Room Candy

February 05, 2020

Hello my sweet Room Candy Friends!! Its been a hot minute! Update for you...I have changed the blog name and moved over to a new home ! I'm now REMARKABLE MODERN COTTAGE linked here so you can go see ! Same me new look and hopefully some great inspiration for you. Excited to be back with lots of ideas.The old posts are still there too!! Subscribe to stay connected! ~ Tracey

Welcome Friends! A New Year, a new look with a new name for the blog

with a united social media presence!

Craftsman style living room with stone fireplace

Remarkable Modern Cottage

For newbies that probably stumbled onto this with out planning to (Hi! Please stay!We can be friends!) ... I'm Tracey, design business owner, stager, stylist (+wife mom dog lover cottage lover and so on!) This is a refreshed home design and decor inspired space...but the door is wide open to other stuff too! Keeping it real.

Layers and Layers - Styling Tips

Our No.1 question from clients when we first meet is "Why can't I get my space to look finished?" (inquiry just this am with this exact question!)

And our answer is always the same. Completing a room/home/space requires not only furniture that fits in terms of scale colour style but more importantly it requires the detailed layers of accessories art and decor to pull it all together and "feel" right. ( and done!)
Final styling is the most important piece of the puzzle!

Its not about styling secrets...we aren't magic - although we like to believe when that's the word used lol 🙌. But there are some definite styling constants that always work so keep them in mind when finishing a space or changing it up! Look to magazines and online decor sources for inspiration and what speaks to you and then copy the look with your collected bits.

Create and complete YOUR story

It's your home. Find what inspires you ( trust that!) and sprinkle throughout. The story of you and and the people living there . We always think a space should fit like a favourite pair of shoes. Looks like a million dollars and tells us who you are! If its forced and "not you" that comes across in the feeling of a space. I always relay the day we looked at our current home. When I was standing at the front door looking into the space for the first time I knew...right then it was a home that reflected and felt like me.💓

Remarkable Interiors

Scale

Group objects you love . Typically larger at the back, smaller at the front. Group in odd numbers - but don't stress on that! Even is lovely and clean looking too!
Fill space gently- don't block it. Scale pieces to the surface size.

Remarkable Interiors

Reflection

I don't mean deep inner reflection! I mean reflect the light everywhere! Mirrors open up a space, reflecting light and beauty. Use them often!!

Remarkable Interiors

Texture

Lovely texture on walls, floors, surfaces! Layer neutral textures everywhere. This is again why sometimes places feel so good. Texture gives a sense of cozy and warm. Books are a great way to add texture. I LOVE old books for that reason- old and weathered with a story (literally and figuratively!) to tell.

Remarkable Interiors

Organics

Broken record! Broken record! Greenery floral and organics ( alive or faux) in a space = LIFE. Many times this is the element missing. Faux is fab for black thumbs ( or travellers or just plain busy people) Such great bits out there now! Tuck greenery into pots on a bookshelf, coffee table, kitchen counter, bedside table. Every space you live in needs a hit of fresh!

Remarkable Interiors

Soft Decor

Pillows and throws and pouffs are a great way to add the final layers on your seating areas and of course on the bed. (groan from the men folk!!) carry your colour scheme into the pillows and add another one for some fun and interest! We always suggest feather inserts in throw pillows - they don't flatten like poly inserts and can be fluffed easily! Its amazing how changing up the pillows can change the look of a room instantly! Try it! Small investment big reward.

Remarkable Interiors

OK friends! Go rearrange or fluff or showcase your special things! Change is great! Thinking of one (or all!) of these aspects above will guide you. Have fun. Candy for your room and its YOUR story:)

~ Tracey 🌿

January 23, 2018

New Year, New Look. Whats on Trend?

Yes another New Year (cheers🎊!) and another round of “Trends”. Lots to sift through in the home decor world these days! Many say conflicting things!

So... where do you go for the real goods?

If you 💗 it then that is pretty much all you need !

Really! It’s your home, you live there and if you love a certain look colour style then go for it! How to pull that all together is another whole thing and that's maybe where you look for help - magazines, inspiration pics (Pinterest Houzz) , call a friend with a good eye, call in a professional. We do A LOT of styling with only what homeowners currently have. It's amazing what a little shifting, editing and styling can do.

If you want a refresh but limited on time and budget (most of us!) There are simple quick ways to refresh and feel like you are up to date with your space.

I just read an article where designer Kristi Margiotta called it the "3 P’s of Decorating

Paint
Pillows
Plants

I love this because its totally true- if you do 1 or all 3 of these you can create a fresh new look in a room fast and inexpensively.

Paint is still our number 1 go to for quick refresh! And its relatively inexpensive - especially if you can DIY - plus a HUGE transformation if the walls haven't been updated for years! Calm fresh colours that flow through out the entire house always work.Pick only one or 2! Add some drama with colour in personal spaces - master bedroom dining area or office. (wallpaper is also a great Drama add-on in these rooms- that's a whole other post !!)

So guys, pillows are really a girls best friend! An added step to uncover the bed or sofa is just your new fact of life 😉 But really, just the simple step of changing up the pillows in a room can create a whole new look. The key is pulling together solids and patterns with texture and colour! Don't be afraid to mix and match!

Photo Pottery Barn

Plants… I have a black thumb so everything green in my home is not real ( faux- cringe- not the trailing dusty ivy!!) If you can, live greenery is awesome, if contained and simplified. If that's not an option there are TONS of really great modern faux greens to work with.(locally- Chintz Pier 1 Homesense) We ALWAYS use greenery in our end styling and that is what finishes a room. The Fiddle Leaf fig is definitely trendy but a really really great tree! Grasses and succulents always add softness but still that bit of green life we need in a space.

If you are looking for more ways to incorporate something new (old!) think on these …

Hygge ( pronounced hoo-ga) is all the rage right now. This is a Danish word used for the “feeling” of cozy! Think comfy knitted warmth being present in the moment in front of a fire - that's Hygge. So you can't really buy it per se, but you can create the feeling in your home. There are lots of Hygge books out now for inspiration and I do think this is here to stay as we all try to connect more within and shut out the junk and noise in our busy lives.

Boho and Jungalo are another blast from the past! I made Macrame plant hangers by the dozen at summer camp! Again these are back on trend but the key is to not go so far that it feels cluttered and busy. This is big with the millennials! (my daughters follow tons of instagrammers that have a great design aesthetic which I think is pretty cool from a design mom thing!) This is where plants rule and texture is Queen. Jute , pattern, greenery and coloured accents…this all works especially when on a simple backdrop of white.

Photo IKEA

photo Karissa Pukas

Classic elegance will never go out of style. Seeing updates with this is terms of finishes metals -especially gold is here to stay, just that they are softer- brushed and burnished). Some say the white kitchen is out…I disagree. A white kitchen makes my heart beat faster! Keeping it warmer with wood accents and textures is how it can stay fresh. Again here is when - if you love it, then it will work - is so true! Flooring is going lighter and I love this. Time and maintenance saver. Lots of different flooring choices now- in millions of shades and textures and price points.

Photo oldseagroveshomes

Photo Brian Gluckstein

Photo Eichholtz

Know what you love, know when to stop, know when to ☎ a friend or expert for help. That will save you time energy and money - and on your way to a fresh new look!

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Happy Styling 2018!

~ Tracey

July 27, 2016

Time for a Change! Elegant Coastal Living /Dining Makeover.

We recently finished a living room and dining room makeover for our lovely client who was feeling it was really time for a change. She said she hadn't had anything new or updated since she was married 23 years ago. We get it! Family, school sports, work, ... life... it takes up so much of our time we can forget how it feels to step back and take a break. We think she not only needed a change but also so deserved to have a space that makes her feel completely comfortable and happy. A place to relax and unwind but also to entertain!

Here is where we started. Mostly what wasn't working was the layout, and that's because the furniture didn't really fit the room- because it all came from another house! We see this all the time. The scale of the furniture really needs to fit the scale and layout of the space.

And now...

After we met and created a design plan, new furniture sourcing started. The sofa is from Costco - a great value! The dining chairs are also from Costco - all in a beautiful creamy white linen like fabric.The beautiful occasional chairs are from VanGogh with custom fabric. The coffee table is from Pier1 and the dining table is from Urban Barn.

The interior paint is Benjamin Moore OC23 Classic Gray which brightened up the space

considerably.

Many of the small tables were repurposed with chalk paint. Most were family pieces handed down and needed to stay in the space in some form. A brand new look for very little investment! All staying in the creamy white palette.

Also spray painted was the wicker shelf unit which was a nice airy piece.

The stag art was one piece for the gentleman of the house...an avid hunter.

Dining Room...more seating was required and an update!

Sorry Stace...only before shot of the DR!

Here it is now!

New dining fixture is still being sourced...looking for just the right vintage looking piece!

Once all the big pieces were sourced and purchased we did the end shopping for all the fun bits! Lamps, pillows by the truckload :), art ,surface accessories and some greenery.We used some favourite things from the home as well.

Our client wanted the reveal to be a surprise! We LOVE this part!

The star of the show though was our fab assistant Billy...

...who absolutely needed a new chair to cozy up with! Who doesn't ?!

LOVE all the pets we get to hang with :)

Finally we wanted to share the lovely letter this adorable homeowner

wrote after the reveal....

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Tracey and Stacey,

I can't thank you enough!!! It's so much better than I could ever have imagined!!! I'm over the moon giddy!!!

It's like a magazine! I can't believe I'm in my own house!

Renovating or redecorating... it's exciting, but can be a bit overwhelming too.

Where should you start? How much can you afford to spend? After 23 years with the same furniture, it was time for a change, no it was necessary!

Stepping out and asking for help, how to place my furniture, with new purchases and of course painting old furniture to look like new. The decisions, indecisions, the emails and texts, the support you showed me, through it all.

I can't believe it but now here it is...the night before the big reveal, how do I feel? Excited, nervous, will I like it? Love it? Hate it?

The moment I stepped into the room, I knew... it was EXACTLY what I wished for! I highly recommend you both, you are an amazing team together, extremely talented and gorgeous both of you!

Thank you again, ever so much... from the bottom of my heart. <3

D, The E Clan and of course Billy too xoxo

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Happy Ladies all around!

Loving what we do.

~ Tracey

March 14, 2016

TLC HOUSE BEFORE & AFTER

So many requests for the before and afters of our TLC House flip here in Victoria. 4 month process from purchase to SOLD! Lots of brain churning sleepless nights planning/thinking/budgeting but surprisingly not too much stress. Great business partner Leslie ( Thank you!) - great team of sub contractors - great property...just needed some love and some sweat and lots of patience!

We tried to salvage as much as we could from 1962:) The oak floors came up beautifully with new sand and finish. Thumbs down to those ( a few!) who said we should rip it all out !! Layout stayed the same we just opened it all upon the main living and created 2 bedrooms and a small family room/den in the basement. 5 bedrooms!

New windows and gutters, gas furnace, hot water tank & 200 amp service.

Just about everything was upgraded!

It still fits the neighbourhood and that made our neighbours happy!

The great after photos are courtesy of Kara Photography - the crappy befores ( that actually don't look that bad here!) and some not so good afters are mine .

(not a photographer!)

Staging really helped show off the positives! We had multiple offers ...it presented very well and so many people came through the open house!

Here you go... Enjoy.

In the beginning...yes there is a house in there.

After some tree and shrub removal ready for new perimeter drain tile excavation!

This is a huge messy job. Thanks Argus Excavating for making it look easy!

After with new paint and a newly seeded yard

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Entry Before

Entry After

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Back yard and carport Before

The wisteria although amazing was growing into the attic!

The vines that were left here took days to unwind and detach from the carport.

Back Yard After

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Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

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Stairs and Railing Before

Although funky the starburst just wouldn't appeal to the masses.

Stairs and Railing After

A first time prototype that turned out fabulous! ( Thanks Geoff from G&L Contracting!)

Some steel posts, black spray paint, galvanized rope, a welder and new fir top...easy!!

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Living Room Before

Living Room After

The old fireplace got the sledge hammer ( TLC style)

And opened up to this...

We did a time lapse video of the fireplace cladding! Griffin did an amazing job drying the salvaged broken cedar fence panels that were found on the property. I'll blog the whole process soon...stay tuned if you want to DIY !
See it here: DIY Reclaimed Fireplace

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Dining Room Before