“I loved the process because I’m involved in it [through my work] , but I think it’s definitely more difficult than people think. There’s so much that goes into it and so many details. It’s long, it sometimes can be frustrating. It’s an interesting process.”
One process Kyle certainly had fun with was outfitting the basement of the house. At the top and bottom of the dark, tiled staircase, urban paintings with bright splashes of colour by a New York artist named Flore hang on the walls. Downstairs, there are three large-scale Ralph Ueltzhoeffer portraits of Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix and Jack Nicholson, each composed of thousands of tiny words. The iconic faces gaze upon a cozy lounge and a frosted glass orb Apparatus Studio chandelier that dangles over the pool table, setting a playful tone to an otherwise moody, masculine room. “I wanted it to feel like a speakeasy separated from the other rooms of the house in style, because it should have its own feel,” explains Kyle. “I find, generally, that basements are so boring, and no one utilizes them well.”
Down here, Kyle scores top points for utilization. It’s where they play basketball and pickleball on that sports court (similar to the rest of the house, the sports court is also monochromatic), and they regularly hit the gym and steam shower. In the evenings, they watch movies in a theatre room that brings new meaning to the phrase, “staying in.” Equipped with custom sound paneling by Edmonton’s Eldrick Upholstery + Interiors, the room’s finishing touch is the black, movie theatre-style popcorn machine in the corner.
While the house can comfortably host three additional couples, the basement suite is a hot commodity. “Usually people are fighting over this room,” Kyle jokes.
Between the white wainscotting and a silver spiked Kelly Wearstler lighting fixture hanging over the bed — added “for visual comfort,” Kyle explains — the guest room nearly rivals the master.
I said “nearly” in that last sentence, because Kyle’s favourite room in the house is the closet I mentioned earlier, adjacent to the upstairs master bedroom. She says the stylish, functional space was inspired by designer Yves Saint Laurent. A kind of shrine in its own right, the all-white wardrobes are illuminated by hidden overhead lighting and centre around a Nero Marquina black quartz island with T-bar knobs from London’s home-fashion label Buster + Punch. On the “his” side of this dazzling dressing room, McDavid’s slip-on and athletic shoes line many of the shelves, many of which are Adidas. For Kyle, pieces range from Zimmerman and Chanel to Zara and Anthropologie.