for $40-$50 a piece. Ongoing requests for custom T-shirts eventually inspired him to change direction with his company. Now Retro Fashions does only custom silkscreening and embroidery. Their vintage furniture store, Modern Manor was born out of their mutual love of hunting for old stuff and interior design. “When we got engaged, we were just buying stuff for our condo. Rather than going to Ikea, we thought, ‘Let’s go to Sun City, go to estate sales,” Ryan shared. They ended up finding more bargain treasures than they needed, but they just couldn’t pass up the deals. They found room in their garage and sold the extra items on Craigslist and Ebay. By 2010, their hobby had grown into Modern Manor, a 4,000-square-foot store full of vintage finds. Through Modern Manor, they also started a successful business of staging homes. And as if they don’t have enough going on, they remodel and flip homes in partnership with another couple as well. Yes, it’s safe to say that they really are passionate, perhaps even obsessed, about design. They absolutely love what they do. Their yearning for travel was not necessarily about collecting, but they have found themselves taking detours in search of hidden treasure. One such diversion led them to the Pasadena home of artist David Weidman. He is well known for his midcentury modernistic silk screens, which he stopped producing in 1980. You may have seen his designs replicated on pillows in Urban Outfitters. He has since passed away, but Kylie and Ryan were fortunate enough to be welcomed by him and his wife into their studio and home where the Durkins purchased nine works, four of which hang in their nursery. Travel no longer takes such spontaneous detours, as they are busy raising a 3-year-old boy, Sawyer, and his 2-month-old brother, River. Kylie is grateful to be a stay-at-home mom, and adores her sons, but she definitely misses the creativity and excitement of her professional life. She still has her hands in the business and plays a vital role, lending her design eye to the home staging business. One might wonder how the couple is able to keep such an uncluttered home when fabulous finds are constantly passing through their hands. Ryan admits to being more of a collector than Kylie, but says that they tend to replace items rather than add. “I am not really a hoarder because we collect things but are constantly getting rid of stuff,” he explained. However, not everything is subject to change. Continued from page 10 Continued on page 14

“This is the thing I'll never, ever get rid of. When I'm Great Grandpa Durkin, this will be my chair,” Ryan says of their coveted Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair. (left)