Name: Timm Dolley and Zack Sharp
Location: Longview, Texas
Size: 875 square feet
Years lived in: 3.5 — rented
On a rare rainy day in East Texas, Timm Dolley and his partner Zack Sharp welcomed me into their cozy two-bedroom apartment. Filled with surprising corners, moments of kitsch, and modern, basic furniture, the apartment is a lively space that represents the joint playfulness and refinement of this warm couple.
Timm and Zack have taken standard-issue apartment features like eggshell walls, beige carpets, and vertical blinds and have built a space around them that feels vibrant, fresh, and personal. The apartment features an eclectic blend of styles and showcases their exuberant approach to décor. A mixture of baroque accents, mid-century lines and accessories, modern geometric patterns, and Asian influences inhabit every room, exhibiting Timm and Zack's true love of color and pattern.
Rather than letting a single style dictate their aesthetic, the couple only chooses items that they really love, often opting for quirky second-hand or scavenged objects (like a totem pole affectionately dubbed "Chimi," a 70s patchwork papier-mâché cat named Clementine, and an open-armed cherub statuette they call Luca Brasi). "Some people take in stray dogs," Timm says. "We take in stray objects." Zack affirmed this sentiment, claiming, "We connect to objects. Everything here has a story."
Given this affection for neglected vintage pieces, one might expect their apartment to look like an overly-crowded Island of Misfit Toys, but Timm and Zack carefully curate their space, frequently rotating art, knick-knacks, and accents. They both appreciate tidiness and organization, and neither wants to feel overcrowded by objects, believing that one needs room to live. Their apartment embodies a unique dialectic between minimalist and maximalist tendencies, perfectly demonstrating that it is indeed possible to accumulate without overwhelming one's space.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Eclectic, vintage, kitschy, and modern.
Inspiration: Mid-century design, junk shops, antique shops, vintage movies, and vintage home design publications.
Favorite Element: We have a lot of favorites. Zack loves the vintage yellow china cabinet and his sirocco wall-hangings. Timm loves the spare bedroom, especially the blue Trina Turk pillow.
Biggest Challenge: Space planning. The layout of our living room and master bedroom provides few options for furniture placement. We also tend to choose oversized furniture, which can pose a lot of challenges in a small space. The wingback chairs, for example are oversized but were donated by Timm's dad. We felt it was easier to recover and salvage some great, well-built pieces instead of buying something new.
What Friends Say: Our friends think our home is warm, comfortable, whimsical, and stylish.
Biggest Embarrassment: Our patio is shared, and unfortunately, our neighbors don't maintain their potted plants, etc. As a result, we are reluctant to bring friends on the patio, except in poor lighting conditions!
Proudest DIY: Does hanging curtains count? Timm's favorite DIY project is painting an old vanity that used to belong to his mother. Zack's favorite DIY project is assembling furniture, especially from IKEA.
Biggest Indulgence: We love scouring antique, resale, and junk shops for something to fall in love with. We're not necessarily pack-rats, but we love to "rescue" furniture.
Best Advice: Popular isn't always practical. Go with what you love. If you want to hang or display something that others might consider tacky, who cares? It's your home, not theirs.
Dream Sources: If we could build a time machine and buy pieces from the sixties and seventies, we'd be in heaven. We'd probably use that time machine to visit retro movie sets like The Godfather and Valley of the Dolls to steal fabulous furniture.
Nevertheless, attainable (we use that term loosely) dream sources include: DWR, Modernica, Knoll, and Frank Lloyd Wright.
Resources of Note:
LIVING ROOM
- • Wingback chairs: Timm's dad and a fabric store in Shreveport, LA
• Sofa: Fashion4home.com
• Cocktail Table: The Jefferson Antique Mall, Jefferson, TX
• Side Tables: Hautelook.com
• Vintage Yellow Lamp: Garage sale (Thanks, Blaine!)
• Entertainment Center: IKEA
• China Cabinet: Betty's Antiques, Longview, TX
• Dining Table and Chairs: Sears
MASTER BEDROOM
- • Bed/Dressers/Nightstand: IKEA
• Nightstand Lamp: IKEA
• Dresser Lamp: Target
• Comforter/Shams/Throw Pillow: Target
• Reading Lamps: Tuesday Morning
• Wall Art: Target
GUEST BEDROOM
- • Curtains: Urban Outfitters
• Comforter/Shams: Target
• Throw Pillow: Trina Turk
• Vintage Yellow Lamp #2: Yep, same garage sale (Thanks again, Blaine!)
• Wall Art: Greggton Antique Mall, Greggton, TX
Thanks, Timm and Zack!
Images: Carolyn Purnell
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It's so rare and so inspiring to see real, warm, crinkly, beautiful smiles! LOVE!
(the apartment is nice, too, and has given me an idea for my own new living room)
What a FUN home! Very warm, individual, and inviting.
You have one of the warmest and most inviting House Tours I have ever seen on here. Amazing space and a great testament to the electic.
love the no exit sign
after spending several years in east Texas for school, I must say this might be the MOST stylish apartment in Longview!
I love seeing house tours like this where you can tell the bones of the space are pretty standard (though the fireplace here is great). Beige walls and carpet don't have to limit how well your home reflects your own personal style.
lots of personality - love the kitchen - no exit & the fork /spoon wall decor.
Awe.....2 of my favorite guys and their awesome apartment! My favorite pic is the one of my good friend Luca!! Seriously, apartment looks great, the china cabinet is awesome!!!
I agree with the previous posters about you showing how much you can do with very basic bones, beige carpeting, etc. Also, you two are so adorable! Your apartment looks warm, interesting, and inviting.
That is such a fun idea to paint the giant tiki fork and spoon a bright color.
Well done, gentlemen. I love the touches of yellow and red.
This is so much fun! I grew up in San Antonio with that very same yellow china cabinet. My mom still has it in her house. That last picture is so sweet.
would love to know where to get that beautiful curtain fabric from the yellow and grey bedroom!
Yes, ditto what other people have said. I love this not only because it's eco-friendly (reusing old things instead of buying new ones) but also because of the contrast between the boring, standard bones of the apartment and their decor. The disparity really lets you appreciate the care and creativity that they put into the place. This home really exemplifies what some of us think of as "looking like real people live here."
Really cool place, they seem like awesome & fun guys!
I usually don't like china cabinets for some reason (they feel stodgy and dated to me), but that yellow one has me lusting. So fresh and pretty.
And I absolutely love their bedding choices.
Very nice!!! Thank you for sharing your home with me!!! Pictures look great!!!!
you guys are too cute!
sturdydesign, those curtains are from Urban Outfitters. I have the same ones in my living room. I have that bedspread, too, but it never would have occurred to me to put them in the same room, but it obviously works.
I really like!! You have taken a rented space (that sometimes comes with limitations as to what you can change) AND a somewhat small place and made it feel just right!! It's also evident that you have chosen decor features that are quite unique and special...especially if most were picked up at re-sale, antique or rummage sales. Well done fellows!! I must say...I too LOVE the "No exit" sign.
The house is really sweet, but the pic of Timm and Zack is REALLY sweet! The house is very cozy and inviting.
The problem with granny chic is that granny needs to have had good taste. While a lot of this stuff is lovely, and occasionally awesome, it sometimes veers into the trailer park, where granny was a 55 year old chain smoker named Loretta.
They need to spend a bit more time balancing the kitsch accessories with the classic basics. Kitsch is like the icing on a cake - it's a finishing touch, not a core ingredient.
Beautiful apartment. Loved the yellow china cupboard. So balanced, serene. learnt from the minimalism in art and curios.
i have that same stuffed dog on the bed- his name is jake! small world.
What a comfortable home you fellas have made! Yes, I envy you......and have learned from you. Thanks a bunch, and yes you two are just beautiful together.
So comfortable. Great details. Love the mantel pieces. I want the little metal tables in the guest bedroom. And such happy people! Really shows how you don't have to limited by a generic space.
I like the use of red accents in the spotless, simple kitchen.
Awesome! Thanks for representing Texas so well!
Yeah, I guess I'm in the minority on this one... not changing my perception of Texas taste in the least. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, guys.
I like a lot of the stuff but it feel like it's fighting the space, and the space is winning.
If it could all be moved to a space that was a little bigger and had more architectural detail, it would feel more balanced and less constricted to me.
this place just makes you happy to look at : ) the two cuties who live there help with that of course!
Terrific home, but the best part of it clearly is the people who live and love there...
It is amazing that you can take a small rented place and make it feel like such a loving and inviting home. I love the idea of not caring what anyone thinks and making your place yours. Absolutely Gorgeous!
Now I remember why I love AT so much. A real apartment dwelling that has made lemonade from lemons. Great job and inspiration..y'all (go Texas!).
the dust on that chandelier is not cute
man, some people are grumpy. ya'll are just ridiculously adorable, though, so great job with that.
I particularly like the 'vibe' of the living room!
Jealous! I've wanted that comforter from Target for SO long - and never ended up buying it. Now I can't find it anywhere! :(
It must be tough to live in Longview... I have relatives there. That area is beautiful, though! I love Jefferson.
The first bedroom is gorgeous. Lovely home.
I'm not sure which is more adorable, the apartment or the couple!