ILLUSTRATION by SERGE BLOCH

Kim Bouton and Barb Foley are masters at reinventing the wheel

Down-to-earth and vivacious, Kim Bouton O’Connor and Barb Wilson Foley are passionate about design, from studying the latest trends and working with the finest craftsmen, to slamming on the brakes when an “estate sale” sign catches their eye.

“We’re always looking for that quirky treasure to make a home unique – an old rundown chair, for example, with great lines that we will repaint and reupholster with a vivid fabric for a teen’s room,” says Foley.

“We’ll go flying in the office for our checkbook because we’ve found some old cigar labels that we’ll frame for a game room, or old bottles to dress up a bathroom,” adds Bouton.

Their partnership began more than 10 years ago with the launch of Scottsdale-based Bouton & Foley Interiors.  Combining their talents in endlessly creative ways, the pair caters to homeowners across the country, fashioning interiors that reflect the unique personalities of their clients.

Photography by Werner Segarra The deft touch of Kim Bouton and Barb Foley is evident in the dining room of this Phoenix home, where a hand-painted antique buffet is combined with leopard-print chairs and a crystal chandelier.

“I took one interior design class and was sucked in,” recalls Foley, who then switched career paths from civil engineering. Bouton was surrounded by architecture and design as a child, and had long contemplated the field as a second career.  She previously worked in advertising.

In time, both moved to Arizona – Foley from Los Angeles and Bouton from Chicago – and enrolled in the interior design program at Scottsdale Community College.  The budding talents met in a drafting class and hit it off.

“We were the ‘menopausal’ women of the class,” Foley says with a laugh.  “We would hang out at school at night and on weekends, so working together was just a natural progression.”

Today, the colleagues work closely with the homeowner and architect on the details of a residence such as the one featured on the pages ahead. Bouton and Foley appreciate being included early on in the process, when they can make recommendations based on elements including furniture placement and traffic flow, or in time to design ceilings and storage niches.