Name: Dan Rossiter, Camp Design Group
Location:Long Beach, CA
Size: 600 square feet
Apartment style: Built-ins

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We claim Dan as one of our closest friends. We knew him back when he was living in a teeny little studio apartment, which actually can be found in the back yard of his current pad. Since we've always been a good house guest he was happy to welcome us for this house tour--with beer and tacos to boot. We love the simplicity of his railroad style apartment and tag him lucky for all the built-ins that came with the space.

A house full of curiosities and DIY furniture make Dan's apartment a unique bachelor pad. Your eyes tend to wander and want to take a closer look at the hung artwork and swap meet finds. Because the apartment walls remain neutral, he is able to redesign his space by rotating his favorite artwork. We love how Dan manages to combine modern furniture with vintage paintings and then surprises you with wildlife showing up in the artwork and decorative items that has you saying, "Yeah--I kind of dig it!"

Our friend is also quite the skilled artist and DIY expert and is responsible for most of the key pieces of furniture. The "built-out" (which houses the electronic components) is one of our favorite DIY elements of the house. Combining clean lines and raw wood with a simple piece of frosted sliding plastic, he hides the familiar eyesore of an entertainment center. Most of the DIY pieces are left neutral and unpainted, again making it easy to swap the artwork so each space can simply be given a new look.

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AT Survey:

Inspiration: Mid-Century Modern meets clean Japanese lines

Favorite Element: High ceilings, good portion of original hardware still intact and due to lack of zoning in neighborhood my favorite restaurant is within walking distance of my residential street

Biggest Challenge: Built-ins take up over half of available wall space. Also knee-high windows make it difficult to position furniture in the space. For example, the entertainment center would be too low if placed underneath window ledge

What Friends Say: "It's a bachelor pad without being one"

Proudest DIY: The built-out that houses the entertainment center components

Biggest Indulgence: Going to the Long Beach Antique Fair for furniture and taxidermy

Best advice: "Don't ever buy Mid-Century Modern Danish furniture, stick to one of a kind pieces, and only buy IKEA when it doesn't look like IKEA."

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Resources:
Furniture: Swap Meets: kitchen chairs, toy piano, fibergalss chairs, black leather chair and ottoman
Mash Studios in Santa Monica: coffee table, 3x shelf (modified)
DIY: kitchen table, entertainment center built-out, entertainment center in bedroom

Artwork: Amanda Paganini : painting over couch, painting over entertainment center in bedroom
Dan Rossiter: twin paintings in bedroom, kissing heads drawing in hallway
Ryan Callis: painting over black leather chair, painting over built in bar
Charlie White: twin white framed pictures in hallway
Robbie Miller: twin paintings in hallway
D. Greg Armas: hungry hippo in painting in bedroom
Robert Arieas: pink framed paper on mantle

Lighting: DIY: light box table in living room, light box table in bedroom, light fixture in living room

(Thanks, Dan!)

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