From the outside, the 19th-century redbrick church in the rural village of Sheffield, Ontario, gives very little away. “We deliberately kept the exterior traditional,” explains Matt Barnes, who lives here with his partner, Nikki Ross, and his two daughters. Other than Barnes’s “weird collection of cars” – a 1980s Porsche, a 1970s Chevy pickup, a 1960s Pontiac muscle car and a 1930s hot rod – there’s not much to suggest the tumult of colour, pattern and pop culture that lies within.
Barnes, a photographer and director, bought the church with his now ex-wife seven years ago. At the time they were living in Toronto and looking for a weekend home – a period property with character within easy reach of the city. “We saw this place and it hit all the marks,” he recalls. “It had been on the market for a while, so we went in with a low-ball offer, which was accepted. And then it was like: ‘Oh boy, now the fun begins …’”
