Submitted By: SoulStyle

Last week I mentioned my special client who wanted to create Cape Cod spaces in her home.  The 2 ‘spare’ bedrooms (not the Master) were to be transformed into a cottage bedroom and a TV room/lounge space.

My client Laurie spent most of her childhood summers in Cape Cod, at 445 Turnip Field Rd….for her, to have rooms that ‘felt’ like her happiest times would bring her the most joy.

And that’s really the thing about a home, isn’t it?  When it comes to turning rooms into YOUR home, it’s really about how it feels for you.  I am happy to tell you of the latest trends, or the colours ‘du jour’ – but if the latest trends and colours don’t make you feelgood, then you won’t feel at home, in your home.  And that’s just redonkulous….

With the variety of styles, shapes, & colours of everything from paint to furniture to wood finishes, it is absolutely possible to create spaces that are you.  Not a ‘designed’ space, or a ‘showroom’ – but a space where your personality, your needs, your life, are reflected.
When I met with Laurie, this is what the soon-to-be-TV Room looked like:

And here’s the soon-to-be-bedroom ‘BEFORE’:

The main reason that Laurie is so special is because she radiates joy; she’s an upbeat, smiley-pants who crochets afghans for the elderly in homes, loves her husband to bits, and is just a kind & loving soul.  Laurie is also terminally ill.

Being both cheerful & pragmatic, she realizes that at some point her illness will prevent her from climbing the stairs anymore, and she will be confined to the upper floor.  She knows that she will be unable to share the Master Bedroom with her husband.  And she knows that as her illness progresses further, she will be confined to her bed.  She wanted a beautiful place to live in, for whatever amount of time that was to be.

Working with Laurie, and on this project, has definitely been different than anything I’ve done in my career thus far.  It is always my objective to deliver spaces that my client instantly feels comfortable in, that mixes the old with the new, that incorporates their journey into the design.  Detail is always paramount.

But this situation added a depth & a magnitude to the project that I’ve never encountered before – the rooms had to be functionally appropriate for medical storage, walking with a walker, and comfort.  They also had to be personal & meaningful in every aspect; at some point, this was to be her world.

Here’s what the TV room/lounge looks like now:

This is the fabric scheme – the pale blue ticking stripe on the chair (here & in the bedroom), and the taupe & cream on the sofa.

And here’s the ‘new’ bedroom:



Cottage style layering abounds; the photo window, the address sign and the quilt ladder were all DIY makeovers, tutorials on those can be found here & here.  The quilt rack & the demi-lune table beside the bed are painted kijiji scores.  Of course, the addition of the bead board in both rooms added instant character.

Nothing is “showroom” about either space.  And that’s what makes them beautiful.  They are a perfect reflection of “Laurie’s beautiful”.  There is charm in the mix of old & new; a softness in the color schemes, and an aura of a place once dearly loved.

So whatever your circumstance, Create beauty in your home; surround yourself with what makes you feel happy; take time to choose fabrics that are ‘your cozy’; we are profoundly impacted by our surroundings, and it is not merely purchased things that create your home, it is the feeling.

Feel good.

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