Not counting the couches and chairs, nearly all the furniture in this home was built by its owners! Pallets, old fences…any reclaimed wood Lara and Adam found around their neighborhood became building material for their home’s contents. And they saved a lot of money by salvaging fencing they took down during the renovation and other wood scraps. From those they made bed frames, headboards, shelving, poster frames, tables, and lighting. “Anytime we realize we need something…a side table, a laundry hamper, a mirror, a ceiling light…I’ll do a quick inventory of what we’ve got laying around and figure out how I can use it to fit the space,” admits Adam. It’s this can-make attitude that inspired Adam’s side hustle: East Austin Sawdust.

Lara, Adam and their rescue dog Buddy Franklin moved into their South Austin home just six months ago. Lara works at the local rescue shelter called Austin Pets Alive! and Adam is the Marketing Director for Peak Design, a design company based in San Francisco that makes amazing products for photographers.

Our Style: Mid-century modern furniture, clean walls, and bright pops of color to liven things up. Lots of wood in lots of finishes and conditions. Plants galore. Most of all, we like having stuff around that reminds us of the people and places we love.

With the exception of our couches and chairs, all the furniture was home-built, and mostly done out of reclaimed wood that we found around our neighborhood. Pallets, old fences, and that kind of stuff. Anytime we realize we need something…a side table, a laundry hamper, a mirror, a ceiling light…I’ll do a quick inventory of what we’ve got laying around and figure out how I can use it to fit the space. That’s how East Austin Sawdust (eastaustinsawdust.com) started…by making things out of garbage. With finer pieces I’ll often splurge on new wood, and then use scraps from those projects for future pieces.

Inspiration: The house is a mid-century slab home built in ’62. It still has the original floor plan, and even has the original manufactured kitchen cabinetry (the logo is still under the sink). The design and shape of our house, along with the rest of the houses in our neighborhood, inspired us to retain a mid-century modern vibe. But ultimately it’s a mish-mash of styles.

Favorite Element: The Hickory Slab chandelier. It has 8 Marconi bulbs hanging from it that, when dimmed, give off a beautiful glow. Unfortunately they’re incandescent bulbs, so when it comes to energy consumed (and wasted) it’s like having a couple of toasters hanging from the ceiling. We’re gonna replace ’em with LEDs.

Biggest Challenge: Out of both passion and frugality, I’m generally hell-bent on furnishing and decorating our place with stuff that I’ve made myself. The biggest challenge to that is finding the time to do everything. The place is still a work in progress, but we’ve been thankful for it since day 1.

What Friends Say: We converted the carport to a woodshop, and friends enjoy coming over and using the tools to build stuff for their own homes. Our friend Caroline just built a badass plant stand. She wields an orbital sander like a pro.

Biggest Embarrassment: Dustbuster in the bathroom. Beards require maintenance, and maintenance generates floor hair.

Proudest DIY:That’s a tough one, but probably the Cray-Denza. I’ll bet it’s the nicest piece of furniture I’ll ever make. Close runners up are the Monster Desk in the office, the living room track shelving, the artisan reclaimed wood Squatty Potty, and the dog bed. Favorite little thing is the driftwood lamp (The Drifter) that friend and fellow wood enthusiast Justin made us.

Biggest Indulgence: The couch and the livingroom chairs. They’re the first and only new pieces of furniture we’ve ever bought.

Best Advice: Invest in closet organization. The more crap you can hide in your closet the happier you’ll be.

Dream Sources: I’d give anything to spend a day in the woodshop with Nick Offerman. Nick, if you’re reading this, I’ll pay you in smoked meats.

PAINT & COLORS
All walls and ceilings are Benjamin Moore – Simply White

LIVING ROOM
Slope Sofa – Article
Soto Concave Arm Chair – Joybird
Multi Pixel Woven Rug – West Elm
Mid Century Side Table – East Austin Sawdust
Mid Century Coffee Table – East Austin Sawdust
The Cray-Denza – East Austin Sawdust
Reclaimed Bar Tray – East Austin Sawdust
Mid Century Dog Bed – East Austin Sawdust
Drifter Lamp – Justin Genovese
Pallet Frame – East Austin Sawdust

DINING ROOM
Pallet Wood Bar Table – East Austin Sawdust
’70s Bar Stools – Craigslist
Hickory Slab Chandelier – East Austin Sawdust
Walnut Picture Hangers – East Austin Sawdust
Hipster Dog Bowl Holder – East Austin Sawdust

KITCHEN
Custom Pantry Shelves – East Austin Sawdust
Turquoise Hanging Fruit Basket – Amazon
Reclaimed Floorboard Tray – East Austin Sawdust

BEDROOM 1
Picture Shelves – East Austin Sawdust
MALM Dresser – IKEA
HEMNES Bed – IKEA
Fence Post Vanity Mirror – East Austin Sawdust
Hipster Hamper – East Austin Sawdust
Industrial Easel Lamp – East Austin Sawdust
Rug — IKEA
Reclaimed Jewelry Rack — East Austin Sawdust

BEDROOM 2
Fence Bed – East Austin Sawdust
Pallet Concert Poster Frames – East Austin Sawdust
MALM Chest – IKEA

OFFICE/MUSIC ROOM
Toolbox Tube Stack Amp & Speaker – East Austin Sawdust
Monster Desk – East Austin Sawdust
Rug — IKEA

BATHROOM
Dustbuster – Black And Decker
Shower Curtain – Target
Pallet Wood Frame – East Austin Sawdust
Artisan Squatty Potty – East Austin Sawdust

DECK
Farmhouse Table – East Austin Sawdust
Carlisle High Back Dining Chairs – Target

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