Age is becoming less of a barrier in many aspects of our daily lives. We are living longer, thanks to medical advancements, healthier options for lifestyle and more enriched lives at the community level when it comes to services and support. Longer lives present opportunity. Opportunity based around family and our communities when it comes to continuous learning, travel, and even extended work life. As a result, we are finding different solutions for how we are living when it comes to housing.

Early cottage life in the Kawarthas was all about escaping the urban and as a trend began emerging in the late 1800’s. Railways and canal construction made the area more accessible and the charm of cottaging began to take root. Families would spend weeks or even most of the summer months enjoying all types of outdoor recreation and with that lakeshore fun like regattas and family-oriented cottage life became a common occurrence.

Let’s face it, many of our homes are already beautiful places filled with our own personality, character, and other special features. Maybe we just need to revisit what we have and find value in what already exists. There is no reason why we can’t help turn your current home or cottage into something new and functional!

We have been beside ourselves waiting to unveil this Balsam Lake beauty that we first wrote about last year! You can read about Phase 1 for more background on Project Nahma and follow along with how we brought this across the finish line this summer with Four Points Construction!

Just as we invite change into our client’s homes and cottages, we look forward to the same reimagining of space for ourselves. If you have popped in lately, you will notice that our art space, Colborne Street Gallery has simply shuffled next door to where Room by Tim + Chris was. In turn, Room by Tim + Chris has evolved into our design studio.

The Kawarthas are finally teeming with growth and greenness! As we usher in summer, gardeners everywhere rush to see the results of their transplanted efforts from last year. A key consideration in any garden is the ability to creatively decorate and embellish your garden zones, while embracing the simple yet wild ways of nature.

Art is at the core of everything we do at Home by Tim + Chris. We love art so much that in 2018 we opened the Colborne Street Gallery. Having your own art gallery pretty much solves the problem of not having enough art in your life!

We’ve all seen the meme of the person brandishing the measuring tape and scoping out a room with the partner looking on with side eye! While partners everywhere fear renovation fever, rest assured a pointed renovation has its merits and certainly has its place when a new build or move is just not on the books.

As interior designers, our work is not just about design but also about the fabric of our community that we call home. We consider the notion of home to be a collective of everything around us. When we create functional and sustainable spaces, our client’s lives are enhanced which in turn improves the communities they inhabit.

Nothing is more personally ingrained into our sense of expression and character than colour is. Colour is powerful and it’s the original influencer! With the ability to affect behaviours, perceptions and emotions, colour can produce psychological and even physiological reactions.

Have you ever walked into a room and all the elements are exactly the right balance for the eye? The space and light communicate, form and function are unified, past and present are equally represented and the room just gives you a certain feeling? Maybe it’s sophisticated, maybe it feels collected, perhaps it’s casual, but overall, the space just feels right.

It was 8 years ago and we had been up one wall and down many others when we decided why not make this a thing. With over 15 years of renovation and build design experience, we decided to make our Sturgeon Lake cottage our home and start designing for the Kawartha lifestyle.

We’ve often talked about the importance of travel and design intersecting, because as designers we rely on global inspiration, partnerships and associations. Global partnerships are a good thing, since the dawn of the internet, design has enjoyed a borderless collective pot of influence, sharing and innovation. 

Travel is the ultimate eye opener. It is emotional, evocative and thought provoking. In no other way do we engage all the senses like we do while travelling. The emotions we attach to new experiences allow us to return to our everyday and see our spaces with new inspiration, energy and ideas.

Connecting when it comes to interior design, has long been described as connecting rooms, indoors to the outdoors, paint colours, repetition from room to room and other such design specific tactics.

Nothing says curated, more than Christmas. From colour coordinated tree décor to the perfect wrapping paper scheme, to lavish table settings with all the right details.

Clear Lake, located in Peterborough County, is surrounded by woods and picturesque beauty for miles! Located next to Stoney Lake, and as part of the Trent Severn Waterway, Clear Lake is nestled amongst a serene and natural setting.

At Home by Tim + Chris, what started as a saying, has fast become our mantra: “driven by us, highly influenced by you.” As Canadian focused designers, our role is to listen to your vision and use a multidisciplinary approach to interpret that vision into the most beautiful and functional spaces that we possibly can.

Introducing, Kim and Tim, who found this beautiful Confederation Log Home on the east shore of Sturgeon Lake, that needed a whole lot of vision and design expertise to create their Kawartha dream!

Room Refresh is a unique service created by Room by Tim + Chris as a solution for many scenarios we can all relate to when it comes to making our spaces feel like us and finding our personal design style.