A Tiny House Rental Features Hand-Built Furniture and Hanging Decor

Name: Chelsea Pursley, my bunny, Bailey
Location: East Downtown — Austin, Texas
Size: 450 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year, renting

I found my house online about a month before moving to Austin from Atlanta. I signed the lease sight unseen, and thankfully it was even better than I expected! I live here with my pet bunny, Bailey, and I work from home full time as a UX designer. Since I spend so much time at home, creating a functional space that reflected my style was essential.

I’ve always been drawn to bright colors and industrial finishings, so I really wanted to fuse those two styles together. Even though the house is entirely open, I think each room has a unique and distinct feel. With a few special pieces and some of my hand-built furniture, I think I’ve really created a home that is truly reflective of me (and Bailey).

What is your favorite room and why? I would have to say the living room “area.” I love the playfulness of the gumball machine and hammock chair. The Joybird sofa was definitely a splurge but worth every penny—plus [the living room] features an awesome stereo system from the ’70s that my parents generously gave me.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? I only have one closet in the whole apartment, so I have to get creative with where to store things like my vacuum and other cleaning stuff. I wish I had just one extra closet to tuck those things away.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I just bought myself a neon sign for my birthday! It says “This must be the place” which are lyrics from a Talking Heads song. I’ve always loved neon signs and the ambiance they create in a space.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Don’t be afraid of breaking “rules.” I’ve never really been able to stick to a color scheme or particular “style” because I love aspects of so many, but I think when you embrace the mismatched, eclectic nature of everything you can really create your own style. Oh… and you can never have too many plants.

Thanks, Chelsea!

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*4/12/2019 UPDATE: Some photos replaced and added to this post to show more of the apartment.