Photographs by Taylor Hall O’Brien
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Homeowners Sam Kalda and Dan McAlvin love pieces that tell stories—like the 1970s tiger poster above their desk, originally from the Polish School of Posters. Kalda gave the typewriter to McAlvin a few years ago—but uses it himself when he wants to write without the distractions of a computer.
The Cathedral Hill condo Sam Kalda shares with his husband, Dan McAlvin, tells two love stories: one of the decade-long life Kalda and McAlvin have crafted together, and one of a collection of beloved objects they’ve amassed both separately and as a couple.
Kalda, an illustrator, and McAlvin, a nurse practitioner, bought their three-bedroom unit in a 1905 Mission Revival–style building in 2018 after moving to St. Paul from Brooklyn to be closer to Kalda’s family. But they fell in love with the neighborhood first—after years in New York, they were drawn to its walkability, its green space, and the character within the area’s architecture.
“When this place came on the market, we both agreed on it right away,” Kalda says. “We actually have enough space for Dan to work from home, for me to have a studio, and to host friends and family. And we have an outdoor area, which we never had in New York.”
The home’s dark wood elements, cozy fireplace, and natural light suited the couple’s midcentury aesthetic perfectly: Goods sourced from a lifetime of estate sales, vintage shops, Craigslist searches, and their travels tuck into the home’s nooks and crannies, and artwork by Kalda himself and artists from around the world fills the walls.
And once they settled into their new rhythms as Minnesotans, they discovered new décor shops and vintage haunts to fill the extra space: Items from SouthSide Vintage, Loft Antiques, Eastwood Gallery, and A Rare Bird Antiques have since joined the collection.
“Both of us are collectors,” Kalda says. “That certainly lends itself to an eclectic aesthetic.”
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books tell your story
Hundreds of books adorn the home, lining bookcases and stacked on tables—including a few Kalda wrote and illustrated himself. His first book, Of Cats and Men (on top of the stack), celebrates cat dads throughout history. (The couple’s own cats, Arthur and Frances, often act as inspiration for Kalda.)
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unify with wallpaper
The couple added grass-cloth wallpaper from Schumacher through the main area of the home, which brings the drama. Plants—some of which survived the trip from New York—perk up the room, and a bench from World Market echoes the caning in the desk chair.
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Let art imitate life
Each corner of the home showcases who Kalda and McAlvin are as people. Their love of plants comes through in their artwork, like this painting by Baltimore-based artist Julianna Brion. The vase, from Wilcoxson Brooklyn Ceramics, nods to the couple’s New York history, and the cat lovers’ figurines came from flea markets and antique shops.
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repeat color cues in art and furniture
“For us, having a big dining area doesn’t really fit with how we live,” Kalda says. “Even though this is the biggest place we’ve ever lived together, it’s not massive, and we needed to optimize it for daily life rather than planning around rare entertaining occasions.” The dining area acts less as an everyday eating space and more as an art gallery, where prints by some of Kalda’s friends hang.
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keep an eye on special finds
While the home itself didn’t require any major renovations, Kalda and McAlvin updated the kitchen themselves. The orange hanging pendant is from SouthSide Vintage, in Minneapolis, and the Eames chairs and table were cobbled together from thrift stores and Craigslist. A radiator cover acts as a plant shelf.
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Maximize what you’ve got
This is the first time Kalda has had an in-home studio—when he lived in New York, he rented studio space. As he’s settled into the studio, it’s evolved with his work process: Various zones need to work together for painting, drawing, writing, and computer work. “It’s a bit like Tetris,” he says. “But after New York, I’m used to maximizing space.”
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get organized
Lots of projects equal lots of supplies. “My dream was to have a really big work table,” Kalda says. He found a large tabletop in the As-Is section of IKEA, and then “jerry-rigged, Frankensteined a table together.” IKEA cabinets hold the art books Kalda’s been collecting since high school, and a laptop stand makes computer work more comfortable.
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Set boundaries
One of Kalda’s struggles in a home office? Separating art from life. He tries to keep similar work hours to McAlvin so he doesn’t hole up in his studio all night. Another challenge: “The cats love to lay across my work table,” he says.
