Name: Aaron Piland, Ayumi Kajikawa Piland (APAK), Ocho & Peanut
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 950 square feet
Years lived in: 3
Tucked away on the outskirts of Portland you’ll find the cozy home of the artistic duo known as APAK. You might have seen their work here recently on Apartment Therapy. Their 1930s home is warm, inviting, and reflective of the art that this couple creates together.
Aaron and Ayumi have done several things to brighten up their home. They installed a window box and a sliding glass door to bring in much appreciated light. Though it is tough to keep up with the dusting, tiny collections are displayed everywhere. Take a close look and you’ll find small giraffes grazing on their houseplants and god’s eyes adding bursts of color here and there. They have surrounded themselves with the things they like: small toys, art, pieces of nature, and vintage niceties. Two lively little pooches do their part to keep the house cheerful as well! APAK works from their studio upstairs where the natural light flows in like water. There they create colorful art inspired in part by the things all around them. Visit their Etsy shop to see more of their work.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our style: Handmade Modern maybe? Not sure what our style is actually...we kind of just have a feeling about what we like and try to find what works in our small space that we can find/make/afford. We like small, cute, warm, handmade, comfortable and natural.
Inspiration: This Old House, Todd Oldham, Readymade Magazine. We get inspiration from nature, and friends houses, and vintage shops too.
Favorite Element: We like our wood stove in the winter and big shady trees in the summer.
Biggest Challenge: Finding furniture that works in our small space and our small budget. Finding ways to buy less and reuse more.
What Friends Say: Cute! Homey! Sweet!
Biggest Embarrassment: Our floor. We bought our house 3 years ago “as is” and the floor is still “as is”. Eventually we’d like to refinish it and have wood floors throughout. hopefully we can score some reclaimed flooring from the ReBuilding Center.
Proudest DIY: We’re DIY kids and artists so we’ve done a lot on our own, not just because it’s cheaper but because it’s fun to experiment, make mistakes, learn, and make our space special. Our house was pretty dark so we put in a sliding glass door in the dining room so we can look out and watch birds and squirrels at lunchtime. Also we put in a garden window in the kitchen, where there was no window before. Now we have great natural lighting and a place to grow happy herbs. We’ve also redone the kitchen countertops, replaced the sink, put in a doggy door, put in a new bathtub and tile surround, hooked up a tankless hot water heater, replaced light fixtures throughout and switched to fluorescent bulbs, converted to gas stove and dryer, switched to low flow faucets and shower head, repainted the house with zero VOC paint, planted a garden and trees to name a few.
Biggest Indulgence: We have two big Douglas Fir trees with two hammocks hung between that we often lounge in and stare up at the incredible canopy above and watch clouds float by.
Best advice: Appreciate what you have. Do more with less.
Resources: Goodwill, “The Bins” Goodwill Outlet, House of Vintage, Forest Park, Powers Park, ocean beaches, Willamette River banks, Etsy, IKEA, yard sales, free piles, ReBuilding Center, Habitat ReStore, Craigslist
(Thanks, APAK!)
Images: Molly Anderson
© 2010 Apartment Therapy
I love your home. The animals on the stairs are so fun - they would make me smile every day. I love AT and while this may not feel like a "typical" AT house tour, it is the loveliest I've seen in a while. Congrats!
view rachida's profile
Now I know I'm as fond of their home as of their work!
view gregory's profile
Fresh and fun. May I ask what color/type paint you used for the exterior of your house? We're looking at reds, too, and it's so hard to find something that's not too fire-engine-y and yet still red (vs brownish). Yours looks perfect. Thanks!
view mirandabee's profile
I love your philosophy on life! Quick question, what kind of plant is that in the bathroom?
http://www.tangiedecor.blogspot.com
view LTangie's profile
Fresh and so adorable, I love this cottage! The exterior color is perfect and so lucky to have such a beautiful setting.
view b77's profile
What is the exterior color by the way, this would be a great color for our barn studio. Thanks.
view b77's profile
What a beautiful home! I love the cut-outs on the stairs and the tiles in the bathroom. The way the tile meets the wood in the kitchen area is pretty unique! Never seen that before.
view GreenJessicaA's profile
Love the outside and the inside, thanks for sharing!
Your pups are lucky to be loved by you with that bed in front of the fireplace.
view sassydo's profile
Are those original cupboards in the kitchen?
view ladymantle's profile
The exterior color is Rhodda Paint Majestic Ridge 8629.
view MollyAT's profile
I love the orange and red colors on the house exterior, and the little gnome. Every garden needs a gnome.
view heather77's profile
Can I come live with you? Your house is like a pleasant dream.
view littlePieces's profile
such a bright and beautiful home. thank you for giving us a glimpse!
view maike's profile
that is a cool ass house
view duckumu's profile
Very cool, quirky and personal...did I mention fun?!
view krister's profile
My most favorite elements of your home are Ocho & Peanut! How adorable!
Another Boston owner & lover,
Tracy @
http://www.dailydecorator.com
view Daily Decorator's profile
OMG OCHO!!!! The start of one of my favorite youtube videos of all time!!!!! Yay!
Not only do you guys have awesome dogs, your house is amazing. I can relate to your design aesthetic - going to show this to my boyfriend when we get home from work for decorating inspiration in our new house.
Also another Boston owner & lover,
Joanna
view Miss Upsetter's profile
What a happy little home. I feel so joyful just looking at the pictures. I think I'd be smiling ear-to-ear every day if I got to live here!
view CatSitterintheCity's profile
okay...i love APAK's artwork and have two prints i bought last year that i adore. their house is fantastic but you know what is the absolute best? OCHO playing the piano! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8JAOmnE9Y8
this is one of my favourite videos EVER. warms my heart everytime i watch it.
view thecabin's profile
The exterior paint color is delicious.
view 1GH's profile
I knew I shouldn't have clicked on that You Tube link.
Good girl! Play! Plaayy!!!
Dead now. Dead from cute. Thanks a lot.
Great house, btw.
view rosenatti's profile
Thanks for the exterior paint info.
Meanwhile, the owners say that "we like our woodstove..." but the stove pictured is a gas heating stove, judging by its appearance and the appearance of the vent on the outside of the house. (?)
view mirandabee's profile
The house is gorgeous. But inside there is so much crap everywhere I'd blow my brains out if I had to live there. Isn't it so funny how people react to inanimate objects? They're just things, but there are so many things I could not be at peace there.
view medusa12120's profile
how warm and happy!! and unpretentious! i love your home
view formosagirl's profile
Gorgeous colors outside! You listed Rhodda Paint Majestic Ridge 8629, but can you tell us the details on the dark trim and accent orange? You hit the nail on the head with this combo!
view mmpartofD2's profile
Hi Everyone, thanks for all you nice feedback about our home!! Here are some responses for you....
The other exterior Rhodda colors are Sunbaked Earth 8005 (Scalloped Gables) and Jeffs Java 8653 (Trim)
Don’t think the cupboards are original but we did work hard to custom mix the color ourselves.
Yes the “woodstove” is infact gas powered sorry.
Sorry for so many inanimate objects, maybe we should simplify a bit.
Not sure the name of the plant in the bathroom...probably tropical. we like the heart shaped leaves :):)
view apak's profile
Nice tour Molly ! I bet it was more fun to blog about this house tour cause you knew APAK! I learned a lot reading and look'n at your nice photos of their neat house (under 1,000 sq. feet).
view oprcng's profile
Hi APAK,
Thanks again for showing us your very charming abode and for providing all the info. No need to apologize for anything at all ... you've done a great job here and should be proud!
p.s. I checked online and it looks like Rodda paint is only available in the PNW :-(
view mirandabee's profile
Never apologise for what you have in your home. It's YOUR home! And a fun-looking one at that.
view EAM's profile
I agree EAM, there should be NO apologizing for how you keep and decorate your home. I am finding a lot of the comments on AT house tours to be somewhat harsh lately...these are tours of people's tastes and personalities and most of the time, they are not something you would have everything of in your space too or else it would be your house! It just seems so catty to complain about all these stupid little issues like hanging wires, knick knacks etc. Your house is your creation and it should be admired for that alone. People need to get over themselves and appreciate differences in taste and style. Isn't that what AT is all about, anyway?
view thecabin's profile
like a happy home :-)
view stellayyc1's profile
Some nice features but they are "high hangers"--people who put their artwork way too far up on the wall. To me this detracts a lot from the impact of some of the spaces.
view sally305's profile
I love the color of the kitchen cabinets. Cute doggies too!
view rgn's profile
I get the happiest feeling imagining hanging out in your home playing ukelele with Ocho on piano. A very sweet, happy home.
First time ever that I've read a mention of shopping from the Goodwill outlet bins! My local Goodwill bargain center is an amazing place for hard core bargain/treasure shoppers.
view amymadeline's profile
Looks very comfy and i like all the houseplants too !
view beachcottage's profile
Where is this house located in Portland?? I'm in Beaverton and it looks so familiar! Reminds me of a house that is on Oleson... I've thought it was so cute whenever I drove by but it's kind of tucked back so not quite sure.
view Lafferteezy's profile
So sweet and quirky! Not my taste at all, but nestled in among the big trees it works nicely. Comfy-cozy, as my dad used to say.
view kushkush's profile
I love your home, it looks like there is a lot of love there. The yard is so serene. We have Bostons and adore the affectionate breed. Just a thought, we have always used a harness rather than a collar because of the breathing difficulty with these dogs. I bought one harness and used it as a pattern to make my own. If you have a sewing machine, you can find all of the stuff at the fabric store.
view mimma's profile
cute - but why are your pictures hung so high?
view jettsam's profile
hahahah that video is so awesome. I wish I had bostons. And I love this house!!!!!!!! The bathroom and kitchen are the best.
view LowBrowLawnParty's profile
Love it. Love the 60s & 70s aesthetic. Adorable pups, too!
view repressd's profile