelor pad either.
Why embarassed about the white walls? With the windows and art as a standout feature--the white is perfect!
So warm, cozy, charming, and welcoming. Well done.
Does anyone know where to find the yellow hanging light in the first image?
Finally, a real place where real people LIVE. With stuff.
He's adorable.
He is!! And he has long fingers. :-)
Love this space! Love his movie Winnebago Man!
I like the uncontrived feeling of this space. It's something to strive for because I find it too easy to overthink the decor.