Dynamic design duo and honorary Canadians, Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan have been gracing our TV screens for 25 years, from home heists to log cabin renos. Now, they’re taking on a new challenge with Colin & Justin’s Sub Zero Reno, premiering on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV Canada on Jan. 31 — renovating their dream Haliburton home in the middle of a frigid Canadian winter. The couple shares the details of their awkward disco encounter and idyllic honeymoon.
How they met
Back in the ’80s in Glasgow, we were sitting in two booths next to a pulsing disco dance floor, and the booth seat between them was free. After five minutes of sideways glances and furtive smiles, a sweating, topless lady plonked herself down between us, breathing heavily from her feverish display on the dance floor. Erupting into awkward laughter at the arrival of our new scantily clad guest, this was the ice breaker that started a conversation, that turned into love. Aye, breasts brought us together!
The first date
In May 1985, we met up in Squires, a Glasgow gay bar, for lunch. After a couple of daytime pints, we had a quick snog, only to be told by the barman that the bar was only gay in the evenings and currently full of straight business people. So could we, erm, stop!
The proposal
We had been working on a TV show in Australia and, on the flight back, got talking about getting hitched. There was no going down on one knee (space can be tight in an airplane!). It was just a conversation about our future that kind of grew. Perhaps we were both jet lagged, but it was a great decision, nonetheless. The lengths to which two intercontinental designers will go for Bulgari rings!
The wedding and honeymoon
We got “married” — it was a civil partnership back then — on Feb. 15, 2008, at Chelsea Town Hall, on the King’s Road in London. We lived in Chelsea at the time and had our reception at the Wolseley on Piccadilly, our favourite London hangout. We took a house in the hills above the Four Seasons in Nevis in the Caribbean for our honeymoon and did a shoot for OK! Magazine in Britain, fed monkeys outside our windows every day and had a local chef cook lobster on the beach as we quaffed chilled champagne. It was bliss!
The family
We have two fluffy feline sons, Beamer and Brutus, who travel with us, and also many nieces and nephews. We also have two goddaughters, Tallulah and Jasmine. We thought about having a family when we were in our 30s but moved to Canada instead. You could say Canada is our baby!
The secret to success
The secret to successful coupledom is to never ever let your partner see you on or near the toilet. Keep your door closed and your mystery intact. Having a lot in common but being very different people also bonds us together like glue. We love shared time and are very seldom apart. We have one cellphone and one email address. Our friends think this is weird!
Balancing careers and a relationship
It’s funny, we don’t really look for a balance because we’ve figured out that making money from your vocation is the true path to happiness. We both love design, cabins and hospitality and have been fortunate to follow our hearts and carve out a career that started some 35 years ago. 2024 was our 25th year in television. In 2023, we made a show called Colin and Justin’s Hotel Hell and have a new show coming out called Sub Zero Reno. We show no signs of slowing down and have no desire to stop. Let’s chat again in forty years (from the comfort of our maximum security twilight home) and we’ll tell you about another new series launching called, All Grey All Day – How Standing on Your Walker Can Help You Paint Your Ceiling.
The future together
Bring on the crystal ball and let’s get to it! Who knows what’s lurking around the corner; it’s important to live in the moment and always stay buoyant — what we love, we love passionately, and we throw ourselves deeply into everything we do. But there’ll always be fun, adventure, cocktails and cats.
