Dave’s Tiny Urban Austin Studio

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
updated Dec 19, 2019
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Name: Dave Johannes
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 392 square feet
Years lived in: 1

You may remember Dave’s place from his Small Cool entry — we liked so many things about Dave’s apartment we knew we had to visit for a House Tour! Sure, Dave lives in a hip, urban apartment complex close to downtown Austin, but it’s not his location that makes this tiny studio so great. Using smart furniture placement, keen style and a few neat tricks he has transformed this room into an apartment with many clear and distinct areas, with a beautiful and colorful end result!

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Dave’s division of specific apartment areas definitely stands out, and is successful without being contrived or too forced. You can really get a sense of a separate dining area, living area, sleep area and work area. His ability to mix and match the furniture he’s collected over the years — whether a family piece, Craigslist find or store bought — is strong and the place really feels cohesive. We loved his idea for dividing the “bedroom” from the “living room” by hanging up framed photographs; it is both clean and really does the trick of visually dividing the spaces.

He had mentioned his recent interest in strong primary colors, and that stands out clear with a bright, modern yellow side chair and his recent DIY project of the painted blue lockers. Coupled with his existing contemporary furniture it helps give the space a youthful and vibrant appearance. The only thing we ribbed him about was his wire management — it seemed pretty tangled for a tech dude like himself — but he admitted he had recently rearranged his space to accommodate the new locker find, so we won’t hold it too against him. Dave’s simple but successful ideas really create a pretty grown-up looking and nice apartment — despite the small size!

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My style: Cool, calm, and comfortable. A mix of vintage and contemporary with found objects from around the world.

Inspiration: My parents. My years growing up with them I’ve had the opportunity to live in 5 different countries and visit many others, which exposed me to countless cultures and aesthetic styles.

Favorite Element: The pseudo-wall that separates the bedroom area from the rest of the apartment. These frames are hanging and suspended from chain links mounted to the ceiling. It adds real estate for a photo display in addition as acting as a room divider.

Biggest Challenge: Playing furniture Tetris to fit everything in the small space. I wanted very defined living spaces (bedroom, living, and kitchen area).

What Friends Say: They always talk about how I was able to fit so much in the little space.

Biggest Embarrassment: The basil, mint, and cilantro plants I grow on my balcony. By plants I mean the pots of soil filled with dead leaves and sticks.

Proudest DIY: The lockers. I found them on craigslist and picked them up from a metal junkyard. They were in really bad shape with rust and peeling brown paint. I sanded, primed, and repainted them blue.

Biggest Indulgence: Apple products.

Best advice: The newest acquisitions in my apartment are the red office chair, yellow fiberglass chair, and blue lockers. Before this, my apartment had a very subdued color palette. Don’t be afraid of adding splashes of primary colors here and there.

Dream source: I don’t really have a dream source. Everything I have is from a different place.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Resources:

FURNITURE

    • Wood and glass side tables, designed by my mom and crafted in Jakarta, Indonesia
    • Blue lockers found on craigslist
    • Yamaha Clavinova keyboard
    • Sleeper sofa from craigslist
    • Yellow fiberglass chair, 1960s Krueger Metal Products, from craigslist

ACCESSORIES

    • Kangaroo coffee table coasters from Sydney, Australia
    • Wall clock handcrafted from old clock parts and broken RCA Selectavision disc

LIGHTING

    • Track lightin
    • Side table lamp from Eurway

RUGS & CARPETS


BEDS


ARTWORK

    • Musical instruments oil painting bought in Camden Stable Markets, London, England
    • Wooden wine crate cover from Chateau Luchey-Halde, Bordeaux, France
    • Temple scene tapestry from Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
    • Empire State Building construction photograph found on craigslist
    • “The Island” vegetable ink print bought at Staple Media Expo, Austin, Texas

FLOORING


(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Thanks, David!

Images: Adrienne Breaux

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