Western Living Magazine
6 Spaces That’ll Make You Feel at One with Nature
5 Butler’s Pantries That Will Give You Some Serious Kitchen Envy
Before and After: A Westside Split-Level Gets a Dramatic Makeover
6 of Our Fave Salmon Recipes
4 Buzz-Worthy Recipes Every Coffee Lover Needs to Try
Bold Wines to Go With Coffee-Spiked Recipes
Why You Should Spend Your Next Break In Winnipeg
Vancouver Island’s Ladysmith Mixes Small Town Charm with Big City Culture
BC’s Best-Kept Culinary Destination Secret (For Now)
Our Favourite Pieces from the New 2025 Ikea Stockholm Collection
6 Wellness Essentials for a Spring Refresh
Orangeade Crush: 8 Juicy Ways to Turn Up the Heat in Your Home
Enter Western Living’s 2025 Designers of the Year Awards—DEADLINE EXTENDED
PHOTOS: Party Pics from the 2025 Western Living Design 25 Awards Party
Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Western Living Design 25 Awards
A Calgary ballet studio mixes girliness with grit thanks to designer Aly Velji.
Though ballet is traditionally a little, well, traditional, the second location of ballet-inspired fitness studio Barre Belle takes a more punk-rock approach. “Think of it as ballet with a bit of an edge,” explains Calgary-based designer Aly Velji, who decked out the space with a look he and senior designer Katie Mooney coined “Nuevo Neon.”
“The first location was pretty feminine and had a lot of floral,” says Velji. “For this studio, we wanted to create the same vibe but make it edgier by using neon accents.” To get that gritty-yet-feminine look, Velji pulled inspiration from the mural behind the front desk—a custom neon replica of the classic Degas painting The Star, created by wallpaper design firm Rollout. The mural sets the tone for the rest of the space, from the drinking station’s electric-yellow dresser and brass faucets to the custom hot-pink wall hooks and patterned throw pillows; each hit of colour pops against a backdrop of white marble chevron tiles and white walls. For the mouldings, Velji took the traditional treatment and gave it a twist: arranged in sharp angles and painted black, “it’s a classic touch done in a modern way,” he says.
Because Barre Belle is a high-traffic space, durability was key, which is why Velji added polished concrete to the floor in the entranceway. The main studio floor, meanwhile, is given a warm vinyl finish in a classic herringbone pattern. It’s the ideal place to dance, stretch and sweat in style—tradition be damned.
READ MOREBotanists Restaurant Embraces a Greenhouse-Chic Look
Are you over 18 years of age?