Canadian Home Trends MAKEOVERS FOR EVERY BUDGET | Page 139

“Keeping continuity
is important...so that
everything flows.”
Kim Bartley, Designer and Homeowner

In their hectic lives
they needed a getaway
place at home. And the table
they had out back was not cutting it. It
had no drawing card as they preferred
reading, relaxing and enjoying
tapas-style food with friends. Mind you
they love their house and it serves them
well; every room has its function, like the
kitchen that Robert claims as his domain,
his comfort zone in which he spends
a lot of his time. But right past those
appliances were beautiful garden doors
that lead to a backyard garden patio
with untapped potential.
Robert and Kim Bartley live in a
1,700 square foot home in downtown
Toronto, built in 1931 and later
totally redesigned. Both have busy
and demanding schedules to keep.
Robert is the senior director, food
and beverage for the Air Canada
Centre and Maple Leaf’s executive
chef. Kim has developed her passion
for decorating and design into a fullblown business that she loves. Whether
it’s lofts, condos, kitchens or outdoor
havens she’s working on, she’s keeping
her clients happy and never has a dull
moment in the process.
Once they decided on renovating
their backyard, Kim loved putting it
together. “I like to make the colours and
design flow with the rest of the home,
making everything feel connected.” Kim
says. To achieve this she picked up on
the dark hardwood floors inside and
had the deck floor and fence painted in
the same dark colour.
She likes to create a space that meets
her client’s needs and personality. In
their case, a key necessity was to create
a relaxing space, which she achieved by
bringing in a sectional and daybed that
was big enough for her
six-foot-two guy to nap on. Another
was entertaining. In spite of being
involved with the hosting of thousands
of events, Robert does not tire of
cooking and needed a large barbecue,
as well as a small fireplace to coordinate
his culinary needs.

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