THE NEW WEST
Design innovators Aly Velji and Katie Nelson take a home from empty to exceptional.
Design innovators Aly Velji and Katie Nelson take a home from empty to exceptional.
Though it looks like it was plucked from a lot in California or the Southwest, this desert-modern home with its railings, interior gate-work and metal chandeliers is comfortably situated in Lake Bonavista, Calgary. “The house is a new build, so the clients – a young couple with two little kids – contacted us to make it more personal-looking, and to furnish it top to bottom,” explains Aly Velji who worked in tandem with Katie Nelson on the project. Says Aly: “The big challenge was to ensure the home didn’t look like a showroom.” To this end, a medley of unexpected choices were made to combine iconic silhouettes, such as
Mid-Century-Modern furnishings, with hits of rich colour and graphic accents. “Rusts, mustards and olives are contrasted with bold prints in black-and-white,” says Aly. And bedroom walls now hint at jungles and larger-than-life gardens. “Murals with flora and fauna are our absolute favourite room-makers right now! They’ve come such a long way,” says
Katie. The design duo also harnessed the power of symmetry and geometry: matching mirrors, graphic palm fronds and sets of baskets may be stylish, but they also bring a sense of order. That’s a definite plus for the parents of two busy young ones who are living life to the fullest – and sometimes messiest – in this modern family home.