“We don’t like to be pigeonholed” is the concise answer when you ask Karen Cole to describe her practice with long-time friend and partner Melody Duron. In each of their residential projects, ColeDuron aims for functionality, an overall sense of calm, and an emphasis on classic luxury with an edge, instead of trying for steely hotel lobby perfection. “We do different things for different people. And the spaces are not lived in, not shabby chic. Instead, they’re about an effortless sense of comfort.” The results —country ranches, Forest Hill estates, Cape Cod–style cottages—are often photographed for the pages of Canadian shelter magazines. If they were fashion designers, ColeDuron would be Marc Jacobs or Michael Kors—offering fresh interpretations of classic lines, where the form is elegant, the detailing is tailored, but the look is updated with jolts of colour or new takes on such luxury fabrics as mohair velvet.