Meet Barb Ivey, a residential designer based in Toronto and owner of Ivey Design Concepts.
Our team loves working with Barb so we sat down with her to learn more about what inspires her designs and her journey into the industry.
How do you define your interior design style?
It's a mix of modern, eclectic and traditional depending on each client's personalities and how they want to live in their home. I curate the best possibilities by taking care of every detail and bringing my A-team trades in to bring my vision to life. I bring over 30 years of creativity to my projects always with a touch of humour.
What inspires your designs?
I am inspired by our incredible country and recently by my trips to BC to visit my sons. The combination of the modern city of Vancouver against mountains, the blue & cloudy skies as well as the beauty of nature on Vancouver Island is spectacular. I am also inspired by the combination of colours in nature and how light affects colour at different times of day.
Why did you decide to get into design?
I was exposed to design at a very young age through my Dad’s passion for architecture and the restoration and decoration of my childhood home. I became a client for the first time at age 7 when our designer Elmo Young had an appointment with me only to choose the pink roses floral print for my bedroom. He also had pink roses to match, which were hand painted on a chest of drawers. I loved that room and I was hooked. He also gave me my first job, organizing the sample room with hundreds of fabrics which encouraged my love of colour, prints & textures. It's been my lifelong passion.
What's your favourite area rug style?
I love a classic sisal area rug with a traditional style flat-weave rug (designed with Studio 321B) on top. The combination of the large sisal rug defines the living room and the smaller rug brings imagination, colour and another layer of interest to the room.
To learn more about what Barb Ivey is up to and the services she offers, please visit her website at barbivey.ca.