Name: Kim, Jake, Collin and Alex Sly
Location: Lake Oswego — Portland, Oregon
Size: 1700 square feet
Years lived in: 3 — owned
Kim Sly of Albie Design, along with her husband Jake, have created a comfortable, well designed space to accommodate their family's needs. Their strong DIY spirit is evident in the many reclaimed and custom built items throughout the house.
Kim runs her company, Albie Design, out of her home. She screen-prints a line of children's clothing, art prints and note cards in the same room her two little boys romp and play. Though I'm sure it gets tight at times, she has her work areas well organized and efficiently maintained. Albie Design has an emphasis on being design for all ages and Kim's home is no exception to the rule. The house is a nice mash-up of grownup style meets kid play space. Her husband, Jake, and her father are woodworking enthusiasts and have built custom furniture for their home. Kim likes to find things on Craigslist and has a great eye for envisioning the potential of an old table, chair or lamp. Each room has some reclaimed element that blends nicely with the newer items in the home. In addition to her own website, Kim's prints can be purchased at Design Public and Velocity.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
MY Style: rustic & eclectic meets modern & graphic, anthropologie/flea market meets west elm/ikea, playful & warm meets practicality & compromise, and most days tonka truck & sticky juice meets vacuum & swiffer.
Inspiration: i am a big blog voyeur. i don't normally contribute, but i do sponge off them frequently. i am a sucker for most design blogs. i had a slight love affair with domino magazine (when it was around), as it was one of the few magazines with great but attainable design. my best friend gave me the domino book as a gift a few years back, and we joked about it being our "bible"....today, top on my list are dwell magazine and design public.
Favorite Element: most rooms in my house have something new and fancy that i splurged on, something old that i reclaimed, art, furniture that was hand made by either: my husband, his dad, or my dad (as they are all woodworkers). my entire house is filled with elements such as furniture, art, textiles, & photos that are meaningful to me. these items, combined with some thought & direction, generally produce good design. at the end of the day though, i think you should have something in every room that makes you happy
Biggest Challenge: space!! too many functions not enough functionality. for example our "bonus room" currently functions as: my office, my studio, our laundry room, the guest room, and last but certainly not least my kid's playroom.
What Friends Say: of course your house has a lot of art....
Biggest Embarrassment: our bathrooms, they are crazy tiny and really dark. i am not committed to remodeling them though.
Proudest DIY: the kitchen table, a team effort (as many of the DIY projects in my house are) my husband spotted the table at a construction site that was about to be demo'd. the table was originally a commercial butcher block, so he removed the legs and racks & sanded the top. together we designed legs to be made be a welder. i love the way it turned out!!! rustic meets modern.
Biggest Indulgence: the kitchen, even though if i were to do it over again today i would do it in a totally different style i still love that it's been updated and it is way more functional than before.
Best Advice: re-purpose and DIY!! i love to give furniture/accessories/anything really a new life. some people love finding stray cats and dogs and giving them new homes. i love finding old furniture and accessories and giving them a hew purpose. also don't be afraid of change & failure. i can't count the projects that i started that end up at the dump. i grew up in house that pretty much never changed from when the decorator came in and covered the walls and bedspreads in laura asheley. some would argue that it's too expensive to redecorate but i disagree. i've changed an entire room in a day by rearranging the furniture and accessories, and changing out a few pillows (just ask my husband)
Dream Sources: anything jonathan adler, design public, anthropologie -i almost never go there to buy clothes, instead i go there for inspiration and to drool over all of the unique and playful furniture & accessory schemes.
Resources of Note:
ENTRY
- • Dresser: Second hand store
• Mirror: First DIY project by my husband and I (I design/paint he builds)
• Pottery: Second hand store
• Lamp: Pottery Barn
LIVING ROOM
- • Sofa: Mitchell Gold
• Coffee Table: Second hand store
• Chair: Craigslist
• Bookshelves: Ikea
• Artwork: Mine
DINING ROOM
- • Table: Proudest DIY!
• Light fixture: West Elm
• Hutch: Made by my dad
• Chairs: Ikea
BEDROOM
- • Duvet Cover: West Elm
• Curtains: Ikea Fabric
• Artwork: Mine
• Light Fixture: Ikea
• Desk: Made by my dad
• Dresser: Second hand store
• Lamp: Second hand store
OFFICE
- • Desk: Craigslist
• Lamp: Second hand store
• Art Prints: My series available at Albie Design
• Art/Craft table: Came with the house!
• Coffee table: Craigslist
• Couch: Cost Plus
• Carpet: Flor
NURSERY
- • Crib: Lullaby Lane
• Mobile: Converted Wind Chime from Ikea
• Dresser: Antique store
• Armoire: Husband made
• Rug: Urban Outfitters
• Hanging Lamp: Cost Plus
• Animal cut outs: DIY Projet
KID'S ROOM
- • Bed & Kid Table: Made by my dad
• Bedding: Fabric from Ikea
• Artwork: Mine, Albie Design
• Dot rugs: Ikea
• Bookshelves: Garage Sale
Thanks, Sly Family!
Images: Molly Anderson, kitchen table shot by Lindsey Lyons
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complete awesomeness - love it
Kim, you're insane for doing your work in the playroom! I'd set up my office at that gorgeous dining room table :)
I love it. Everything. Tons of natural light, beautiful kitchen, beautiful furniture, great kids stuff... amazing job. I'm jealous!
Wonderful. Love the wall behind the crib and the r2d2/c3po piece.
Not so much loving the vignettes which seem like an ad for your company - beautiful shots, but not the right place for them.
Beautiful! Love shot #8. So nice to see attractive and comfy kids' areas.
are there 2 TVs in the living room? i love the woodwork throughout. it grounds the more airy, modern elements nicely. love the entryway, living room + dining area, but bedrooms seem a bit unfinished to me personally. beautiful home!
no, there are not 2 tv's in the living room, just 1. yes, the bedrooms are somewhat unfinished mostly due to the artist/new business budget constraints. :-) wish i could redo them all! thanks for the compliments though.
Love, love, love, love!
Very nice. I love that this is a real lived in home. This is pretty much how I envision my home to look like after we have children. I think you've done a wonderful job, and as for any "unfinished" rooms, no room is ever truly finished, is it?
I like the wall behind the crib.
I particularly like your color choices in the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Could you please clarify for me where the dark grey wall is? Is it only one accent wall in the dining room, framing the doors, or does it extend into another living space? Thanks for sharing your beautiful home!
I love that you have so much furniture that your dad, huband, and husband's dad made in your house. It's such a great way to make your spaces more personal and meaningful.
I also love your art, especially the City Series. Plleeeaaase make a DC print soon!
Love it!
What an inspiration! It's great that you're able to work from home with all the chaos/lack of space. I'm facing the same issue, so I am encouraged that it IS possible, especially with young ones underfoot!
I really love that dresser in the entryway. And I love that there's a toy shopping cart in the hallway :)
I am drooling over the amazingness of your dining table!
But, I can't seem to get over 'acception'....really?!?!
The dining table is awesome, but the rest of the kitchen seems...sadly cavernous. Strikingly so compared to the rest of the house which has a mildly cozy, fun atmosphere.
I think you and your husband did a fantastic job on the dining table. What fun to be able to work together (and with family) to make things... well done! And I like your kitchen - it looks as if it receives a lot of light, which is always nice. Thanks for sharing.
You might consider using capital letters and proper sentences - you never know when a potential customer/client may be out there!
I'm in love, LOVE, luv with this house. *sigh*
So stinkin cute... I love the whole thing!
Beautiful job! I appreciate that your style accommodates your kids, it adds so much.
Would you share the wall color in your bedroom? I've been struggling to get the right blue, and this color seems to be working well for you!
Love it. So many fantastic ideas. The kids' play table under the TV--what did that used to be? An ottoman? A table.
thanks to all for the kind words! yes, to many of your points my house would be a different place if i had more time, money & older children.
living room color-miller paint-8703H
the living room and kitchen are painted in that color, and "yes" we only have that 1 accent wall in the kitchen.
master bedroom color-miller paint-0510W
thank you! the kids' table was designed/built by my husband, specifically for that purpose. we wanted something mobile (hence the wheels), low to the ground, and with storage underneath (wooden slats are removable).
Seriously. I think I might steal your dining room table... well the idea. My husband wants a "rustic" table, which makes me cringe. This is the perfect melding of his style and my more modern sensibilities. I'd love to know more about the legs, stain and sealant. I've already found a company that sells the butcher block.
Truly love this home. Has the feel I am trying to achieve. My one question though is:
Where can I find the R2D2 and C3PO print in your son's room? Thanks!
Such a friendly and happy place.
my heart skipped a beat ... what an amazing dinning table! LOVE. I'm pretty much loving the vibe of this house.
wow! thanks everyone again for the compliments.
as for the kitchen table, we really lucked out b/c all we had to do is sand it down and put a spar varnish on it. it was so old and b/c it had been used commercially it revealed the most amazing wood pattern. the legs-we designed, but the welder did all of the work. sorry i can't be more help.
as for the R2/C3PO print, i made that for my 4 yr old who is obsessed with star wars. i would love to sell them, however i would probably have to get permission b/c of copyright issues.
Well, technically you wouldn't have to "sell" it to me, you could just say make it for me as a gift, you know for a friend. Then, I, your friend, sends you some money because I like you so much. Lol. ;)
Loved this tour! Such a bright happy home. Also, one of the coolest dining tables I have seen in a long time. Great work...on all of it!!
yeah ditto on the star wars art- my son would go nutty over it.
I love. LOVE. this house. It's along the lines of what I strive for. With two small kids, two large dogs, 3 cats and just me 90% of the time, we downsized to a 950 sq ft townhouse, so I'm not sure how it would translate....