Kevin Durkee

I have three true passions in life; family, food and entertainment. My fondest memories of growing up are from when my gang of friends would pile into my family’s sun porch for a night of movies and freshly popped corn. My life is a mirror of those moments.

My work in the entertainment industry has provided me the chance to work for some of the best kids and entertainment brands and companies in the business. Brands like the Walt Disney Company, Sesame Street, DreamWorks Animation, Peanuts, Peter Puck and Pocoyo.

Inspired by my childhood memories, the most amazing kids’ brands around, and most of all by our daughter Taylor, I passionately embraced this renovation so that our house can eventually be “that” house. The house on the street that all Taylor’s friends want to hang-out at. I want to give her those same “movie and popcorn moments” I enjoyed so much when I was growing up.

Tom Douangmixay

I come from a big extended family where every special occasion required full event planning and catering for dozens. After meeting Kevin and finding out that his family was the same, it was clear that we were a perfect match. The Douangmixay’s and Durkee’s are all about welcoming people into their home for friendship, food and fun.

I work in the online industry for a leading advertising agency and I’ve discovered that even my busy colleagues, from diverse and varied backgrounds, hold the same values around their own family traditions and friendships. Everyone loves a good party and a great meal.

That we value family and a good time helped make the choice to move forward with this renovation an easy one for me. We love the neighbourhood and this project offered us a unique chance to design our space our way, from top to bottom. Now that Kevin and I are parents, and have blended our cultures and families, we were ready to have a home that reflected our values. A place to learn in, laugh in, and live in; the way that only we can do it.

Taylor Durkee

Renovating our home was a big deal, but hands-down, our daughter is our biggest accomplishment. From navigating the fertility-surrogacy world, to fighting with the government in order to be recognized as parents, Taylor easily represents the best the world has to offer. She’s strong, independent, creative and beautiful. Our renovation was really all for her. More space to play, more space to grow and more space for her to create and cherish the best moments of life.