Cottage Industry: Katie Kime Turns Bungalow into a Colorful Office

A peek inside Kime's office from the main hallway, which runs from the front to the back door. "The vision for the space was a launchpad, or true headquarters, for our team," the Duke University grad says. The birdcage chair perched outside her office is Kime's own design, while her desk is a West Elm outlet find, and her office chair is from Costco.

Photograph by Molly Culver

"This space serves as a true meal table for team lunch breaks and as a space where people will take their laptop when they need a change of scenery,” Kime says. She chose yellow, her current color obsession, to paint the trim in this corner of kitchen. "I just wanted to go big there,” she says. "I also felt like the break and common area should be a happy space."

Photograph by Molly Culver

The designer's inspiration board is an ever-changing wall of colors and textures. "It's usually all images that relate to the woman I want to design for, the life, the feeling that I hope my work evokes."

Photograph by Molly Culver

Kime stands in the designated designer (to the trade) room of the house, where removable KK wallpapers hang and other textiles are on display. The company also makes custom Lucite pieces, like islands and bar carts.

Photograph by Molly Culver

The dark navy formal sitting room is a contrast to the rest of the house and features what Kime calls a "hodge podge" of spray-painted Ikea shelves, trinkets, and books from Kime's world travels. The coffee table was a find from High Fashion Home in Houston, and the moss-green chairs come from One Kings Lane.

Photograph by Molly Culver

On the way back from a trip to Morocco last year, Kime sketched the first iteration of the camel print that would become a wallpaper design her collection. She chose it to adorn a section of the main hallway.

Photograph by Molly Culver

While driving by a thrift sale after college in Atlanta a decade ago, Kime pulled over when she spied the piece that she now uses a conference table out on the lawn. She bought it for $75 and has painted the base a different color five times now.

Photograph by Molly Culver

Kime’s team includes about a dozen employees. "Our store on West Fifth Street is obviously retail and not conducive to office-ing. And until now, we’ve always had our offices connected to a warehouse for our e-commerce operation, so we have never had an inspiring space,” she says. "Now we have a creative workspace for day to day, as well as a first ever separate room for designers to the trade. So it’s those things and an event space.”

Photograph by Molly Culver

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Dorothy Draper and the coast, Kime's prints are full of color and style.

Photograph by Molly Culver

Kime hopes to make the cottage more of an event space this year, and will host all the SXSW Style Speakers for brunch in March. "We recently allowed a book club to use the space for free because what they're doing is just cool. None of these types of things were in mind when we rented the space, and so we're excited to see what organic uses will unfold," she says. "Mostly my plan is to fill the space with energetic, cool, creative women and see where we can go."

Photograph by Molly Culver

Kime and her team are gluing real tassels to each of the 1,200 or so camels on the wallpaper covering one side of the long hallway, adding texture and a splash of even more color.

Photograph by Molly Culver