Tracy Roughton DECOR

Happy Homeowners

2014-08-08T12:45:00.001-07:00

After several months of looking for a home outside the city (and years of dreaming), my buyers finally chose this beautiful 1940s stone cottage in Senneville to be their family home.

Here were 10 deciding factors in choosing this property:

1 - LOT SIZE: this home is on a large and private wooded lot with plenty of room for a future addition

2 - LOCATION: located in a family friendly, long established neighbourhood with schools and amenities near by

3 - ORIGINAL INTERIOR: untouched for many years which will give my buyers the opportunity to renovate to their taste and at a high standard. Many properties we viewed had been poorly renovated and shoddy renovations were hidden behind beautiful finishings

4 - SOLID CONSTRUCTION: the inspection showed that the home had a solid foundation and even though there was some water infiltration in the basement (as all homes do in this part of Montreal) it will be easily fixed with the addition of french drains and proper landscaping

5 - CHARACTER: this property has an overall feeling and character that new homes just can't match

6 - GOOD TIMING: neighbourhood is transitioning from older couples who have moved or passed away to younger couples with families and homes that are not updated are still affordable

7 - VALUE: surrounding homes that have already been renovated have increased significantly in value as will this property in the future

8 - PRICE: we were able to purchase for a reasonable price since it was being sold as part of a succession as the couple who had owned it had passed on in recent years

9 - CURB APPEAL: with its's stone exterior and country cottage charm, this property was very inviting

10 - FAMILY: last but not least, this will be a beautiful home for mom, dad and baby Elliot (aka Pip) and animal friends to grow up in!

Contemporary Condo

2014-02-04T10:57:00.001-08:00

Pointe-St-Charles, in the southwest borough of Montreal is where this beautiful and unique 3-storey condo is found.

When homeowner Claire purchased the condo five years ago from builder Steve Steinwold, it was sold as an empty shell with a simple floorplan. She saw the potential of this space and in this up-and-coming corner of the neighborhood.

The space was planned and designed by it's homeowner alongside architect Jan Davis. The footprint of this condo was only 20 feet wide and to maximize the space they agreed it should be kept open concept.

Since the staircase was going to be one of the main features in this space, Claire wanted it to be unique. She had always imagined a contemporary and industrial-style loft and having a custom-made floating steel staircase would help her achieve this look.

A color scheme was quickly established to be mainly white with a few touches of color in the accessories and fabrics.

While Claire enjoys great food, she doesn't find herself cooking at home that often. For this reason, she chose a simple white galley-style kitchen from IKEA and continued the cabinets up to the ceiling. Choosing white appliances has also kept this kitchen monochromatic as well.

Craigslist and kijiji was a great resources to find several pieces of furniture for this condo such as this antique sofa and ottoman that were recovered in simple fabric. The framed art are a nice graphic compliment to the aztec-style weaving.

The dining table is quite a statement piece and its light unfinished wood matches the pale caramel tones in the curtains and sisal rug.

The basement is quite open and bright and with its big comfy couch is a great place to hang out. The framed wall hanging came from a thrift shop years ago and is a real statement piece. The pops of orange and red are a great contrast against the tone-on tone color scheme throughout and the orange pillows add just enough color to tie everything together.

This simple yet elegant bar cart is a nice contrast against the whimsical framed art piece.

An off-white faux cow skull is a nice touch against the painted brick wall. There was much hesitation from the painters as they were instructed by the homeowner to paint the original brick wall white but once it was done it turned out beautifully.

The cost of the bathroom was kept low by using standard finishes of inexpensive white tiles with a black accent. The IKEA countertop, cabinet and sink were also simple and cost effective choices.

Our home tour concludes with the bedroom on the top floor which was kept open-concept as well to let light in from the windows at both ends of the condo. The curtains and bedding fabrics in this area are a dark bluish grey and are a nice compliment to the warm wood floors.

After seeing this beautiful home, it's surprising that it's homeowner is not working as an interior designer but instead in pharmaceuticals.

GRANGES - 2014 Calendar

2014-01-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

For the past few years, I have been taking photographs of barns and abandoned homes (granges) throughout Québec and Ontario.

I fell in love with the weathered barn wood, peeling paint and rusted tin roofs. To me there is an unexpected beauty in these structures.

This calendar is a collection of my favorite photographs.

Favorite Things: Grasses

2013-11-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

Over the last few years, grasses have started to appear in urban landscaping, throughout cities and in suburban gardens. Grasses move and sway in the wind and when planted together they make a gentle relaxing rustling sound.

A beautiful country setting is where True Grasses grow wild.

They often grow along farm fences and in marshy areas we can find Cattails.

New trends in landscaping have brought a piece of the country to cities and suburbs and are called Ornamental Grasses.

This condo complex uses Purple Fountaingrass in their landscaping.

Many shopping centres have planted grasses around medians like this Japanese Silver Grass.

Bronze New Zealand Hair Sedge planted on either side of this bench softens the weight and hard lines of the cement.

By the side of the road, I found Feather Reedgrass.

Timothy Grass is easy to find growing wild around cities.

Color for curb appeal

2013-10-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine purchased this 1912 home outside of Montreal a few months ago. He loved its Edwardian charm and beautiful landscaping but the white-on-white exterior didn't allow the home's best features to stand out.

Many friends and family had suggestions of what color to paint the home but I wanted to show him some options in photoshop before he started tackling the job.

The color schemes I chose are respectful of the home's vintage without specifically being heritage paint colors.

The red door is what I wanted to feature in this color scheme and I chose Benjamin Moore RASPBERRY TRUFFLE and BARREN PLAIN as the background.

This dark color scheme was one my friend had suggested from the start that he wanted to see a dark grey, this is Benjamin Moore NIGHTFALL and I paired it with a light blueish-grey for the door called SMOKE.

This color scheme features a mossy green Benjamin Moore GRAY HORSE with a dark slate green DARK PEWTER.

Which color scheme do you like best?

Garden Path

2013-09-13T14:00:00.002-07:00

Welcome to Tara MacWhirter's beautiful five acre homestead located just outside the town of Vankleek Hill, Ontario. It is here that Tara began Garden Path Homemade Soaps and lives with her husband and two teenage sons.

When I heard that my cousin Tara and her family bought a new home several years ago I was really excited for them. The property was a few minutes drive from her parents farm where she grew up and it was an area that she had always wanted to return to. It's previous owners were avid gardeners, and although Tara and her husband enjoyed gardening, they knew that maintaining this property would be a challenge to take on.

Over the years the gardens took well to their new owners and when Tara's hobby of soap making became a business, she began adding more plants and flowers. Many are used in the soaps such as calendula, chamomile and hopefully by next summer the newly planted lavender will be thriving.

Along with many perennials, the property also has a small apple orchard with seven varieties of trees. There are always more apples than the family can use so I brought some home and made an apple crisp.

Giant sunflowers are a dramatic feature in the garden and every year they thrive here lining the length of one of the barns.

There are so many picturesque spots on this property, a dream for a photography enthusiast like myself. This is the pond at the back of the land, there is a little foot bridge across it and a bench under the willow tree to take everything in.

Aside from the beautiful gardens, the family also has four bee hives. Tara's in-laws kept bees for many years and now her boys have been enjoying carrying on the tradition.

Many creatures call this home, but the monarch butterfly plays a special role. They are raised here and released, the property has been designated a monarch waystation by monarchwatch. This is why Garden Path Handmade Soaps uses this as their logo.

Tara has dozens of varieties of soaps from sweet grass to vanilla, and there are several bars for specific skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. There are even soaps that use local products such as Beau's All Natural Beer and the Vankleek Hill Vineyard.

Not only are there handmade soaps, there are also other products such as laundry soap, bug sprays, facial cleansers and more! Fans of Garden Path can now purchase their favorite products at the new retail shop on the property, which had been dream of Tara's for several years. I think it's pretty obvious that huge smiles run in the family.

Back to Blogging

2013-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

After a year hiatus, I am back to blogging!

What have I been up to? Well aside from being an interior decorator, illustrator and designer, I have now become a real estate broker!

Many factors led me to pursue real estate but one of them was this book. "How to buy or build a home of your own", published in 1947. I found it amongst the many old books that line the bookshelf at our family cottage. This book was written in post-war time and enjoying home life had become a priority again as the soldiers returned home to their families. A housing boom would start in many North-American cities along with my own, Montreal.

This book documents how to buy a home, it has extensive home plans to build from scratch but it also discusses gardening, landscaping, decorating and organizing the home. I really enjoyed seeing all of these topics in one book about making a home. It was a different time back then, people weren't trying to find happiness by accumulating material things like we do today. Home, family, and simple values were something to be proud of.

With this in mind I chose to approach real estate as a lifestyle, as homemaking, as gardening, as decorating, and enjoying the family nest however big or small!

Throughout my blog posts I will feature lifestyle stories, decorating, diy projects, green home ideas and more...stay tuned!

Favorite Things: T is not for Tracy

2012-06-27T12:38:00.001-07:00

Ever since I was little, I remember having this chair in my parent's house. It was fun to think that the letter "T" on it stood for Tracy but I knew it was much older than me, probably 100 years older in fact! The letter "T" actually stands for "Toner", my great-great-grandmother's family name.

When my mom and her family immigrated to Montreal from Scotland in the 1950s, they didn't bring many belongings since they were traveling by boat. They had several trunks of clothing and small objects but they sold their furniture before they set sail. One exception was this chair that disassembled allowing it to make the trip across the pond. The hand painted leaves, berries and vines have developed a beautiful patina over the years which add to it's charm.

I am proud to now have this family heirloom in my home and to tell friends who come over it's story and that no in fact "T" does not stand for "Tracy".

Housewarming Herbs

2012-05-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

I found this box at a garage sale, it had probably been used as a gift set for wine. Even though it had a strange purplish stain on it and was missing it's lid, I was looking forward to transforming it!

Some friends of mine had just moved into a new place and I wanted to give them a housewarming gift. I love having fresh herbs in my kitchen to cook with and I thought they would as well.

My local farmer's market had just started selling herbs for the season, I chose basil, thyme, parsley and oregano. Luckily the little square pots they came in fit perfectly side by side!

The box was made of a soft wood that I wanted to try my hand at carving. I printed out and transferred the letters onto the box with carbon paper. I got out my tools from a printmaking class I had taken years ago and after outlining the design with an exacto knife I started carving out around the letters. At first I wasn't sure how it would turn out but after completing one letter I could see it was going to look great.

When all the carving was done, I painted the whole box a soft black. Next with light grey paint I used a dry brush technique to bring out the raised areas and give it the aged look I was going for.

Fantastic Frames

2012-05-06T19:49:00.001-07:00

This is my living room before I got my new couch and redecorated. I had this beige leather one for a few years that was passed down to me. I took it because I needed a couch, it was in good shape, a neutral color...but I never really liked it! Since I didn't like the couch much I never really hung anything above it because it felt kind of temporary.

When I finally bought my new couch this is when I began to decorate and create the kind of living room I had always wanted.

I had been collecting old frames for several years, some weren't that old but some belonged to my great-grandfather in Scotland. I was never really sure what to do with them or what kind of photos or images would do them justice. I decided to hang the frames empty, after all they did feel like works of art.

From this close-up, you can see how all of the frames have a gold undertone but are very different in shape, size and detail from one and other.

This is one of my favorite "works of art" in my home.

Pot for a Plant

2012-04-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

This metal plant pot was in the clearance section of a decorating store. It was discounted and discounted again....

To give this ugly pot a different look, I decided to cover it in jute string. I made several braids and used my glue gun to stick them to the pot. The sections between the braids were wrapped with the jute and glued every so often to keep them in place.
I bought a cherry tomato plant which looks great in my new rustic pot.

Favorite Things: Beautiful Bobbins

2012-04-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

My grandmother did a lot of sewing and I inherited her sewing kit. I've always loved these old wooden bobbins of thread, their labels and bright colors are a work of art.

Bookcase for a Boy

2012-04-06T10:42:00.002-07:00

My clients for this project were a sweet young couple who wanted me to refinish this bookcase that had been given to them by a friend. Since they live in a beautiful but not overly spacious old home, storage is always important for them. Even though this bookcase was painted an awful green they still saw that it had potential and would fit perfectly in their son's room.

We chose a medium brown paint color to compliment the other furniture in the room and I suggested adding distressing in some spots to antique it.
Once I sanded the bookcase and started applying the paint I knew that it was going to turn out to be a beautiful piece!

I used a drybrush paint technique to apply a lighter color to the edges and to highlight the recesses on the doors. In other areas I used a darker paint to give the piece an aged look.

This is Lucas, so excited to help his mom fill up the bookcase with all his toys. The doors are at just the right height for him to open and get his toys out to play with and hopefully if all goes well...keep them organized!

Spring Promo

2012-03-31T12:47:00.002-07:00

Scrap to Sign

2012-03-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have leftover pieces of wood from a project that I hang on to just in case. I decided to try my hand at making a sign out of this one.

I planned out the text I wanted on my computer instead of sketching and marking up the clean piece of wood. With carbon paper, I transferred the printed text to the wood. Since I wanted the sign to look well worn, I left it unsanded before painting it.

I painted the black lines first then filled in the word "home" using a beige crackle finish. At this point I sanded the lettering so it would look more aged. Next I stained the whole piece wiping off more stain in some areas than others.

Voila...an antique sign you could have picked up at a country flea-market!

Sugar Shack!

2012-03-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

It has become a tradition over the past few years for my friends and I to celebrate my birthday over a delicious meal at a sugar shack. This year we went to Érablière Charbonneau in Mont Saint-Grégoire, 35 minutes south of Montreal.

The scenery is beautiful here, the maple trees surround the sugar shack and all have their buckets collecting the sap.

Sap dripping from the tapped maple tree.

Inside the rustic country decor is beautiful, antique chairs line the long tables.

The hanging lanterns add to the rustic atmosphere, love them.

As soon as we sat down, they started putting out the spread. The traditional Québécoise meal consists of homemade preserves, coleslaw, pea soup, potatos, omelet, tortière pockets (meat pies), sausages, ham, les oreilles de crisse (pork rinds), creton (meat spread), and of course baked beans.

And then the dessert came...we sampled everything, the sugar pie, buckwheat pancakes, crêpes and pastries. Everything got a generous pouring of warm maple sauce...yumm!!

As we slowly made our way to the parking lot feeling stuffed, we made one last stop to sample some tire (mapple taffy on the snow).

I sure got my sugar fix for the year!

Neglected to New

2012-03-09T11:06:00.002-08:00

This armoire that was built in 1938 had been negledted for many years. It was kept at a cottage and was covered with stickers by several kids that used it over the years. My client had imagined refinishing this piece for years but never got around to it.

I had a lot of work to do to remove years of use but once I stripped the old finish, sanded and did lots of filling and repairs it started to come back to life.

This armoire had always been used as extra clothing storage at their cottage but my client now wanted to use it in her dining room to display her favorite dish set.

With a jig-saw I cut a hole in the door leaving about 2" of wood around. I measured and had glass cut for the new window. I framed the door with some wood trim that had a similar detail to the rest of the piece. At first the new trim stood out against the old door but once it was all stained it, looked as if it had always been there! We chose glass shelves for the inside to let more light through.

We kept the original hardware and cleaned it up a little. It really stands out now next to the dark stain.

For the color, my client wanted this armoire to be refinished with a dark stain to go with other dark furniture she had.

I started off by using a dark wood oil stain to bring out the grain of the wood.

Next, to get an even darker treatment, I thinned some dark brown artist's oil paint with turpentine and and painted it on like a wash revealing the wood grain underneath through the brush strokes. This treatment was a perfect solution in the end because it hid all of the imperfections and patching I had to do.

Now this armoire has gone from neglected to new!

Favorite Things: Remnant Rugs

2012-02-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

I have a few of these remnant rugs around my home and I love them! They come in so many different color pallets but I chose these pastel/muted colors as it goes with my decor.

While I didn't make this rug, I do have plans to give this technique a try. It's a great way to use up fabric scraps and even old clothing!

Re-used and re-cycled home fashion is where it's at!

Handmade Hearts

2012-02-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, I thought I would try my hand at different embroidery techniques that I have become enamored with. My mom lovingly keeps all sorts of things like old fabrics, clothing and luckily all of her supplies from when she used to do embroidery.

For the first felt heart, I stitched some hemp string to it by using beige thread. I tried my hand at candlewicking also known as french knots which is done on plain muslin fabric using cotton thread. There were some great how-to videos on you-tube. For the zig-zag heart, I used wool embroidery thread and stitched back and forth following the heart shaped outlines I had drawn in pencil.

I think I have opened a can of worms now and will have to start doing some serious embroidering!

Storyboard for my Stove

2012-02-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

I had been wanting to do something with the space above my stove for a while now. When I did the kitchen makeover at the condo 2 posts ago I felt inspired to get started.

I loved the warm grey that I used in that kitchen condo and thought it would look great in my place too.

A friend who was moving had 3 small shelves to get rid of and I gladly accepted. Once the shelves were up, I got to work dressing them with some much loved items I wanted to display.

Some pieces belonged to my great-grand father's family like the drink shaker, the coffee pot and the bread tray. The brown betty tea pot belonged to my grandmother and like a good Scottish/English household it gets used everyday!

Now while I'm cooking I can also feel inspired.

Notorious Neo

2012-02-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

This is my cat Neo that I adopted two years ago. Interestingly enough this has been my most requested blog topic even though it is a design blog! I guess because he is such a sweetheart and quite the character, anyone who meets him agrees.

Neo is my assistant

He likes to help, sometimes to pose and entertain me

He keeps my fabrics warm until I need them

He keeps an eye on me at all times

He's always excited to find out what our next project is going to be

During the holidays, he helps me wrap gifts and send out mail

Sometimes he likes to get my attention by looking cute

After a while...it all get's to be too much and he needs to take a nap

Redorated Rental

2012-01-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

I have been redecorating a client's newly purchased condo in order for it to be rented out. My client didn't want to spend a lot redecorating this space, mainly to change the color scheme to make it feel more updated.

We decided to use a warm grey on the walls which compliments the beige counter tops and floor tile making the color scheme more neutral. The cabinets had black trim that made them stand out unnecessarily. Painting the trim white has made the cabinets more uniform. Stainless steel is sought after in modern kitchens and this one needed some. I added tile behind the stove that has an antique tin finish, it was inexpensive and gives this kitchen a lot more style!

Old to Organized

2012-01-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

My neighbors were doing some renovation and offered me this old window. They knew I would have fun transforming it!

My front entrance really needed to be better organized so I decided to turn the old window into a message/organizing center.

I removed the window panes, switched out two of them for cork boards and the center one for a wood panel that I painted with chalkboard paint.

I used eye screws and hemp string to hold mail that either comes in or is going out. The hooks are a great way to keep keys in one place instead misplacing them and trying to locate them when in a rush to leave.

I've got no more excuses now but to keep my entrance better organized!

Favorite Things: Pretty Perfumes

2012-01-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

These stylish vintage perfumes belonged to my great-aunt. She was a medical secretary in Montreal during the 1960s and would receive gifts such as silk scarves, gloves and perfume from patients.

Like many people of her generation that lived through the Second World War, she saved things for a special occasion which often never came. These perfume boxes are in perfect condition because they were never opened and enjoyed, something our generation would never understand.

Handmade Headboard Part 2

2012-01-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

This cottage bedroom makeover started with creating a new headboard, see handmade headboard. I liked the wall color, night tables and lamps but the rest didn't work.

Once I removed the old wallpaper border, it immediately made the walls look taller which is where I started.

Now that I had more wall space, I hung some framed art above the bed all in different frames but the white mats tied them together.

The windows needed curtains and I chose simple khaki cotton panels so that they would not be too formal.

I decided to make a quilt for this room but I wanted it to be more a contemporary one. I found a unique piece of fabric at a thrift store which became the center of the design. I paired a soft pink cotton and a white speckled cotton with it that came from the same store.

On the corners of the quilt, I made gathered panels which is a technique that I fell in love with when I did the patchwork pillow.

The little frilly throw pillow was fun to make and it gives the bed a romantic touch.

The vintage glass lamps got a little facelift with some new updated shades and I sprayed the metal silver instead of a brassy gold.

The headboard has really given this bedroom a focal point and made it look more sophisticated.

In this photo, you can see the technique I used to sew the different fabrics together which was to leave the edges raw to fray over time.

I really enjoyed creating my updated version of romantic country.